Lauren Millsaps’ already-low earned run average dropped a few more notches last Thursday.

The Cherokee County High School eighth grader lowered the boom on the Spring Garden offense, as she tossed a two-hitter in an 8-1 win at Centre.

In seven innings, Millsaps struck out 10 while allowing no walks. She retired 10 straight batters from the third to the seventh inning while sending down Lady Panthers in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

Millsaps’ ERA now stands at a stellar 0.62 in 78 innings of work. Her pitching record currently is 10-5.

“Lauren once again pitched real well for us,” said CCHS head coach Travis Barnes. “We played good defense behind her until the last inning, which helped her out a lot. She set the tone early and kept their hitters off-balance. We had some good at-bats and ran the bases well, but defensively we have to stay in the game for all seven innings. We can’t relax late in a game and give up a run off errors like we did today.”

Barnes was referring to the top of the seventh, when Spring Garden’s Jessie Barnes reach base on an error to lead off the inning.



CCHS (10-6, 0-1) quickly recorded two outs, but another fielding error put runners on first and second.

In the next at-bat, Lindsey Lambert came up with the visitor’s first hit since the third inning.

Her single plated Barnes, but Millsaps prevented any more damage by inducing a fly-out.

Anissa Anglin had a big day at the plate for the Lady Warriors, going 3-for-3 with four RBIs and a run scored.

Kaitlyn Griffth went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, while Rachel Hale went 1-for-3 with two RBIs.

Millsaps helped her cause by going 1-for-2 with two runs scored.

“We obviously couldn’t hit the ball today, and we didn’t help ourselves with several errors on defense,” said Spring Garden head coach Anne Welsh. “To beat a good team like [CCHS], you have to play error-free ball like we did [in a 2-1 win on Mar. 26].”

Millsaps received all the support she would need in the bottom of the first, when Hale’s two-out double drove in Anglin and Millsaps.

The hosts made it 3-0 in the third inning on Griffith’s score off Anglin’s base hit.

Laura Rochester came home on an error in the fourth, while Anglin’s double later in the inning scored Cayla Machleit and Griffith for a 6-0 CCHS advantage.

Millsaps’ fifth-inning run made it a seven-run lead, and Griffith’s score off Anglin’s base hit in the sixth put the Lady Warriors ahead 7-0.

Jessie Barnes absorbed the loss, allowing four hits, three runs and one walk while fanning three in three innings.

Lambert and Harley Bonds each went 1-for-3 for the Lady Panthers (3-10)