Bulldog Baseball season begins with three wins

The ECI Bulldog baseball began last week with the 2023 state runners-up starting the 2024 season with a 3-0 start. During the three games the Bulldog offense was off at the go scoring 32 runs on 37 hits against Swainsboro, Washington Wilkes and Oglethorpe high schools. Before the regular season started the Bulldogs traveled to Statesboro for their annual scrimmage game with the Statesboro Blue Devils. They won the scrimmage 9-2 using five different pitchers who allowed just two hits. The season home opener had the Bulldogs hosting Swainsboro. ECI took the game 8-7 with game still in doubt until the bottom of the seventh. The Tigers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first on two doubles, a walk and single. Charlie Rehberg struck out the final two batters to get out of the mess on the bases to end the top of the inning. The lead didn’t last long as the Bulldogs put five on the board in the first inning knocking Tiger starter, Lively, off the mound with two outs in the inning. The Bulldogs batted around sending 11 batters to the plate in the inning. The Tigers added one in the third and two in the fifth on a Chapman solo HR and a two-run shot by Chapman to tie the game 5-5. The Bulldogs took back the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Andrew Chalkley singled scoring Ab Marsh to put the Bulldogs back on top 6-5 going into the final inning. With two outs in the top of the seventh the Tigers took the lead for the first time in the game 7-6. The Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the inning on three singles by Aiden McQuaig, Gabe Lee and Tuff Boddiford. Charlie Rehberg ended the game on a single as the Bulldogs took the game 8-7. Rehberg started on the mound for the Bulldogs scattering five hits over five innings, striking out 10 Tiger batters. Chalkley and Hudson Henry pitched one inning each giving up one hit a piece. Leading hitters for the Bulldogs were Henry and Marsh with two hits. Marsh and Rehberg were the RBI leaders with two each.

Saturday the Bulldogs traveled to Lexington to play in the Oglethorpe tournament against Washington Wilkes and Oglethorpe high schools. The first game had ECI facing Washington Wilkes. It was no contest as the Bulldogs scored 12 runs in the second inning defeating the Tigers 16-5 in five innings. Chalkley started the game for ECI, pitching the first four innings giving up eight hits with five strikeouts. Davis Johnson closed out the game in the fifth, giving up just one hit. The Bulldogs pounded out 14 hits with Gabe Lee leading the offense with four hits including a home run and four RBI. Other multiple hitters for the game were Henry, Rehberg and McQuaig with two each.

The Bulldogs faced the host team in the second game on Saturday. ECI kept their winning streak intact winning the game against the Patriots 8-4. ECI took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning and added one more in the third to lead 3-0. The Patriots struck back in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 3-3. The Bulldog bats picked up steam in the top of the sixth scoring four runs on four singles by Jackson Kennedy, Johnson, McQuaig, Henry and Boddiford with ECI taking the lead for good 7-3. Both teams added one more run each in the game with ECI winning the game against the Patriots 8-4. Multiple hitters for the game with two each were Henry, Boddiford, Kennedy, and McQuaig. Kennedy toed the rubber for the first four innings for the Bulldogs scattering seven hits. Henry closed out the game giving up just one hit in the final two 2/3 innings.

The Bulldogs have three games on the schedule this week. Yesterday they hosted Savannah Country Day at Joe Harvey Field. Saturday they will play in the annual CBIT tournament in Swainsboro. First game will be with Screven Co. at 12:30 p.m., with Swainsboro scheduled at 3:30 p.m.