By Ross Johnson

Sports Writer

The top-seeded Troup softball team will test its strength in the Region 2-AAA tournament today in Columbus.

The Lady Tigers, who clinched a No. 1 seed in the tournament with a 3-2 win over LaGrange last week, will face Shaw at 4 p.m. at the South Commons Softball Complex.

Troup defeated Shaw 3-1 on Sept. 22, and if the Lady Tigers win again today they’ll take on the winner of the Northside-Columbus game at 6:30 p.m.

If it loses, Troup will face the loser of the Northside-Columbus game, also at 6:30 p.m.

The first team with two losses will be a No. 4 seed heading into the state playoffs, which begin next week.

Troup, which has never earned a No. 1 seed in the region tournament, will try to keep the confidence going under first-year coach George Gilbert.

The Lady Tigers have won five straight region contests after losing the opener to Columbus High 10-2.

“I think after that Columbus loss, it really woke our team up,” Gilbert said. “We had looked good throughout the summer and preseason, and then we got beat by one of the best teams in the region. We had some decisions to make after that game.”

It helped rally the Lady Tigers having senior ace pitcher Victoria Hull.

Hull, who notched 12 strikeouts in the previous win over Shaw, has helped invoke a winning attitude among the team.

“I think the biggest surprise is the mentality of our players,” Gilbert said. “We’ve developed a winning attitude, and Victoria has been a big part of that. She’s pitching better and better, and that’s definitely helped our turnaround.”

The biggest turning point for the Lady Tigers was their 3-2 win over Northside on Sept. 9.

Northside, expected to be one of the region’s best teams, led the game 2-0 until the seventh inning, when Troup rallied for the win.

The victory came just one day after the loss to Columbus.

“We’re a confident team, and a lot of that came from the (Northside win),” Gilbert said. “We felt like we could beat anybody in the region after that.”

Shaw has been playing its best softball of late.

After upsetting Columbus to give Troup the No. 1 seed, the Raiders defeated LaGrange last week in a play-in game for the region tournament.

“We know what to expect from them,” Gilbert said. “They rely on their short game, and if they go to the long ball we’ll have to adjust. We’re going to have to keep the same level on intensity.”