Jefferson enjoyed its 13-1 victory over nearby rival East Jackson Tuesday night but knew what loomed ahead.
The Dragons (9-4-1), unbeaten in region play, will face its biggest Region 8-AA challenge to date with a Thursday showdown with no. 3 ranked North Oconee (8-3, 4-0) at home at 5:55 p.m.
The Titans were ranked no. 2 last week.
“We’re not going to talk about that one until tomorrow (Wednesday),” coach Brad Puckett said. “We’re going to enjoy this one.”
But Puckett did say the senior-laden Titans are among the state’s very best as evidenced by their ranking.
“It’s a huge, huge challenge,” he said. “They’re right up there with the Bufords and the Union Countys. Every single one of them can hit it. Every single one of them can field it, and their pitching is strong, too.”
Puckett — whose team has already equaled its win total for last year — has been overly pleased with his team’s recent play. It went 3-2-1 at the Buford Invitational before routing East Jackson.
Jefferson scored five times in the first inning and never looked back.
“The last few games we played, including the Buford tournament, we’ve come out and put some runs up early,” Puckett said. “And that’s just something we couldn’t do last year.”
Kasey McDonald and Paige Pate led Jefferson offensively as both went 2-for-2 with three RBIs.
Summer Bartek and Anna Alexander added to the hit parade, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Jordan Whitfield also went 2-for-3.
Puckett said his team is hitting well in the clutch this year.
“This year we put up a bunch of runs with two outs — a lot of two-out hits this year,” Puckett said. “That’s just pleased me beyond belief.”
Pitcher Morgan McKinney fired a two-hit complete game, striking out five batters, and also drove home a run to help her own cause.
Prior to the East Jackson game, the Dragons won the silver bracket of the Buford Invitational, shaking off a pair of early set backs to finish 3-2-1 in the event.
Jefferson opened with two losses, falling to no. 1 ranked, three-time defending Class AA champion Buford 5-1 (Wednesday) and Union County 5-4 (Friday), followed by a 0-0 tie with Providence 0-0 (in which it was no-hit) before rebounding.
The Dragons got off the deck by slugging Dunwoody 14-0 (Saturday), outlasting Flowery Branch 5-4 (Saturday) and then blanking Riverwood 5-0 to close the tournament.
In the opener, Jefferson managed just three hits against powerhouse Buford, while McKinney took the loss on the mound.
Against Union County, Alexander led the Dragons by going 2-for-4 at the plate, driving home three runs. McKinney, Catherine Knight, Kasey McDonald, Pate and Cason Anderson all had one hit. McKinney took the loss in relief.
In a pitchers’ dual against Providence, McKinney nearly matched Kylie Kleinschmidt’s no-hit effort, throwing seven shutout innings while allowing three hits and two walks. She also struck out three batters.
Jefferson enjoyed its highest offensive output of the season in shellacking Dunwoody, pounding out 16 hits in a four-inning game. Alexander went 3-for-3, while Lindsey Miles went 2-for-3 with four RBIs. Bartek and Knight also had big days at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs. Also driving in two runs was Pate, who went 2-for-3.
Kara Perry threw four shutout innings to pick up the win, allowing three hits and two walks. She struck out two.
Against Flowery Branch, Jefferson scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to claim its second win in the tournament. Miles went 2-for-3, while Bartek (1-for-2) and Perry (1-for-2) each drove in runs. Perry also got the win in relief, pitching three shutout innings, allowing three hits while striking out one.
Miles had another big game at the plate in the tournament finale against Riverwood, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Bartek (1-for-3), McKinney (1-for-3) and Anderson (1-for-3) each drove home one run.
McKinney threw seven shutout innings for the victory, surrendering four hits and striking out four.
