Bulldogs advance to Sweet 16

The ECI baseball team swept Treutlen Co. Thursday to advance to the second round of the state playoffs. They won the first game against the Vikings 9-6 and ended the best of 3 series with a 7-2 win in the nightcap.

The Bulldogs are facing the number 2 seed, Trion Bulldogs, from region seven in a best of 3 series in the second round. They played the double header game yesterday. The third “if” game is today at 3 p.m. Trion advanced to the second round sweeping Taylor Co. 2-0 and 15-3.

It would not be hyperbole to say that the Bulldogs gifted Treutlen Co. 3 runs in the opening inning in the first game of the double header Thursday. With one out to begin the first, the Bulldogs put 2 on with walks. Then the normally solid infield committed 3 consecutive errors, which led to runs. The Vikings took a 3-0 lead on just one hit in the first inning.

It was time for the offense to bail out the defense. Gabe Lee led off the Bulldogs’ bottom of the first with a single. With 2 outs in the inning, ECI hit 4 consecutive singles by Jackson Kennedy, Bryson Thompson, Ab Marsh, and James Parker to put the Bulldogs up 4-3 in the first inning. After a scoreless third inning, the Bulldogs extended their lead scoring 3 runs in the third to extend their lead to 7-3 on the backs of singles by Kanyon Thompson, Gabe Lee and Tuff Boddiford. After the Vikings got closer with a solo homerun in the fourth, the Bulldogs added 2 more runs on the board to lead 9-4 after 5 innings. The Vikings weren’t going away scoring 2 runs in the top of the seventh inning to make the final score 9-6 Bulldogs. Gabe Lee and Ab Marsh led the Bulldogs at the plate with 3 hits. Ending the game with 2 hits each were Tuff Boddiford, Jackson Kennedy and Jud Underwood.

James Parker started the game on the mound for the Bulldogs but had to leave in the second inning with an arm injury. Parker gave up a hit with 4 walks in his 1-1/3 innings of work. Lake Bush closed the final innings allowing just 3 hits over the next 5 2/3 innings with 6 strikeouts. Treutlen took a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning in the must win game of the doubleheader against the Bulldogs. The Bulldog bats were quiet until the top of the fifth. They tied the game 2-2 on singles by Kanyon Thompson, Gabe Lee and Tuff Boddiford. The game was interrupted by an hour lightning delay with 2 outs in the bottom of the fifth, still knotted at 2-2. The Bulldogs warmed up the bats during the delay and came out in the sixth to plate 5 runs, batting around in the inning, to take a 7-2 lead.

The Vikings were just the opposite after the delay only managing to get one batter to reach base in the final 2-1/3 innings on a seventh inning walk. Senior catcher, Gabe Lee, followed up his 3 hit game earlier, getting 2 hits. Also getting 2 hits against the Vikings were Tuff Boddiford and Jud Underwood. Underwood stood on the mound for the first six innings giving up just 4 hits, striking out 5 Vikings. Boddiford closed the game in the seventh allowing just one runner to reach on a walk, while striking out two batters.

The competition gets better this week in the second round. Trion, as the number 2 seed, had a season record 20-8. Like the Bulldogs, they don’t yield a lot of runs, allowing just 3.5 per game while scoring 9.6. On the season, the Bulldogs are giving up just 2.9 runs per game while putting 9.2 on the board per game. Winner of ECI-Trion series will play the winner of the Charlton Co.-Pelham series.

Along with ECI, region 3 will have 3 teams playing in the sweet 16 round. Metter will travel to Crawford Co. and Screven Co. will take a long ride to face Bowdon.