Lake Oconee Academy softball found the win column after taking down Oglethorpe County 9-3 last week.
The Lady Titans were winless in their first five games of the season but put everything together against the Lady Patriots.
“Our hitting came together,” Lake Oconee Academy head coach Keetah Singleton said. “The top of our lineup started hitting, and the bottom started to answer a little bit more.”
So far this season, the team’s offense hasn’t been what Singleton thought it would be.
“We’ve been slow on hitting, which is surprising because that’s our strength, but it’s starting to slowly come together,” she added.
Singleton praised her two freshman pitchers, Faith Patrick and Kaitlyn Mamay.
“It’s easy to go in and shut down mentally and get frustrated, but they really have not,” she said. “They’ve stayed levelheaded and have taken criticism and direction well.”
Singleton said it’s a lot of responsibility for them to have at such a young age, but they’re playing well.
“They have pleasantly surprised me and have done their job well,” she said. “Their velocity is coming, but it takes age and size to build.”
Singleton also said seniors Mary Claire McCommons, Camille Kennedy, Kaylee Stewart, and Riley Payne have stepped up.
“Mary Claire is leading us with a .368 batting average,” Singleton said. “She’s always solid and leads by example.”
Stewart usually plays third base but has been behind the plate catching for the Lady Titans this year.
“She’s has done a great job behind the plate,” Singleton said. “That’s not where she’d like to play, but she stepped up for our team.”
She added that Kennedy and Payne have taken a leadership role for the team. Payne also has the second-highest batting average on the team.
“All of my seniors have stepped up,” Singleton said. “Moving forward, we must do small stuff on defense. We’ve also got to hit throughout the lineup, and they know that’s a key.”
Following a tough start to the year, the Lady Titans could find their stride at the perfect time as region play looms.
“I feel like if we’re able to progress the way we’ve been progressing,” Singleton said. “I think that we should be pretty competitive in our region.
LOA returns to its home field on Sept. 10 when region play opens against Lincoln County.