Bulldogs’ win streak continues

The ECI baseball team won their tenth consecutive game last week in a 3-2 walk-off win against Southeast Bulloch. As fate would have it, the last loss for the Bulldogs was a 2-0 defeat by Southeast Bulloch on February 29 in Pembroke. With a 10-0 win against Burke Co. on Tuesday, the Bulldogs also recorded their eighth consecutive shutout and their third no hitter in the last three weeks. ECI got the scoring going early against the Bears. Gabe Lee led off the Bulldogs’ bottom for first with a single. After stealing second and third, Lee scored the first run of the game on a Hudson Henry single. Charlie Rehberg made it 2-0 when his single to centerfield scoring Henry for a 2-0 ECI lead.

The Bulldogs added two more runs in the third. Henry was on after a two out double. Tuff Boddiford doubled the score for ECI with a homerun over the centerfield fence for a 4-0 Bulldog lead. The Bulldogs broke the game open in the fourth inning, plating five more runs. They ended the game in the bottom of the sixth when Boddford stole home to run rule the Bears 10-0. Starting Pitcher Charlie Rehberg and reliever James Parker combined for another no hitter for the Bulldogs. Rehberg pitched the first four innings striking out nine and Parker closed out the final two innings striking out five Bears. Leading hitters for the Bulldogs were Henry three hits with a double, Boddiford two hits, HR and three RBI. Rehberg also had two hits in the game.

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With the closest game being an 8-0 win against Jenkins the last three weeks, the Bulldogs were expecting a dogfight with the solid 4A Yellow Jackets after losing 2-0 to them in Pembroke earlier in the year. Both pitchers and defense kept the game scoreless until ECI broke through in the fourth inning. The Bulldogs put two runs on the board on a Boddiford double and singles by Rehberg and Kennedy for a 2-0 ECI lead. The Yellow Jackets got their first run of the game in the top of the first on a double and single.

The Bulldogs have gone 16 games this season without a balk called, but three were called by the field umpires in this game, two in the seventh inning that set up the run and tied the game. With a runner on third in the top of the seventh, with two outs and two strikes, the batter was struck out with what looked to be a 2-1 win by ECI, but a balk was called which tied the game 2-2. With an out in the bottom of the seventh, Kanyon Thompson hit a double over the left fielder’s head to get into scoring position. Aden McQuaig hit a 2-2 pitch up the middle for a walk-off single to give the Bulldogs a hard fought 3-2 win. Andrew Chalkley pitched the first six innings for the Bulldogs, scattering seven hits while striking out two. Tuff Boddiford closed the game in the seventh to pick up the win, giving up just one hit, striking out three batters. Seven Bulldog batters picked up one hit each for ECI with Kennedy, Marsh and McQuaig accounting for the three RBIs.

The Bulldogs have six more region games left in the season. Tuesday, they played Portal and will host the Panthers Friday in a double header at Joe Harvey Field to close out the week. The Bulldogs will close out the region schedule with three games against Montgomery Co. The Eagles lost their first region games last week against McIntosh Co. and are currently 4-2 in region.