It was a productive week for the ECI Bulldog softball programs last week, as both the ECI Lady Dawgs and ECI Middle School softball team added more hardware to the school’s already crowded trophy case.
The ECI Lady Dawgs captured their sixth consecutive region championship, continuing their impressive run through region competition. Not to be outdone, the ECI Middle School softball Dawgs won their second consecutive East Georgia Middle School Championship, defeating Screven County in the championship game on September 25.
The Lady Dawgs have breezed through region play this season, with their closest region game being a 9-1 victory over Montgomery County. ECI entered the final region game of the season with a perfect 7-0 region record.
The Lady Dawgs were busy last week with three games on the schedule. They traveled to Sylvania on Monday, September 21, to take on the Screven County Gamecocks. The Dawgs recorded their tenth shutout of the season, defeating Screven County 4-0.
Wednesday found ECI back on the road, this time traveling to Jesup to face Class 5A Wayne County. The Lady Dawgs battled the much larger Yellow Jackets but came up just short, falling 4-2 in a competitive game.
The Dawgs returned home Thursday, September 24, to take on Portal. Before the game, ECI recognized and honored seniors Mary Katherine Durden and A’jlah Nobles.
Once the game began, the Lady Dawgs wasted little time taking control. ECI scored three runs in each of the first three innings and added another run in the fourth to build a 10-0 lead heading into the fifth inning. Portal managed just one hit in the game, a fifth-inning single, as the Dawgs completed the 10-0 victory and secured another region championship.
Durden led the Bulldog offense, collecting four hits, including a double. Charley Mitchell and Senaria Hillman provided the power, with each player hitting a two-run home run. Other players contributing to ECI’s 12-hit attack were senior A’jlah Nobles, who added a double, along with Ansley Frye, BC Johnson and Blaire Johnson.
Durden also dominated from the pitcher’s circle, tossing another shutout while allowing just one hit and striking out seven Portal batters.
With the region championship secured, the Lady Dawgs have four games remaining on their regular-season schedule. They played their final region game against Claxton yesterday.
ECI will use the remaining games against larger schools to prepare for postseason play. The Lady Dawgs will travel to Brooklet on October 1 to take on Southeast Bulloch. They will return home October 6 to host Jeff Davis before closing out the regular season October 7 in Vidalia against the Indians.
With another region championship added to the trophy case and the postseason approaching, the Lady Dawgs will look to continue their strong season when playoff competition begins.
