By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

HOMER – Callaway’s historic season came to a close with a loss to Banks County in the second round of the state softball playoffs.

Callaway, after winning the program’s first-ever state-playoff series last week against Douglass-Atlanta, fell to homestanding Banks County in two games on Wednesday.

The first game was tight, with Callaway falling 3-1, and Banks County won the second game 8-0 to complete the sweep and advance to the state quarterfinals.

“I was proud of the way they played,” Callaway coach Ashley Summerlin said. “That team earned everything theygot.

“If we could have found a way to do a little more offensively, we would have had a chance.”

Despite the loss, Summerlin said “it was a good day.”

“I was proud of the kids, and they did an unbelievable job and represented out school well,” he added.

In the first game, Leijorey Sanders had an RBI single in the fifth inning to cut Banks County’s lead to 2-1.

In that same inning, Callaway had two runners on with a chance to tie the game or take the lead, but Banks County’s pitcher was able to get out of the jam with no more runs scoring.

“We had chances to score and take the lead in the first game, and we just couldn’t get a hit,” Summerlin said.

In the second game, it was a 3-0 game when Banks County scored four runs in the fifth inning to break it open.

Just as in the first game, Callaway had opportunities to score but was unable to break through.

“We had opportunities throughout the game, we just couldn’t get it done,” Summerlin said.

It was the final high-school game for Callaway’s two seniors, Skylar Rice and Kelly Carlisle, but every other player will return next season.

“Once you do this, and you see what you can do, this is what people expect of you,” Summerlin said. “And you have to expect if of yourself, that it’s not a fluke.”