MOULTRIE – The Region 1 champion Colquitt County softball team, ranked No. 3 in Class 7A, is rested and antsy to take on the postseason, which will begin on Wednesday at Packer Park.

Because of the wet weather that caused the cancellation of last week’s Region 1-7A tournament, the Lady Packers have not played since sweeping Tift County in a doubleheader on Sept. 30 to end a six games in a four-day stretch that put to rest the regular season.

That sweep gave the Lady Packers a 10-game winning streak to take into the first round of the Class 7A state playoffs, which will begin when Walton High visits for Wednesday’s doubleheader scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

A deciding game of the best-of-three series would be played on Thursday, if needed.

If the Lady Packers can get by Walton, they will also play the second round at home, with either Woodstock or Dunwoody providing the competition.

Winning the first two rounds would qualify the Lady Packers for the state tournament, which will be played Oct. 28-30 at the Columbus Softball Complex.

Colquitt County head coach Chance Pitts, who got his 100th career win in a Sept. 23 victory over Lowndes, led the Lady Packers to the program’s first appearance in Columbus in 2019.

Walton, the No. 4 team from Region 3, is 9-16. The Lady Raiders have not had a winning season since the 2015 team went 13-12.

And they will be running into a Lady Packers team that is on quite a roll and will be playing on its familiar diamond.

Colquitt went 10-2 in the region, including an inexplicable 18-10 loss at home to Camden County on Aug. 26, in which the visiting Lady Wildcats scored 14 runs in the seventh inning.

Colquitt then fell to top-ranked North Gwinnett 8-0 in the Buccaneer Bash back on Sept. 4.

Since that loss to the Lady Bulldogs, Colquitt has gone 14-1, with its only loss coming to Lowndes in a Sept. 20 region doubleheader by a 4-3 score.

Down the stretch, Colquitt has combined strong hitting, as shown by a team batting average of .374, and the combined dominance in the circle of pitchers Emily Allegood and Maris Hopper, to win eight of its last nine games via the run rule.

Allegood could make a case for both the region’s hitter and pitcher of the year awards.

Offensively, she is hitting .494, going 39-for-79. She leads the Packers in batting average, hits; extra-base hits, with 14; home runs, with five; and runs batted in with 29. Allegood plays center field when not in the circle.

And the junior right-hander will take a 13-1 record and a 2.19 ERA into the postseason. She has struck out 68 batters in 73.1 innings.

Hopper gives the Lady Packers another potent front-line starter.

The sophomore left-hander is 8-1 with a 2.67 ERA. In 63 innings, she has struck out 61 batters.

And she has contributed a .382 batting average.

The two have been an integral part of a solid and explosive offense.

Senior outfielder Katlynn Powers is hitting .466, with 34 hits, four doubles, a triple and 19 runs batted in.

Catcher Madison Plymel’s .457 batting average includes 23 hits. She leads the team with eight doubles and has driven in 26 runs.

Third baseman Julia Duncan has shown some pop with 11 extra base hits, including four home runs. She also has driven home 19.

Senior outfielder Bre Caldwell is hitting .392; outfielder Laura Hailey Bryan, .378; shortstop Jacey Wetherington, .362; and first baseman Morgan Holder, .348.

Second baseman Carli Pearson has eight extra-base hits, including a pair of home runs.

The Lady Packers also have received contributions from Amber Brown, Kaden Sutton and senior Kalise Richardson. Senior manager Katie DeMott has been indispensable.

Also in first-round play this week, Region 1 runner-up Lowndes will play host to Hillgrove; No. 3 Tift County will go to North Paulding; and No. 4 Camden County will travel to play Region 3 champion Harrison, which is ranked No. 10 in Class 7A.