The Dawson County Lady Tigers improved to 5 – 5 overall and 4 – 3 in region 7-AAA, moving into third place in the playoff hunt with victories against the North Hall Trojans on Aug. 26 and the Fannin County Rebels on Aug. 27.
After a rocky start to the season, the Lady Tigers have engineered a four-game winning streak that Head Coach Jim Pruett attributed to some minor personnel changes and the hard work of his team.
“The biggest changes have been starting Reese Moore in the circle, and Olivia Martinez at SS. This has seemed to stabilize our defense,” Pruett said. “The team has worked hard, and that is paying off now. Our bats have really come alive the last couple of weeks, and hopefully that will continue as the season progresses.”
The battle with the Lady Trojans was a back-and-forth affair as both teams put nine hits on the board and traded the lead five times, with the final run coming across the plate on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Lady Tigers the win by a final score of 7 – 6.
North Hall struck first, scoring three runs in the top of the third. Dawson County responded with three runs of their own in their turn at the plate, and then scored one run in every inning thereafter to keep up the pressure and secure the win.
Moore picked up her third win of the season, while Martinez looked strong in three innings of relief and helped the cause with a powerful offensive performance that included a game tying home run in the fifth inning.
“With Monday’s win over North Hall we are 3-3 in the region, good for 3rd place,” Pruett said.
The Lady Tigers solidified their hold on third place when the team visited Fannin County and put on an offensive display, led by junior Bella Henson, as they scored in all but one inning of the game and defeated the Lady Rebels by a final score of 14 – 6.
Henson wracked up six RBIs on three hits and a sacrifice fly along with scoring two runs in the game. Starting the action in the first inning, Henson doubled to center field to spark a four-run inning that put the Lady Tigers in the lead for good.
Martinez was once again everywhere for Dawson County, earning the win in her sixth start of the season and going 3-for-3 from the plate, accounting for four runs and two RBIs
Dawson County will be back on the field after the Labor Day weekend when they host Rabun County for a non-regional matchup on Sep. 3 with the first pitch scheduled for 5:55 p.m.
