Late rally lifts LaGrange past Troup
Published 11:12 pm Wednesday, August 22, 2018
By KEVIN ECKLEBERRY
Daily News
One big inning was enough.
The LaGrange Lady Grangers wiped out a two-run deficit with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, and they held on for a 3-2 victory in a Region 5-AAAA showdown against Troup.
Katelynn Mobley tied it with a two-run double, and Destiny Fitzpatrick gave LaGrange the lead with a sacrifice fly.
Camden Smith, who entered the game in fifth inning in relief of Macee Stone, threw a perfect top of the seventh to finish it.
LaGrange (8-2 overall) improved to 2-0 in the region, while Troup (5-8) fell to 2-2 in region play.
Through five innings, LaGrange was unable to solve Troup freshman pitcher Avery Pearson.
LaGrange finally got something going in the home half of the sixth inning.
Madison Dennis, hitting in the number nine spot in the order, got things started with a walk, and leadoff hitter Malone Aldridge followed with an infield single.
That brought Mobley to the plate, and she came through with a game-tying double.
Mobley said her thought process was to “just get up there, and hit the ball, and stay through it and do my job like my coaches told me.”
Mobley is LaGrange’s catcher, and she took a ball off her arm earlier in the game.
She was shaken up, but she stayed in the game and delivered one of the biggest hits of the season.
“It just shows how bad she wanted it,” LaGrange head coach Gabby Heath said. “She didn’t want to come out. She just wanted to work through it. I’m proud of her.”
Mobley advanced to third on the throw home, and she scored on a sacrifice fly by Fitzpatrick to give LaGrange its first and only lead of the game.
Smith was sharp in relief for LaGrange.
Smith entered the game with one on and no outs in the fifth inning, and she retired nine of the 10 batters she faced and didn’t allow a hit.
Smith threw 32 pitches, and 25 of them were strikes.
“When she came in, she threw strikes, and that’s what we wanted her to do,” Heath said. “She did a great job.”
Stone also pitched well for LaGrange.
She threw four innings and gave up two hits and one earned run before giving way to Smith.
Avery Pearson was the tough-luck loser.
The freshman is settling in as Troup’s number one pitcher, and she held LaGrange to five hits.
Troup scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to grab the 2-0 lead.
In the fourth inning, Madison McCartney and Skye Loftin both walked, and Makenzie Miller’s two-run single gave Troup the lead.
In the top of the fifth, Hadleigh Livingston walked, and she moved to second on a Casey Sani groundout and to third on a Lexi Parker bunt.
With two outs, Kayla Lane reached on an infield error, allowing Livingston to score Troup’s second run.
Troup was limited to three hits, one apiece by Lane, Skye Loftin and Miller.
“We just have to get our bats going,” Troup head coach Kayla Yeargin said. “The offense is a little sluggish, still. We’re waiting on that.”
LaGrange had five hits, including two by Aldridge, the leadoff hitter.
Mobley, Jacee Marable and Stone each had one hit.
LaGrange and Troup will each return be back on the field today for region road games.
LaGrange will play Sandy Creek, while Troup will visit Cedartown.
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