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The LaGrange softball team earned a monumental victory on Friday, topping reigning 4A state runner-ups Whitewater 6-5 to put themselves in the driver’s seat for a region title.

Kimberly Reynolds and Abby McGill etched their names into LaGrange lore on the night with their seventh inning heroics.

With the Grangers down 4-2 in the top of the seventh with two on and two outs, McGill got the biggest hit of her life when she sent a triple to left field. It was an extraordinary nine pitch at-bat.

Two pitches later Reynolds blasted her second home run of the game to give the Grangers a 6-4 lead.

McGill was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored while Reynolds finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. 

 

HOW IT GOT THERE:

The Grangers got some early momentum on the road when an error with two outs in the top of the first inning allowed McGill to reach home. 

LaGrange was able to double its lead in the top of the third inning as Reynolds hit a solo home run. 

The Wildcats were able to halve the deficit in the bottom of the fourth on a costly two-out error by the Granger defense. 

The Wildcats would eventually break through and take the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning on a three-run homer.

After the Grangers retook the lead in the top of the seventh, the Wildcats cut the deficit to just one run with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh but could not find the tying run.

LaGrange has asked a lot from Zoe Thompson early in the season as fellow starting pitcher Kaylee Foster works her way back from a knee injury. 

Thompson has delivered time and again including another strong showing on Friday, pitching a complete game with four strikeouts. 

Shelby Siggers had two hits while Harlee Overton, Tatiana Dudley and Carolyne Garcia had one each.

 

WHAT’S NEXT:

This is one of, if not the biggest win since Craig Mobley took over as head coach in 2022. LaGrange is now 1.5 games up on Whitewater in the divisional standings as the Grangers inch closer to their first region title since 2020. 

LaGrange (6-3) has now won three games in a row and six of its last seven with the only lost coming by a single run. The Grangers will travel to Harris County for a non-region matchup next Tuesday.