MOULTRIE – They are getting better at scoring, and getting better at holding down the opposition in regulation play.

But on Wednesday at Packer Park, the Colquitt County High softball club gave up four ninth-inning runs to drop its third contest in a row to start the 2018 season. Lee County High, which blasted the Packers in Leesburg 8-0 on Aug. 9, won the rematch 5-1 despite stellar starting pitching from Jade Horne.

Horne, with a lot of help from the all of the gloves behind her, retired 17 Lee County batters in a row. It was a string broken in the top of the seventh inning. She only recorded two strikeouts in the 17, so her infielders and outfielders were on every grounder and softball hit in the air.

It was a shaky beginning, however, with the Lee Trojans scoring one time in the top of the first. Rebekah Cooper singled to start the game and stole second base. With one out, Lee blooped the ball over third base and put two in scoring position.

The long fly to Jami Kling in left field brought home the run, but it was also the first of the 17 straight outs.

Colquitt County offensively was not only shutout by Lee on the road, but also by Coffee 7-0 in the Aug. 6 opener at Packer Park. Coach Chance Pitts made some lineup adjustments for the week plus a little shift in the outfield.

Chloe Gould moved down to the No. 2 spot in the order while switching places with Abeny Thomas from center to right field. With one out in the bottom of the first, Gould snuck a base hit through into left field. The Packers would leave the runner on base.

It was in the second inning that the zero on the scoreboard was broken up, and it all happened with two outs and nobody on base. Catcher Sarah Harrell ripped a first-pitch double down the third base line. Callie Faircloth, her courtesy runner, gets credit for the first run of 2018 as Marlie Wingate, on a 2-2 pitch, went to right field for the team’s first RBI.

Kylie Davis also singled on the first pitch she saw in the game, but the Packers could not break the 1-1 tie.

Among the 17 outs in a row credited to Horne, Thomas made four catches in center, Kling caught two in all and Gould was good on her lone chance. Abby Plymel, the third baseman, snagged two softballs out of the air. On grounders, Davis had two assists at shortstop as did Kelsey Patel at second base.

After the second inning, Lee made a pitching change to Abby Hughes, who recorded 16 strikeouts on the Packers in six innings Aug. 9. She shut things down the rest of the afternoon, but not before giving up Gould’s second hit to lead off the third. Though Patel got down her sacrifice bunt, Colquitt could not score.

Wingate doubled to deep center for her second hit with two outs in the home fourth, but did not advance further. It was the last Colquitt safety, but other chances were there from errors and hit batters. The hosts left two runners on base in the fifth, one in the sixth and one in the eighth.

Marley Smith of Lee County singled to lead off the top of the seventh and end Horne’s incredible run. Horne walked Hughes, then worked with her defense for three clutch outs preserving the tie. The Trojans tried a one-out bunt, which Horne fielded for the out at first (Patel covering) and took a first-pitch line drive for No. 3.

Hughes’ strikeout total Wednesday was 11 in seven innings.

Horne pitched a perfect eighth inning, but Lee County started the ninth getting two Trojans on base. Hughes flied out deep to Kling in left, making it a 1st-and-3rd situation, and then the visitors produced three straight hits. Trellis Whaley broke the tie, Rhiannon Belcher’s hit loaded the bags and one more plus a wild relay cleared them.