Bulldogs Begin Region Play This Week

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The ECI baseball team will start region play this week in a 3-game series against McIntosh Co. All the region games this season will be home and away 3-game sets in the same week.

The Bulldogs geared up for the 3-game region sets last week by playing Metter on Tuesday and a double header against the Tigers on Thursday.

With a bat-wide strike zone in the Tuesday game, both teams combined for 28 strikeouts, 13 by Bulldog pitchers and 15 for Metter hurlers.

The game was tied 1-1 on two solo homeruns by each team. Coney started the scoring for Metter in the first inning with a solo shot.

Hudson Henry evened the score with another HR in the bottom of the second inning for the Bulldogs’ only run of the game. ECI lost to the visiting Tigers 8-1 on timely hits and 3 costly Bulldog errors.

The Bulldogs managed just 4 hits against Metter with Bryce Kearson, Jack Walden and Tuff Boddiford getting singles along with Henry’s homerun.

Lawson Mercer started on the mound for ECI giving up 8 hits, striking out 10 Tigers, allowing just 1 earned run. Jacob Durden gave up 3 hits in relief and Charlie Rehberg closed the final 2 innings not allowing a hit.

The Bulldogs were on schedule to host Metter again on Thursday, and end the week in Metter for the third game Friday. With looming rain on Friday afternoon, the game was moved to Metter on Thursday for a double header.

The Bulldogs got a early first inning 1-0 lead.

Bryce Kearson toed the rubber in the first game Friday and had one of those innings you’d like to forget. Metter teed off in the first inning with 5 hits and 4 walks to take a 6-1 first inning lead.

Kearson found his mark in the second, only allowing 6 more hits the rest of the game.

After spotting the Tigers 6 runs in the first, the Bulldogs fought and scratched their way to tie the game 7-7 in the top of the seventh inning on a Henry 2-run shot for his second HR of the week against the Tigers. Lawson Mercer also found the fence with a 2-run homerun in the top of the fifth inning.

Metter took the game in the bottom of the seventh on a walk-off single, winning their second game against the Bulldogs 8-7.

Kearson went the distance for ECI allowing 11 hits while striking out 6 Tiger batters.

The Bulldogs had 10 hits during the game. Gabe Lee had 3 hits, with Henry and Jacob Durden ending the game with 2 hits. Rehberg, Boddiford and Mercer had the other 3 hits for ECI.

The third bout between the Bulldogs and Tigers would be a game of attrition, with both teams putting 9 different pitchers on the mound.

The game went into extra innings late in the evening with neither team able to hold the lead. The Bulldogs won the third game of the series 10-9 in the nineth inning.

The Bulldogs took an early first inning lead on singles by Kearson, and Mercer, a double by Henry, with a couple walks thrown in to lead 4-0.

After scoring 1 in the first, Metter drew closer with 3 in the third with ECI still leading 4-3.

The score remained the same until the top of the sixth when the Bulldogs added 2 more runs for a 6-3 lead.

Leading 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs let the Tigers back in it. ECI didn’t allow any hits in the inning, but Metter tied the game on 6 walks for a 6-6 score at the end of regulation.

With Mercer and Henry on in the top of the eighth inning, Boddiford cleared the bases for the freshman’s first homerun to put the Bulldogs up 9-6.

With 2 outs in the bottom of the eighth, the Bulldogs once again gave Metter life with 4 more walks, a hit batsman and a single as ECI gifted the Tigers 3 runs to tie the score 9-9 after 8 innings.

The Bulldogs put the winning run on the board in the top of the nineth inning on a Gabe Lee single giving ECI a 10-9 win.

The Bulldogs had another 10-hit game. Henry still menaced the Tigers with 3 hits. Kearson had 2 hits. Five other Bulldogs had one hit each.

Jacob Durden went 6 innings for the Bulldogs giving up 6 hits, 3 runs, striking out four.

The 3 games against McIntosh began yesterday, Tuesday, with ECI hosting the Buccaneers at Joe Harvey Field and will end Friday night in Darien with a double header to begin at 4:00.