From two-time transfer to first-time home run hitter, this Houston County softball player walked off Thomas County Central to cap a region doubleheader

WARNER ROBINS — Jaymi Kate McLendon has moved around a lot in her high school career, but she made a memory that will last a lifetime on Thursday night.

Houston County (9-4, 7-2 Region 2-6A) led Thomas County Central (6-9, 1-9 Region) the entire way in Game 2 of a region doubleheader, but it didn’t end until McLendon put an exclamation point on the 11-2 final.

Up 8-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, head coach April Collins started to give opportunities at the plate to those deeper in the lineup.

Collins called McLendon’s name, and as she put her helmet on and got ready to head to the batter’s box, the entire team cheered her on.

The first pitch that came down the pipe was sent on a first class flight to Fiji, and from the home dugout to the plate there were girls and coaches screaming in celebration. The loudest of which, maybe, was McLendon, who’d just hit her first ever home run to walk off a region opponent.

“Everybody was screaming and I was like, ‘I don’t want to jinx it. I don’t want to think it’s gone and then it not be gone,’” McLendon said. “I just kept running, and then by the time I was rounding second [base], going to third, everybody was running out. I just got really excited.”

Collins was a little emotional trying to describe the moment after the game. McLendon, typically a nervous hitter, wasn’t quite ready to go up to bat when her name was called.

“I said Jaymi Kate [in the dugout] and she wasn’t ready. She was frantic … but I said, ‘Slow down, you got this,’” Collins said. “She went up there [and hit the home run].”

“It’s special,” she continued. “For her to be here her senior year, have to get used to a new coach, get used to new players, get used to how we handle things here at Houston County. She’s overall just a great player, because in the highs and lows for her, even in the dugout when she’s cheering, she takes accountability. That energy is always high for her. So for that to happen, it was super special. That was really rewarding for her.”

It was special, too, because it was the moment McLendon decided not to be ruled by her fears.

“I’m always very nervous when I go up to the plate, and that’s something that they’ve made me work on,” McLendon said. “I was like, ‘You know what? Today’s the day. I’m not gonna be nervous. I’m gonna go up there and use everything that these coaches have taught me and I’m gonna use it to the best of my ability.’ I cleared my mind, took a deep breath in, I just saw it and hit it.”

This is McLendon’s first year at Houston County. She attended the Academy for Classical Education (ACE) her sophomore year, and moved to Dublin for her junior year.

This is her final stop, and she expressed a deep thankfulness for the program’s open arms after another transition.

“It was definitely difficult moving high schools for a second time in the past three years, however, I came to a really good program, and a really good school with really good coaches,” McLendon said. “They helped grow me into what I am today. … They’re very welcoming, and they treat me like I’m family. It’s like I’ve been here forever.”

Trend watching

The Lady Bears have started a trend in the last couple of weeks.

They go on the road on Tuesday, lose (2-1 to Coffee last week, 9-4 to TCC on Tuesday) and then come back home to dominate the doubleheader.

All four doubleheader games in the last two weeks have been run-ruled for early victories.

“I always say routine is important. … [On Tuesday] it took us a minute to get off the bus, and I told them, ‘We gotta get off the bus and be ready to play,’ and we weren’t,” Collins said. “I think last week we were a little bit more timid … We were letting people’s names and how they performed last year take advantage of how we handled things this year.”

Refreshing their minds, Collins hopes, will change the trend and put them back in the race for a region championship. Lee County (15-1, 10-0 Region) next Tuesday would be a great place to start.

“We kind of reset our mind and worked on certain things Wednesday to be ready for the doubleheader on Thursday,” Collins said. “Our new thing is, we got to be ready to go on Tuesday. We got to be ready on the road, too.”

A more promising development was their two-out hitting, specifically in Game 2 on Thursday.

For all of the Lady Yellow Jackets’ defensive mistakes, they pulled out some stellar plays, too. A double play in the bottom of the fourth inning turned a bases loaded, no outs situation into the Lady Bears hoping to at least bring a run or two home.

They did score two before the end of the inning, and that kind of play is crucial in more competitive games.

“I do think that there’s been multiple games this year where we have attacked and handled business with two outs,” Collins said. “You feel the pressure, sort of, but in that moment you’re like, ‘I got to do it now for my team.’ That’s why I think we’ve been successful.”

UP NEXT

HoCo will play Gilmer and Buford on Sept. 11 at South Commons in a break from region play. They take on Lee County, the current first-place team, on Sept. 15 at home at 6 p.m.

Thomas County Central returns next week when they host Tift County on Sept. 15.