After losing two of three games to Washington-Wilkes last month, a Tigers’ loss and a sweep of Towns County helped Lake Oconee Academy get back into first place in the region standings heading into this week.
The series sweep over the Indians was a huge confidence boost for the Titans, who have to win out to secure their first region championship in school history. They now control their destiny to win the region.
“It was a big series for us to have a chance to win the region. We had to sweep (Towns County),” LOA head coach Mark Miller said. “They swept us last year, so between Washington-Wilkes and Towns County, we knew they were two really big series. We played well against Washington-Wilkes, but we lost two of three, so the sweep of Towns was a confidence boost for us heading into the rest of the season and the playoffs.”
LOA hosted Towns County for game one of the three-game series on March 25. A three-run fifth inning put the Titans on top as pitcher Trace Wood held off the Indians after the top of the seventh, securing a 3-2 win.
Towns County took a 1-0 lead in the fourth as John Funderburke gave up a run off a sacrifice fly. LOA’s first two runs came as Wood reached base safely on an error off a bunt, scoring both Evan Burton and Ty Hiter.
Wood reached third on the error and extended the Titans’ lead to 3-1 during the next at-bat. Cameron Kelley hit a deep shot to center field, giving Wood a chance to tag up and cross the plate safely to score the run.
The Indians got a run back in the seventh inning with two outs, but Wood closed out the game two batters later. Funderburke got the victory on the mound, pitching six innings and giving up one run on six hits. The freshman struck out seven hitters and walked one. Funderburke gave up two hits and one run in the win.
LOA traveled two-and-a-half hours to Hiawassee on March 29, winning games two and three to take the series.
Game two was a convincing 6-2 victory as the Titans never trailed, despite committing three errors in the win.
With a 2-1 lead entering the fifth, they scored three runs, starting with Ian Watson drawing a bases-loaded walk. Will Moore then hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Ike O’Neal before Funderburke grounded into a fielder’s choice, bringing around Hayden Brown. LOA took a 5-1 lead into the bottom half of the inning.
The Indians plated a run in the sixth off Wood, although the Titans’ offense matched with a score of their own in the bottom half of the inning. A line drive single by Watson brought around O’Neal to score from first.
Watson batted 2-for-3 in the game with a team-high three RBIs. O’Neal also went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
On the mound, Ty Hiter and Wood combined to pitch seven innings, only giving up two runs on five hits. They struck out seven as Hiter had a team five, but the pair only walked two in a pivotal game two of the series.
During game three, Towns County got in front 4-2 heading to the sixth inning, but its pitching ran out of gas. LOA’s offense combined to score 10 runs in the sixth and seventh frames to secure a 12-4 win over the Indians.
O’Neal got the start on the mound and struggled, giving up four runs on three hits with six strikeouts and six walks. Maddox Robinson relieved in the fourth inning and was nearly dominant on the mound for the Titans.
The senior finished out the game by shutting out Towns County, despite giving up four hits. Robinson struck four Indians’ hitters and only walked one as he gave his team a spark when it needed it late in the game.
Watson, again, powered LOA’s offense, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs scored against Towns County.
The Titans (15-4, 9-2) also split games earlier this week, defeating region opponent Lincoln County 10-3 on Monday before losing to Piedmont Academy 2-1 in a non-region contest on Tuesday.
LOA will face Piedmont Academy on the road Friday before playing four region games in five days next week to close out the regular season. The Titans will host the Georgia School for Innovation and Classics on Monday and Aquinas on Tuesday. They’ll face GSIC on the road for a doubleheader next Thursday in Hephzibah.
According to Miller, a region championship would be special for the program in only his second year at LOA.
“It would be big. Of course, anytime you’re the region champ, you’ll get home-field advantage in the playoffs,” Miller said. “Looking at the brackets, you’re likely going to host in the first three rounds. That’s big in not having to travel. I also think for the community, and the future of the program, it’s huge for our culture.”