THOMASVILLE — Coming off a series sweep against Griffin last week, the Thomas County Central softball team entered Wednesday looking to continue its run.

The Region 1-5A champion Yellow Jackets hosted visiting Villa Rica for a doubleheader Wednesday night, sending the series to a decisive third game, dropping Game 1 8-7 before tying the series with a 11-8 win in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

The Yellow Jackets got off to a strong start in the first inning, with Christina Ansley hitting an RBI single to score Madeline Parker. Aubrey finished the game 3-for4 with two RBIs.

Carrying a 1-0 lead into the third inning, the Wildcats scratched across a run to tie the game in the third inning, but Central responded in the bottom of the inning when Aubrey, Anna Greek and Emily Greek each brought in a run on RBI singles, giving Central a 4-1 lead headed into the fourth.

However, Villa Rica inched closer in the next inning when Izzy Rohr hit a two-run home run to narrow the lead to 4-3. In the fifth, the Wildcats took their first lead of the game with the help of a sacrifice fly and a passed ball, leading to a 6-4 advantage.

The Yellow Jackets wasted no time in getting back into the game, with Katelyn Hobbs hitting a three-run blast over the left-field fence, giving Central a slim 7-6 lead heading into the final inning.

After Central collected a quick out, the Wildcats loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning and eventually scored two runs off an error and a single. Villa Rica shut the door in the bottom half, sending the Yellow Jackets to the brink of elimination.

After the first inning of Game 2, the Yellow Jackets’ hopes looked bleak. After taking a 2-0 lead on an RBI double from Hobbs, Villa Rica took advantage of multiple hits and Yellow Jacket fielding miscues to bat through its order, taking a 5-2 lead headed into the second.

With the score at 7-3 headed into the fourth, Central rallied back, with Jamilah Johnson and Kenlie Harvey hitting an a run-scoring double and single, respectively. That was followed by another RBI double by Hobbs that almost cleared the fence, closing the Wildcat lead to 7-6.

Parker scored Emily Greek in the fifth to tie the game, and in the sixth, Central took control, scoring three runs to take a 10-7 lead headed into the final inning. After putting up another insurance run in the next frame, the Yellow Jackets had an 11-7 lead to protect. They didn’t make it easy on themselves, walking three straight Villa Rica batters to start the home half of the seventh. However, Central pitcher Larran Carter worked her way out of the jam, striking out two and allowing only one run to end the threat.

The deciding Game 3 of the series will be played today at 5:00 p.m. The winner will move on to Columbus to play as part of the Elite Eight.