GREENE COUNTY
In a pivotal region series, Towns County easily swept Lake Oconee Academy last week. The Indians outscored the Titans 17-3 in the three-game stanza, which began last Tuesday.
“I’ve heard (Towns County) is a pretty solid team,” Lake Oconee Academy first-year head coach Mark Miller said before the series against TCHS. “You know baseball, you’ve got to play as well as you can every day, especially because baseball is kind of tricky.”
In game one, Towns County dominated LOA with a 10-1 victory in Hiawassee. The Indians’ pitching staff limited the high-powered Titans’ offensive attack to a total of six hits.
Towns County also rocked LOA pitcher Trace Wood, who gave up seven runs on six hits. The Indians also faired well against reliever Maddox Robinson, scoring three more off him.
Lake Oconee Academy’s only run came in the top of the fifth inning as it trailed Towns County 7-0. Senior Harrison Tolleson picked up an RBI that scored sophomore Reid Davis.
The Indians and Titans then met three days later in Greensboro for a doubleheader on Friday.
Towns County took both contests with 4-1 and 3-1 victories. The Indians’ pitching staff flourished again, despite their offensive attack being limited in the final two games of the series.
In game two, Towns County plated two runs in the top of the first inning off LOA pitcher Garrett Payne. The Titans, who only had three hits, answered in the bottom of the third as Cameron Kelley drove in Reid Davis. The Indians then held them to zero runs after that.
Towns County scored two more runs off Payne in the seventh. He pitched a full-seven inning game for LOA. Payne gave up four runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts and one walk.
In game three, the Titans took their first lead of the series in the fourth but it didn’t last long. Payne got on base with a double and scored on a hit by Will Moore during the next at-bat.
Towns County tied the game up in the sixth, and its pitching held LOA scoreless in the bottom half of the frame. In the seventh, the Indians plated two runs to take a 3-1 lead.
The Titans had five hits in game three, although could never bring runners in to score. They left three players on base and struck out seven times in the loss.
LOA’s chances at hosting a playoff series are now slim to none. The Titans (12-7, 5-6 Region 8 Divison II) currently sit in fourth place in the region standings after being swept last week.
Washington-Wilkes, Lincoln County and Towns County hold the top three spots. Lake Oconee Academy held a one-game lead over Aquinas (5-13, 4-7 Region 8) entering the week.
The Titans traveled to St. Pete Beach, Florida, to play two neutral site contests against out-of-state opponents Lexington Catholic (Kentucky) and Mason County (Kentucky) this week. They will then return to action next week to face GSIC for a three-game series.
“I’ve done it with teams in the past. We are going to be staying on the beach. All of the families are going as well.” Miller said of the trip. “It’s a time to play a little bit of baseball. We are playing two teams that just so happen to be from Kentucky. They are both supposed to be pretty good baseball schools. We’ll spend some time on the beach, but also play some baseball, and grow as a team before finishing up the rest of the season.”