Deerfield-Windsor Lady Knights win third straight

ALBANY — Five games into the season, Deerfield-Windsor was still searching for its first win.

Now the Lady Knights can’t seem to stop winning.

Deerfield-Windsor overcame an early three-run deficit and erupted for eight runs in the fifth inning Monday to beat Southwest Georgia STEM Charter 11-6, giving the Lady Knights their third consecutive victory after an 0-5 start.

And the way Deerfield won may have pleased head coach Dwayne Suggs as much as the result.

“We got more selective at the plate, which gave us an opportunity to be more aggressive on the bases,” Suggs said. “We are just trying to be better than yesterday, one day at a time.”

That patience paid off.

Deerfield-Windsor drew 10 walks and then created havoc once runners reached base, stealing 14 bases.

Still, the Lady Knights had some work to do early.

Southwest Georgia STEM scored in the first inning before Claire Hockman answered with an RBI single in the bottom half to tie the game.

The visitors regained the lead with two runs in the second and added another in the third, putting Deerfield in a 4-1 hole.

Then came the fifth.

The Lady Knights sent eight runs across the plate on three hits, turning a three-run deficit into an 11-4 lead in a matter of minutes.

Jennings Curington delivered the biggest hit, ripping a two-run triple. Curington finished with three RBIs, while Hockman went 2-for-3.

“Hockman and Curington came through with clutch hits with runners on,” Suggs said.

Curington, Emily Phillips and Marin Anthony each stole multiple bases, while Mary Ruth Courtney drew three of Deerfield’s 10 walks.

Meanwhile, Aubrey Ross settled into the circle after battling some early control problems.

Ross walked four batters during the first two innings but issued only three walks the rest of the way. She went the distance, allowing just three hits and six runs — only two earned — while striking out 11.

“Ross settled down in the circle after walking four in the first two innings,” Suggs said. “She walked just three the rest of the way and had 11 strikeouts.”

The victory continued a dramatic early-season reversal for the Lady Knights.

After opening the season with five consecutive losses, Deerfield is now 3-5 and carrying a three-game winning streak into Thursday’s road game at Southland Academy.

The turnaround hasn’t come from one dramatic change, Suggs said.

Instead, the Lady Knights are trying to make a series of smaller ones.

Better at-bats.

Better pitching.

Better baserunning.

And, as Suggs put it, simply being “better than yesterday.”