Tift County teammates wait for Ella Bruce to round third and come home after she rocketed a leadoff homer over the centerfield wall. Bruce also doubled and tripled in the contest against the Lady Packers.

TIFTON — Ella Bruce socked a leadoff homer and finished three-quarters of the way to a cycle Thursday, Aug. 10, but the Colquitt County Lady Packers spoiled Tift County’s regular season debut, 4-2.

Bruce finished only a single short of one of softball’s hardest feats. The triple came in the bottom of the 3rd. She scored the Lady Devils other run in the 5th where Lily Robinson singled her home.

Colquitt became Tift’s regular season opener after their game scheduled game at Crisp County Aug. 8 was rained out. Before Thursday’s game, head coach Taylor Barber admitted he might have jinxed himself by mentioning weeks earlier that it always rained at Crisp.

Tift went from Colquitt to their annual Atlanta trip, where they have multiple games scheduled over two days.

Like Bruce in the bottom of the 1st, the Lady Packers wasted no time in top half getting on the scoreboard. First batter Maris Hopper hammered a 1-0 pitch to right field.

Bruce worked a much deeper count — six pitches — before walloping a Lady Pack offering over the centerfield wall.

Both teams were scoreless in the 2nd before Colquitt put up a two-spot i the 3rd. Carli Pearson reached on an error, then Kaden Sutton drove her in with a double off the left field wall. RaJayla McBride laid down a perfect bunt to move Sutton to third.

Tift pitcher Robinson avoided trouble when Sutton was caught in a rundown between third and home, but McBride came in on a passed ball.

The Lady Devils closed the gap to 3-2 in the 5th on Robinson’s RBI single, but Colquitt got an insurance run in the 7th, Sutton singling in Pearson.

Bruce walked in the bottom of the 7th, but pitcher Peyton Arrington was able to close the door on Tift’s offense for a complete game.

Besides Bruce’s three hits, Robinson had two. Robinson also went the distance in the circle, striking out six.