Grangers win season opener

Published 12:50 am Saturday, February 15, 2020

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By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY

Daily News

A trio of pitchers combined for a shutout as LaGrange High’s baseball team kicked off its season with a 5-0 home victory over Griffin.

Jake Cardwell, Walton Lanier and Charles Crawford dominated Griffin’s hitters, giving up just four hits while striking out eight batters.

Offensively, the Grangers got single runs in the second and fourth innings, and they had three runs in the bottom of the third.

Cardwell got the start for LaGrange, and he worked around three hits and a walk to throw four scoreless innings.

“I’m real proud of Jake, because he wasn’t sharp,” said LaGrange coach Donnie Branch. “What good pitchers do is when they don’t have their stuff is to find a way to get them out, and use your defense, and he does a great job of that.

Next to the mound was Lanier, and he held Griffin to one hit while striking out four in two innings.

Crawford finished things off with a perfect seventh inning, and he had two strikeouts.

Offensively, Will Alford had a solo home run, Mason Green drove in a run with a base hit, Will Flowers had an RBI groundout, and Crawford was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in a run.

Cole Crawford and Landon Tucker each had a hit, and Brant Williams and Alford reached on walks.

LaGrange will play its first road games of the season on Saturday with a doubleheader at Hardaway beginning at 1 p.m.