By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

The stakes will be higher the second time around.

On the opening day of softball season, the LaGrange Lady Grangers beat Troup 13-5 in the Hope for a Day Classic.

The two county rivals will play again today, but this time it will be a Region 5-AAAA game.

LaGrange (6-2 overall) brings a 1-0 region record into the game after beating Cedartown 11-6 last week.

Troup (5-7 overall) is 2-1 in the region after beating Sandy Creek last week while splitting a doubleheader with Cartersville on Saturday.

LaGrange is getting it done with an offense averaging more than seven runs per game.

Hannah Karcher is off to a blazing start, and she’s hitting .625 with a pair of doubles and six RBIs.

Macee Stone and Jacee Marable are both hitting .455, and Marable leads the team with 10 RBIs.

Katelynn Mobley (.435) and Destiny Fitzpatrick (.417) both have batting averages above .400, and Madison Dennis (.389) and Abby Vanhoose (.381) have been getting it done as well.

Pitching-wise, Stone is 4-1 with a 3.08 earned run average, and Camden Smith is 2-1.

For Troup, Kayla Lane and Skye Loftin have both been hot.

Loftin, who drove in six runs in a win over Cartersville, is hitting .400 with three home runs, six doubles, and 18 RBIs.

Lane is hitting .406 with a home run, five doubles and 10 RBIs, and Madison McCartney and Casey Sani are both hitting .316.

Freshman Avery Pearson has been Troup’s top pitcher, and she’s 4-4 with a 3.53 ERA.

Also today, Callaway’s softball team will open its Region 5-AA schedule against Jordan, and LaGrange Academy will begin its season against Heritage.

WEEK SCHEDULE

TODAY

Troup at LaGrange, 6 p.m.

Jordan at Callaway, 5:30 p.m.

Heritage at LaGrange Academy, 5 p.m.

THURSDAY

Upson-Lee at Callaway, 6 p.m.

Troup at Cedartown, 5:30 p.m.

LaGrange at Sandy Creek, 5 p.m.

Twiggs Academy at LaGrange Academy, 3:30 p.m.