By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

LaGrange Academy shrugged off a slow start to dispatch Twiggs Academy 13-3 on Thursday afternoon in its home opener.

Twiggs Academy took the early lead with three runs in the top of the first inning, and it was still ahead 3-2 after two innings.

The Lady Warriors put four runs on the board in the bottom of the third to take the lead, though, and they didn’t look back.

LaGrange Academy, which lost its season opener to Heritage earlier in the week, evened its record at 1-1.

“We played well,” LaGrange Academy coach Charles Parker said. “We are notorious for those first-inning hitters, and then we settle down.”

The Lady Warriors have had plenty of time on the practice field, but Parker said what the team needs now is to get game experience.

“We’re just so up and down. We’re not game savvy,” Parker said. “The only way you really gain that experience is by playing. You practice all the time, and it finally gets to the point where you’ve got to play to get better.”

The Lady Warriors had their bats working.

One of the offensive stars was Mollie Olinger, who had two hits and five RBIs.

McKenzie Jones, a newcomer who has joined a veteran LaGrange Academy team, had three hits and two RBIs.

Felicity Leichty had two hits and four RBIs RBIs, Amber Corley had two hits and three RBIs, Megan Allen had two hits and two RBIs, Lanie Lackey had a pair of hits, and Ashlee Mains had an RBI double.

Corley settled down after a slow start and pitched four strong innings to get the win, and Lackey finished things with a scoreless fifth inning.

After falling behind 3-0, LaGrange Academy got one of those runs back in the bottom of the first on an RBI single by Corley.

The Lady Warriors picked up another run in the second inning, with Olinger driving in a run with a fielder’s choice.

LaGrange Academy surged to the lead with four runs in the third inning.

Jones got things started with a base hit, and she scored on a Liechty double.

After a Kayla McBride sacrifice bunt, Mains came within inches of a home run, but the ball hit the top of the left-field fence for an RBI double.

Following an Allen base hit, Olinger’s double drove in two more runs, and LaGrange Academy led 6-3.

In the fourth inning, LaGrange Academy sent 12 batters to the plate on the way to a seven-run inning.

Jones led off with a single and later scored on a Liechty groundout to get the scoring parade started.

Allen had an RBI single to push the lead to 8-3, and Olinger followed with her second two-run double of the game.

After a Lackey base hit, Corley’s double knocked in two more runs, and in her second at-bat of the inning, Jones delivered an RBI single to make it a 13-3 game.

Liechty capped the seven-run rally with an RBI double.

The game ended after the top of the fifth inning because of the run rule.

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