By Ross Johnson

Sports Writer

The LaGrange Grangers, playing host to seven other teams from around the Southeast this weekend in the LaGrange-Toyota Invitational, opened tournament play with a 10-4 loss to Hillcrest High from Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Thursday night at Granger Park.

It was a tough assignment for the Grangers.

Hillcrest won a state title in 2007 and has been a consistent championship contender in Alabama’s highest classification.

“There aren’t any easy teams here (in the tournament),” Branch said. “With some of the injuries we’ve had, it’s going to be tough all the way around.”

The Grangers were only down by two runs entering the final inning, but Hillcrest scored four runs in the top of the seventh to pull away.

The game started on a positive note for the Grangers, however.

Senior Rodney Tolbert, who was also the starting pitcher for LaGrange, stepped up to the plate as the leadoff batter and smacked a home run over center field on just the second pitch thrown by Hillcrest’s Dakota Patrick.

The Grangers finished the first inning with a 1-0 lead, but it wouldn’t last long.

Hillcrest senior Zach Doherty grounded out to send Cameron Carlisle home to tie the game, and Hillcrest would never give LaGrange the lead again.

The third inning was a tough one for LaGrange.

Hillcrest’s Chase Fields hit a two-run single with one out to put the Grangers in a 3-1 hole, and Tolbert walked three straight batters to give Hillcrest two more runs.

Trailing 5-1, LaGrange wouldn’t get back on the board until the fourth inning, when a wild pitch sent Joseph Mansour home after Patrick loaded the bases with two outs.

Cartez Cutwright tried to round third to make it a two-run game, but he was tagged out at home home plate to end the inning.

Doherty responded for Hillcrest in the sixth inning with a leadoff double, and was sent home off a single from Tanner Ashcraft to give Hillcrest a 6-2 lead.

The Grangers got back in the game with solo home runs from Drew Hagler and Mansour in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.

Mansour finished two-of-three at the plate, and his homer cut the Hillcrest lead to 6-4 heading into the final inning.

The seventh inning was a killer for LaGrange, however, as a crucial error at second base that would have given the Grangers a double play put runners at first and third with no outs.

Fields, who finished the game with four RBIs, hit a two-run single to extend the lead to 8-4, and Carlisle and Case Nixon reeled off consecutive hits to bring in runners.

Patrick again took the mound in the bottom of the seventh to strike out two LaGrange batters en route to the six-point win. Patrick finished with eight stirkeouts.

The loss had some positives for LaGrange head coach Donnie Branch, but he knows his team has several issues that could be exposed by this weekend’s talented teams.

“(Pitching and defense) are two of the most important facets of the game,” Branch said. “Tonight, they let us down.”

LaGrange takes on Providence (Fla.) today at 3:05 p.m. at Granger Park, while Hillcrest plays Niceville (Fla.) at Callaway Field at 8:10 p.m.

The tournament is divided into two pools, with the the pool winners meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in the championship game.