Dunaway pleased with Laurens Academy softball team
Crusaders finish with 5-11 record but make progress throughout the year
Laurens – When Frankie Dunaway took over as the head coach of the Laurens Academy softball team he knew there would be some serious growing pains. The Crusaders lost five starters, including standout pitcher Olivia Huck and catcher Emily Suttles.
When all was said and done though, Dunaway had no qualms with a 5-11 finish.
“This season was fuill of ups and downs,” Dunaway said. “We only had five wins, but we also let a couple get away from us. We’re a young team that pretty much started over with basic fundamentals to get us going in the right direction.”
The Crusaders suffered a pair of 1-run losses, 20-19 in a slugfest against Greenwood Christian School and 6-5 against Brashier Middle College. Laurens also suffered a 5-2 loss to Greenwood Christian.
The Crusaders made it to the AA state tournament at Palmetto Park in Sumter with a 4-9 record. They lost to The King’s Academy 12-1 in their opening game before rebounding with a 14-9 triumph over Andrew Jackson Academy. Their season came to an end with a 16-6, 5-inning loss to Lee Academy.
In the win over Andrew Jackson, Mackenzie Runyans went 4-for-4 with four doubles and five runs batted in. Against Lee, Laurens got off to a fast start, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning. However, it would only get one more the rest of the way while the Cavaliers got their bats going.
Braylee Burke had the big game in this one, going 4-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Runyans had a triple and scored a run.
`“The team definitely improved over the course of the season,” Dunaway said. “We’ll work hard in the offseason and be ready to go next spring.”
Burke, an eighth-grader, was the leading hitter for Laurens, finishing with a .588 batting average. She also had the team’s only home run to go with six doubles and four triples. She had 16 RBI and scored 19 times.
Runyans, a junior, batted .463 with six doubles and two triples along with nine RBII and 25 runs. Another junior, Sophia Harvey, batted .282 with 10 RBI and 10 runs.
Senior Abby Howard batted .268 with two doubles, a triple, eight RBI and 14 runs. Another senior, Maddie Loe, hit .261 with a triple, six RBI and nine runs.
Loe was the No. 1 pitcher with 83 1/3 innings pitched. She had 58 strikeouts and a 5.29 earned run average.
