Region 6-7A tournament host Lambert downed Forsyth Central and West Forsyth by identical 6-1 scores to punch a ticket to the Class 7A state playoffs.
On Tuesday, the third-seeded Longhorns defeated the No. 6 seed Bulldogs in the tournament's opening round.
Lambert's Hannah Cole set two more school records in the circle during the win. The junior eclipsed the top mark for strikeouts in a season with 186 and produced the highest individual total in a single game with 17.
Overall, Cole allowed just two hits. One of those was a full-count solo home run by senior Emily Caron that gave the Bulldogs their only run.
The same day, No. 4 seed West Forsyth beat fifth-seeded Milton, also by a 6-1 margin. The Wolverines gave up a run in the top of the first, but Abby Williams shut the Eagles down from that point, limiting them to four hits while striking out eight.
In Wednesday's winners bracket final, Lambert topped West Forsyth to reach the finals, thus securing a top-two finish and playoff berth. (South Forsyth and Denmark are playing in the region championship series to determine the league's Nos. 1 and 2 seeds.)
Cole shined yet again. The Forsyth County News Pitcher of the Year in 2021, Cole punched out 12, giving up two hits and one walk. She also launched her fifth home run of the season — a three-run shot in the fifth inning.
The Wolverines (12-12) will face off Oct. 13 with the Eagles — who knocked out the Bulldogs (13-14) Wednesday — in an elimination game, hoping to force a rematch with the Longhorns (18-7-1) later that night.
Broncos conclude region play with rout
The East Forsyth Broncos wrapped up their regular season with a Region 8-4A shutout win over Cedar Shoals, 19-0, on Tuesday in Athens.
Cadence Alberty recorded her 300th career strikeout. Emily Heard and Morgan Clark got their first career hits. Ava Cowart, Shelby Conaway and Emma Smallwood collected multiple hits.
Cowart and Emily Hutcheson led the seventh-ranked Broncos in runs scored with three each. Cowart had a team-high in RBIs with three.
No. 2 seed East Forsyth (19-9, 16-2) will head next week to Region 5-4A champion Pace Academy for a Class 4A super regional in the new state playoffs format. Four teams will compete in the double-elimination event, with the winner advancing to the state tournament in Columbus.
North Forsyth falls on senior night
The North Forsyth Raiders fell to Class 7A No. 2 North Gwinnett, 15-1, Tuesday at home.
North Forsyth (20-9) will close out the regular season against Apalachee in a Region 8-6A matchup on Oct. 13. Regardless of the result, the Raiders will be the region's No. 2 seed and the Wildcats will be the top seed for next week's super regional round.