GREENE COUNTY
Lake Oconee Academy defeated Aquinas 14-6 and 6-4 last week in the first two games of the series.
The Titans were beating the Fightin’ Irish 6-5 during game three, although it was called due to darkness. The contest is set to be finished in a makeup game sometime next month.
Despite not finishing game three against Aquinas, Lake Oconee Academy head coach Mark Miller was proud of how hard his TItans fought against a stingy Fightin’ Irish squad.
“We’ve been playing pretty good baseball,” the first-year coach said on Tuesday. “We’ve been scoring a lot of runs and have been hitting the ball. There’s also been some good pitching behind it and so we’ve been playing well. So, when that happens, we hope to win.”
In game one, Lake Oconee Academy catcher Will Moore had four hits, four runs scored and four RBIs in a 14-6 win over Aquinas. The Titans also had 14 hits in the region victory.
The game was tied 4-4 after the third inning, but LOA plated a pair of runs in the fourth and six in the sixth. Also, the pitching of Maddox Robinson and Dylan Hiter was clutch in the win.
In game two, LOA slugger Harrison Tolleson was busy at the plate. The senior had two hits, including a home run, two runs scored and a pair of RBIs to power the Titans to victory.
Tolleson’s home run came with one out in the top of the first inning. However, Aquinas answered right back as Copeland Thurmond’s RBI single tied it up in the bottom of the frame.
LOA pulled away for good in the third by scoring two more runs to take a 3-1 lead. The Titans also never trailed as Trace Wood and Garrett Payne were solid on the mound in the win.
Wood earned the victory after pitching three innings and only surrendering three runs on two hits. He also struck out four and walked three batters. Payne finished out the game in relief.
Payne, who recently joined the team after the end of LOA’s basketball season, threw four complete innings. He gave up six hits but only one run as he struck out four and walked two.
The Fightin’ Irish pitching staff gave up 15 hits total in game two. Tolleson, Moore, Hayden Brown, Sumner Coleman, and Cameron Kelley each had two hits apiece for LOA.
“I was impressed with last week’s series against Aquinas,” Miller added. “This week, we are playing Washington-Wilkes. This will be a big series for us in terms of region championship implications. They’re also going to be our toughest competition in the region.”
Lake Oconee Academy entered the week with an 11-2 record and a 4-1 mark in league play. Washington-Wilkes came in 10-4 overall and tied with the Titans in Region 8A competition.
LOA faced the Tigers earlier this week on Tuesday but will finish up the region series later on in the week. The Titans and Washington-Wilkes will play a doubleheader on Friday.
According to Miller, LOA is finally almost at “full strength” and is getting its remaining players back from injury, including senior Rhett Sandhagen, who tore his knee during the fall.
“Rhett just got cleared to start playing for us last week. He’s been practicing with us as much as he could,” Miller said. “I actually got him to pinch hit last week against Aquinas, which is a big boost for him and the team. They got to see him get out there and play.”
Payne is also an important role player for Lake Oconee Academy and is “getting back to form” after finishing up basketball season. The senior has been playing second base and pitcher.
“Coming out of basketball for the first couple of weeks, he was trying to knock the rust off,” Miller added. “He’s now in full-baseball mode now, which means for us that we get another quality pitcher. He’s also been playing second base for us as well and being a solid middle infielder. At the plate, he’s also been big. Getting Garrett back is a definite plus.”
Next week, the Titans will face region rival Towns County for a three-game series, with game one being played in Hiawassee on Tuesday. They will then host a doubleheader to close out the series against the Indians on Friday, March 31 with the first pitch set for 4 p.m.