PEARSON, Ga. - Wednesday, September 2, 2026 - The Ware County Lady Gators Softball program hit the road Wednesday afternoon for a pair of non-region contests against the Atkinson County Rebels, with the varsity Lady Gators turning a close game early into a convincing 14-2 victory.
The JV Lady Gators opened the afternoon and battled Atkinson County from start to finish. Ware County came up just short in a back-and-forth contest, falling 8-7. Despite the loss, the JV Lady Gators continued to compete and gave themselves an opportunity in a hard-fought game.
Varsity Lady Gators Pull Away for Big Road Win
The varsity matchup was tied twice during the early innings before Ware County took control.
The Lady Gators struck first when Kara Coleman delivered an RBI single in the top of the first inning. Atkinson County answered in the bottom half to even the score at 1-1.
Coleman came through again in the third, driving in another run to put Ware County back in front, 2-1. The Rebels responded once more in the bottom of the inning, tying the game at 2-2.
From that point forward, it was all Ware County.
The Lady Gators regained the lead in the fourth and never looked back. Cassidy Lee helped put Ware County back in front after tagging up, and the Lady Gators took advantage of an Atkinson County defensive mistake before Teriayn Kirkland added an RBI single down the left-field line.
Ware County continued to build its advantage before putting the game away with a huge seventh inning. The Lady Gators pushed five runs across the plate on four hits in the final frame.
Maggie McQuaig drove home two runs, while Genesis Walker and Lauren Belle delivered back-to-back run-scoring triples as Ware County stretched the lead and finished off a dominant 14-2 road victory.
Middleton Strong in the Circle
Reagan Middleton delivered an outstanding performance for the Lady Gators in the circle. Middleton worked six innings, allowing only three hits and two unearned runs while recording eight strikeouts without issuing a walk.
Belle came on for the seventh and closed the door with a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.
Ware County's offense finished the night with 14 hits.
Ella Musgrove, Kara Coleman, Mattie Forsyth and Addi Pittman each recorded two hits to lead a balanced Lady Gator attack. Coleman and McQuaig each finished with two RBIs, while Natalie Pittman added pressure on the bases with two stolen bases.
It was another strong all-around road performance for Ware County, as the Lady Gators combined timely hitting, aggressive baserunning and excellent pitching to turn an early 2-2 battle into a 12-run victory.
Up Next: Region Road Trip to Statesboro
There won't be much downtime for the Lady Gators.
Ware County will be right back on the road Thursday, September 3, 2026, traveling to Statesboro for a Region 1-AAAAA showdown against the Statesboro Blue Devils.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 PM.
The Lady Gators will look to carry the momentum from Wednesday's 14-2 victory into an important region matchup.
For more photos, please click the link below.
Go Gators!