MARIETTA - Lassiter used strong hitting and a courageous performance in the circle by pitcher Jess Cannon to defeat Roswell 11-1 in the winner's bracket finals of the Region 6AAAAA tournament at Lassiter on Wednesday.

The game was stopped in the bottom of the fifth after Lassiter scored its 11th run to put the 10-run rule in effect.

The win puts Lassiter in the Region 6AAAAA championship game at 2 p.m. Saturday, when the Lady Trojans will play the winner out of the losers' bracket.

Lassiter (24-5), ranked seventh in the state in Class AAAAA, came out swinging, scoring three runs in the first inning, three more runs each in the third and fourth innings as well as two more in the fifth and banged out 15 hits in the game.

"The girls played a great game," Lassiter coach Scott Kelly said. "We had (15) hits, so the girls did a great job of hitting."

Cannon was hit in the forehead with a line drive in the top of the first, but stayed in the game to give up five hits, record three strikeouts and allow only three walks to claim her 20th win - the most in school history - in 22 decisions this year.

"That's just how she is," said Kelly of Cannon. "She just picked herself up and took care of business. She got her 20th win, which is more than any Lassiter pitcher has had."

With a possible Region 6AAAAA title on the line, leaving the game was not an option for Cannon.

"I knew this was an important game, so I wanted to stay in there and pitch," Cannon said. "We have a chance to win the region championship and it was too important for me not to stay in."

Leading Lassiter at the plate was Kelli Wheeler, who was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, three runs scored and a home run in the bottom of the first that launched Lassiter's offensive onslaught.

Danielle Weinstein went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Annie Soltis also drove in two runs and Caitlin Peisel and Hilary Lynch each went 3-for-4 with one RBI for Lassiter.

Roswell got on the scoreboard first in the top of the first inning as Lauren Townsen's single with two outs scored Erin Drake to give the Lady Hornets a 1-0 lead.

It was Townsen's liner that hit Cannon in the head and knocked her down as she quickly raised her glove to protect herself.

"It was a reflex move to protect myself from the ball," Cannon said. "I wasn't even sure how much of the glove I got on it."

Cannon got up and stayed in the circle to force Leigh Hampton to ground out and end Roswell's half of the inning.

Cannon showed no ill effects after that, giving up only three hits the rest of the game.

Lassiter didn't take long to respond as Lynch hit a double to deep centerfield and Wheeler followed that up with a towering home run over the centerfield fence to put the Lady Trojans in front 2-1.

"I felt really good," Wheeler said. "I knew we had to get some runs, so that really motivated me to get a hit."

Jessica Sinclair doubled right after Wheeler's homer, Brandi Donaldson walked and, after Donaldson and Sinclair advanced to second and third respectively on a wild pitch, Weinstein singled to score Sinclair and increase Lassiter's lead to 3-1.

Lassiter's bats erupted again in the bottom of the third as Lynch and Wheeler led the inning off with back-to-back singles, Weinstein singled with two outs to score Lynch and Soltis doubled to score Wheeler and Weinstein to increase the Lady Trojans lead to 6-1.

Nicole Wischmeyer led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and scored on a triple by Peisel, who scored herself after Lynch grounded out to second.

Wheeler then singled, stole second base and scored on a single by Donaldson to give Lassiter a 9-1 advantage.

Wischmeyer and Peisel led off the bottom of the fifth with singles and Wheeler drove them both home with a single to clinch the win for Lassiter.

goshust@mdjonline.com

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