DACULA, Ga. - The Hebron Christian Academy softball team defeated Savannah Christian 8-0 (five innings) and 21-0 (five innings) in the second round of the Class 3A-A Private state tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

The two mercy-rule victories clinched the Lions a spot in the Elite Eight in Columbus for a hopeful third-straight title appearance. 

Given the No. 2 seed in this year's tournament, behind back-to-back champion Wesleyan, Hebron hosted the No. 15 Raiders at Cole Complex. Despite not playing for two weeks, with a first-round bye, the Lions put on an offensive clinic, especially in Game 2 of the Wednesday double header. 

After an eight-run, five-hit showing in Game 1, highlighted by a two-hit shutout from sophomore pitcher Kate Kennedy, Hebron exploded in the later game, cracking 18 hits. 

Six batters had at least two hits, while freshman third baseman Gabby Raysor had four and senior designated player Jaycee Thornhill finished with three. 

Raysor and Thornhill combined for six scored-runs, the senior nabbing four of them. 

The rest of Hebron's senior class also shined in the rout. Catcher Brittyn Sissom (Wofford) had three runs-batted-in (RBI) with a single, while Lauren Kyranakis drove in two runs on two hits, one being a home run. 

Other multi-hit performances came from sophomore Brylee Autry (one RBI), junior Leah Jensen (two RBI) and junior Ainsley Trenbeath (two RBI). 

Kennedy had another masterful performance in the circle, tossing five shutout innings with seven strikeouts and just two hits allowed. 

Playing as the away team, Hebron matched its eight runs in Game 1 after a little under three innings in Game 2, scoring five in the first, one in the second and two in the third. The Lions surpassed the early game's total the next inning, scoring three in the top of the fourth. 

However, the packed crowd at Cole Complex hadn't seen anything until the Lions scratched across 10 runs in the fifth inning. Thornhill and sophomore Abigail Chromek got the frame started with back-to-back singles, to which they were sent home by a Trenbeath single, combined with multiple Raider errors.

Kyranakis went deep the next at-bat, sending herself and Trenbeath home to make the score 15-0. Autry and Raysor knocked singles following the big fly, later setting Sissom up for an RBI ground out, scoring Autry. 

A one-out single for Jensen sent the next run home. More Lion base runners were added after two Raider errors, and then two more runs were added after yet another error, giving Hebron a 19-0 lead. The long inning was capped off by an RBI double by Trenbeath, her second hit of the inning, and an RBI single for Kyranakis, also her second of the frame. 

Kennedy wrapped things up in the circle, going three-up-three-down in the bottom of the fifth, sealing the win for Hebron, and sending the Lions to Columbus. 

Hebron will first take on Mount Vernon in The Fountain City, which is set for Wednesday, Oct. 29 at 3:30 p.m. Should the Lions win, they will be put into the winners bracket and play the following day at 2:45 p.m.