LEESBURG – It was happening again. Not the 15 runners left on base, but the big lead quickly slipping away.

Colquitt County High softball coach Chance Pitts would like the Packers to get away from the ‘cardiac’ label, but he said a win is a win. That’s what Colquitt got on Tuesday, 9-8 over Lee County High on the road.

The week before, Lee shut out Colquitt 2-0, the Packers leaving 15 on base. The rematch more resembled a game from Saturday when Colquitt beat Wayne County 8-7 after leading 8-1. In the fifth inning Tuesday, the Packers were ahead 9-1. The home team scored seven unanswered over three turns, including four in the bottom of the seventh. Second baseman Ashleigh Spradley dove for a line drive, stealing a hit and recording the game’s final out.

Down 1-0, the Packers took command of the game in the top of the third inning scoring three times. Dakota Baker led off with a single, and Pitts got another execution in the bunting game from Sydnee Dalton.

Baker later scored on an error. Paris Sumner, at the plate, started a brand-new rally on a base hit. With two outs, Dontaysha Wilson singled in the infield bringing up Mary Logan Tostenson.

With a line drive to centerfield, Tostenson doubled in two runs.

Baker recorded a second straight single as Colquitt added one run in the top of the fourth. In the fifth, the Packers put together a string of runs, which for the second straight game proved not to be excessive.

Colquitt didn’t need a hit, but took advantage of a big error when Tostenson advanced teammates to scoring position on a fly ball. That made the score 5-1. Spradley also put down a key bunt before the two-run triple for Gracie Frazier.

For Baker, it was one more big hit, this one a double to center plating Frazier. Dalton continued to give Colquitt the hits that didn’t come in the first meeting with Lee as Dalton doubled the lead to 9-1.

Starting pitcher Kelli Johnson allowed one hit and fanned five over the first four innings. She made it seven whiffs in the fifth though Lee scored two on Ally Clegg’s two-run home run.

The Packer bats went down in order over the last two innings, and Lee hit another home run, a solo shot in the sixth inning.

In the last of the seventh, the Trojans loaded the bases as Amanda Kelley doubled to left. Colquitt surrendered one run to get a force-out at second, but then the Trojans pulled off a squeeze to make it 9-6.

With the bags full, Lee added one from a walk, and Pitts went to Baker with one out. Again, the Packers were able to give up a run to get the second out, and Spradley saved the win.