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Despite it being spring break, the LaGrange High baseball team has not slowed down and took on an elite 6A Marist team. The Grangers ultimately took a 11-1 loss as they prepare for the home stretch of their season. The loss snapped an 8-game win streak for the Grangers who had built some real momentum going into the game on Tuesday. 

The Grangers were in an early hole when Marist put six past them in the bottom of the first before adding another run in the second to take a 7-0 lead. 

LaGrange’s offense was stifled all night, scoring just a single run and producing a lone hit — a double from Preston Pressley in the top of the fifth inning. Pressley went on to score the only run of the game for the away team when Jackson Bozeman hit a sacrifice fly later in the same inning. 

With it being a non-region game with little on the line, Coach Donnie Branch used the game as a chance to get some younger pitchers some big game experience.  Sophomores Kayden Sutton and Caden Wood both saw time on the mound. Sutton got the start but was pulled after just 1 1/3 innings and was replaced by Wood who started in some big playoff games a season ago. He pitched the final 3 1/3 innings, allowing just five hits and no earned runs on three strikeouts. Only three of the runs were earned as the two pitchers were let down by their defense behind them who committed two costly errors. 

LaGrange fell to 16-8 overall but the loss did not affect their 9-1 region record that has them in first in the region 4-4A standings as they edge closer to back-to-back region titles. The Grangers will get a chance to bounce back with a win when they host Callaway on Friday. LaGrange will have four region games after that to close out the season and a sweep of those our games will see the Grangers win the region championship.