Lady Eagles Fall To Lumpkin Co.

Up next for the Lady Eagles was a trip to North Oconee Thursday to face the Lady Titans.

Coach Jason Rainey said he expects that to be a tough game.

“But we’ve played them a lot, so I don’t think our girls are really afraid of them,” he said.

North Oconee is returning around nine or 10 players, Rainey said.

“Those girls are so battle tested,” he added. “They’ve been on the losing end to us before, but they won the region last year. I know a lot of those girls, they play hard. They’re kind of what I would want our team to be like. When we’ve been good, that’s some of the qualities we’ve had. I just think from an experience factor, they definitely have the advantage.”

Against Lumpkin County Friday, sophomore Kelsey Palette recorded the loss in her first start on the mound, but Rainey said she “pitched pretty well.”

Rainey also pointed to senior catcher Brooke Yarborough and freshman Brittany Nolan at third base as top performers in the game.

The game was close until the fifth inning, with Lumpkin holding a 2-0 advantage. In the fifth, the Lady Indians rallied for eight runs.

For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Commerce News or The Jackson Herald.