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Tripp Lancaster (8) had several big hits to power the Diamond Dogs’ offensive attack during their six-game winning streak. LANCE MCCURLEY/Staff -
Morgan County relief pitcher Draco Frazzitta (20) was pivotal in the win over Swainsboro on Monday. LANCE MCCURLEY/Staff
Morgan County dropped a pair of games to Brookwood and Mary Persons a few weeks ago but responded well.
After Tuesday, the Diamond Dogs had won six straight, including non-region games against Pike County, Flowery Branch, and Swainsboro. They beat Hephzibah twice last Friday and Cross Creek on Monday as well.
Morgan County coach Steve Westmoreland felt like the two losses to Brookwood and Mary Persons helped his team. The first-year Diamond Dogs’ head coach thought the two defeats fueled his team in the next few games.
“We got humbled against Mary Persons, and I thought we played well against Brookwood. We took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning against Brookwood but couldn’t hold onto it. It gave us some confidence,” Westmoreland said. “After those two losses, we decided to change and mix some things up for our guys.”
Mary Persons is a solid program in Class 3A, and Brookwood is ranked No. 4 in Class 7A. So, the fierce competition inspired Class 3A’s No. 4-ranked Morgan County to rattle off six straight wins.
The Diamond Dogs knocked off Pike County 3-0, scoring every run in the sixth inning. An error by a Pirates’ infielder on a Drew Ainslie grounder scored Zach Moore. During the next at-bat, Skylar McCoy’s line drive single to right field brought around Hudson Reed and Ainslie, extending the lead to 3-0 over Pike County.
McCoy was nearly flawless on the mound, pitching a complete game with seven strikeouts and only one walk.
Morgan County followed up that win with a 3-0 victory over Flowery Branch. The Diamond Dogs scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, spearheaded by a single from Davis Strickland, scoring Drew Cole.
With the bases loaded, Brody Watkins walked, bringing around Ainslie before McCoy scored on a Tripp Lancaster single. Morgan County took a 3-0 lead into the fifth and some momentum after getting a few runs.
The pairing of Hudson Reed and Caylem Richardson fared well, keeping the shutout alive through the seventh. The two combined to give up only three hits with nine strikeouts and six walks against the Falcons.
Westmoreland acknowledged that his team adopted a new approach after those two losses, and it’s helped a lot. He said his players bought into the mindset of “getting better every day” and their hard work has paid off.
“(Our new approach) led into the Pike (County) game, which we pitched extremely well. Offensively, we only scored three runs, but we had some quality at-bats and built off that, doing the same thing against Flowery Branch,” Westmoreland said. “We’ve been clean, playing better defensively, and continuing to throw strikes. And offensively, we’ve made some adjustments to our approach. We’re doing much better at the plate.”
On Friday, March 29, the Diamond Dogs swept Hephzibah in a doubleheader by out-scoring the Rebels, 36-0.
In Monday’s game, Morgan County battled adversity, which Westmoreland wanted to see. Despite previously beating Pike County, Flowery Branch, and Hephzibah, it was his team’s first real test since those two losses.
Morgan County led 6-2 going into the bottom of the third, but Swainsboro responded by scoring five runs. The Tigers led 7-6 heading into the fourth when the Diamond Dogs tied it up as Ainslie singled, driving in Moore.
In the sixth, Morgan County plated three runs, one off a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded and two more on a single by David Denton. Denton mashed a fastball ball to right field, bringing around Reed and Ainslie to score.
Draco Frazzitta held off Swainsboro’s offense after McCoy and Ben Atkinson combined to give up seven runs. The Tigers tried to start a rally in the seventh and scored one run but Frazzitta escaped a jam for the win.
Morgan County routed Cross Creek 10-0 on Tuesday, improving its record to 16-5 overall and 6-0 in region play.
Westmoreland acknowledged how his players quickly learned from their mistakes and didn’t give up on Monday.
“It’s all about getting better every day,” he said. “We had a long trip to Swainsboro and the third inning was sloppy. We got out to an early lead, didn’t hold on to it, and came back to win it late. We overcame some adversity, which was good to see. That will only help us in the future. Hopefully, we will continue to get better.”