Region races starting to heat up

Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 24, 2016

Local teams fight for position

By Kevin Eckleberry

keckleberry@civitasmedia.com

The Callaway Cavaliers will play a Region 5-AAA doubleheader at Central-Carroll on Friday. Kevin Eckleberry | Daily News

http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2016/03/web1_CHS8.jpgThe Callaway Cavaliers will play a Region 5-AAA doubleheader at Central-Carroll on Friday. Kevin Eckleberry | Daily News

Champ Willis and the LaGrange Grangers can get to .500 in Region 1-AAAAA with wins over Carver the next two days. Kevin Eckleberry | Daily News

http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2016/03/web1_LHS3-3.jpgChamp Willis and the LaGrange Grangers can get to .500 in Region 1-AAAAA with wins over Carver the next two days. Kevin Eckleberry | Daily News

LAGRANGE – There was no need to panic.

Even though the LaGrange Grangers had dropped three straight games to fall to 1-4 in Region 1-AAAAA, they knew they had plenty of time to make up ground.

Still, even though the Grangers came into Tuesday’s home showdown with Hardaway with 13 more region games to play, there was a sense of urgency.

With so many quality teams in the region, LaGrange didn’t want to fall another game back of the front-runners.

So there was a definite feeling of relief when the Grangers rallied to beat the Hardaway Hawks 3-2 to end their three-game slide and improve to 2-4 in the region.

LaGrange will look to get a winning streak going in region play when it visits Carver today, and those same two teams will play on Friday at Granger Park.

Also today, the Troup Tigers will complete their three-game series with the Carrollton Trojans, and on Friday, Callaway will play a doubleheader at Central-Carroll.

LaGrange, after splitting its first two region games with Columbus, lost three in a row last week.

The Grangers fell once to the Shaw Raiders, and they ended the week with back-to-back losses to Northside.

The Grangers were close to making it four losses in a row, but they rallied for a run in the bottom of the seventh to tie it, and they won it an inning later.

“It was a great team win,” said Cole Freeman, who scored the tying run in the seventh inning. “We needed it.”

LaGrange will now try to avoid a let-down against Carver, the only region team without a win.

Wins the next two days will get the Grangers to .500 in the region with 10 region games to go.

“You need to start collecting (region wins), and putting yourself in position,”LaGrange coach David Smart said. “Hopefully this’ll springboard us back in the right direction.”

Callaway, after Tuesday’s 12-8 home win over Central-Carroll, is 3-1 in Region 5-AAA.

Central, which was swept by Cedartown last week, is 0-4 in the region, so it will be desperate to defend its home field on Friday.

Callaway is trying to chase down Cedartown, which leads the region with a 4-0 record.

Troup, after falling to Carrollton 8-5 on Wednesday, is 4-1 in Region 5-AAAA.

Troup is tied with Whitewater for first place in the region, and it will try to maintain that position with a win at Carrollton today.

UPCOMING GAMES

TODAY

LaGrange at Carver, 5 p.m.

Troup at Carrollton, 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY

Carver at LaGrange, 5:30 p.m.

Callaway at Central-Carroll, 4:45 p.m.

Reach Kevin Eckleberry at (706) 884-7311 or on Twitter @lagrangesports