COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Hebron softball team wrapped up their season as GHSA State Runner-Ups after a hard-fought championship series against Wesleyan, who clinched their fourth straight title and sixth in eight years.

The Lions defeated softball-powerhouse Prince Avenue in a clean sweep 6-0 on Friday evening to advance to the state title game. Against the Wolverines, Gwendolyn Hill went seven innings with zero runs, three hits, and 13 strikeouts. 

In the first game of the finals, the Lions struggled offensively, managing only four hits and one run, while Wesleyan capitalized with three runs in the fifth inning, driven by key hits from Trinity Onigbanjo and Avery Tucker.

Game two saw another strong outing from Hill, who gave up just one run and struck out eight batters. The Lions initially took the lead with a home run from Gabby Raysor, but the game was tightly contested, eventually going into extra innings. Wesleyan's Tucker delivered a pivotal hit in the ninth to secure the win. Tucker had a two-out single in the top of the ninth that broke the 1-1 tie to secure the title for the Wolves. 

"These girls were disciplined, competitors, scrappy, loud, and confident," commented head coach Brittany Lewis. "With two seniors, four juniors, and nine underclassmen, everyone was asked to perform important roles. We had multiple freshmen on our field at any given time and at least three in every batting order. This team was the definition of family and they came together as one."

Hebron finishes the season with an impressive 29-7 record and its second consecutive state runner-up finish. HCA graduates two seniors, Gwendolyn Hill and Addison McCullough.