A region sweep and a walk-off for Bulldog Baseball

The ECI Bulldogs completed their region schedule last week winning both games against Portal. ECI won their home game against the Panthers on April 7, 13-3 and completed their sweep with a 13-1 win in Portal on Tuesday, April 8.

The Bulldogs also captured their third consecutive region championship with a 15-1 region record and will enter the state playoffs as the number one seed from region three.

The Bulldogs jumped on the Panthers early in the Monday home game scoring 4 runs each in the first two innings to take an 8-0 lead. The Panthers scored their only 3 runs in the game in the top of the fourth inning. ECI plated 5 more runs and ended the game in the fifth to run rule Portal 13-3.

Multiple Bulldog hitters against the Panthers were Jackson Kennedy and Davis Johnson, 3 hits each. Tuff Boddiford and James Parker ended the day with 2 hits. James Parker toed the rubber for ECI scattering 4 hits in his 5 innings of work to pick up another win for the senior.

The Bulldogs were in Portal the next afternoon to play their last region game of the season. It was another blowout with the Bulldogs coming home with a 13-1 win. The Bulldogs pounded out 15 hits against the Panthers. Ab Marsh and Tuff Boddiford led the way with 3 hits each. Jackson Kennedy, Davis Johnson and James Parker had 2 hits each. Bryson Thompson, 2 hits, cleared the bases full of Bulldogs in the second inning for the junior’s third homerun of the season. Jackson Kennedy pitched the first 4 innings for ECI allowing just 3 hits. Jud Underwood closed the game in the fifth giving up one hit with 2 strikeouts.

Playing their third game in a row on Wednesday, the Bulldogs had a rematch against Savannah Christian. The Raiders edged the Bulldogs 5-4 back in February. The Bulldogs evened the series in dramatic fashion with a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh to win the game 4-3. The Raiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead, scoring runs in the first two innings. The Bulldogs fought back putting a run on the board in the third on a Boddiford sacrifice fly to make the score 2-1 Raiders.

The Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on singles by Gabe Lee, Jackson Kennedy, and Bryson Thompson to knot the score at 2-2. ECI took the lead 3-2 two batters later on singles by Ab Marsh and James Parker. Christian tied the ballgame once again in the top of the seventh inning, 3-3.

Bryson Thompson led off the bottom of the seventh with a single. Marsh grounded into a fielders’ choice with the Bulldogs still having a runner on first base with 2 outs. Jud Underwood singles to right field as Marsh lit the after burners scoring from first for a walk-off 4-3 win for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs out hit the Raiders 14-10 with Gabe Lee leading at the plate with 3 hits. Getting 2 hits against the visiting team were Kennedy, Thompson, and Marsh. Thompson, Underwood, Boddiford and Lake Bush pitched for the Bulldogs striking out 9 Raider batters along with the 10 hits.

The Bulldogs finish up the regular season this week with games.

Yesterday, they hosted Metter at Joe Harvey Field. The Tigers gave the Bulldogs their only region loss earlier in the year after ECI soundly defeated the Tigers in Metter.

Today, the Bulldogs will play an away game against Statesboro and end the regular season with another away game against the Purple Hurricanes from Fitzgerald.