After spending a cold weekend in north Georgia last week competing in the Georgia Dugout Tournament, the ECI baseball team spent a warmer weekend Saturday playing in the annual CBIT in Swainsboro.
The Bulldogs came away winning both their games against Screven Co. and Swainsboro. The Bulldog bats and offense were as warm as the weather pounding out 20 hits, putting 28 runs on the board during the tournament.
The pitching staff were just as hot. Andrew Chalkley and his defense behind him threw ECI’s second no hitter of the season in a 16-0 rout of Screven Co. in the first game. Starter Lawson Mercer and reliever Bryce Kearson held Swainsboro to 5 runs in a 12-5 win over the Tigers in the last game of the tournament.
The Gamecocks were no match for the Bulldogs with the only batters reaching were on 2 walks for the Bulldogs’ only blemish during the game.
The offense roughed up the Screven pitchers with 12 hits, hitting 6 doubles plus a homerun by catcher Gabe Lee.
Lee led the offense with 2 hits, homerun and 5 RBI. Bulldogs with multiple hits during the game were, Hudson Henry, Bryce Kearson, Gabe Lee, Lawson Mercer, and Jack Walden. PJ Farnum and Aden McQuaig had one hit each.
Chalkley went the distance in the 4-inning run rule game allowing no hits and was just 2 walks away from a perfect game, with no Bulldog errors.
The second bout for the Bulldogs had them playing a rematch against Swainsboro. ECI no hit the Tigers in the first real game to start the 2023 season for both teams.
The Tigers had the first scoring threat of the game in the first inning with 2 on and no outs. The Bulldogs ended the threat with 2 Mercer strikeouts and a pop fly for a scoreless first inning.
The Bulldogs exploded for 7 runs in the second inning, sending 10 batters to the plate.
After 2 Tiger errors, the Bulldogs had their first scoring threat. With 2 on, the Bulldogs struck for 4 consecutive singles by PJ Farnum, Charlie Rehberg, Aden McQuaig, and Bryce Kearson to make the score 4-0. Mercer put the fifth run across on a groundout RBI. With one runner on, Hudson Henry laced a fastball into the pine trees in left field with ECI taking a commanding 7-0 lead in the second inning.
The game remained the same until the top of the fifth inning with ECI adding to their lead. With 2 men on after a hits batsman and error, PJ Farnum hit a single to centerfield with both runners rounding the bases to make the score 9-0 Bulldogs.
Swainsboro scored their first runs in the top of the fifth on 2 singles, double, 2 walks and a Bulldog error to make the score 9-3 after 5 innings of play.
The Tigers gave those 3 runs back in the top of the seventh giving up 4 walks and an error for a 12-3 Bulldog lead.
Swainsboro added a couple runs in the bottom of the seventh to make the final score 12-5.
Lawson Mercer started the game on the mound for the Bulldogs giving up 7 hits while striking out 4 with no walks. Bryce Kearson came in to relieve Lawson with two outs in the fourth, giving up just 2 hits while striking out 3 Tiger batters.
Leading hitter for the Bulldogs was PJ Farnum with two, and 3 RBI. Six other Bulldogs picked up one hit each.
The Bulldogs have a busy week coming up with 3 games on tap. Tuesday, they hosted Burke Co., Thursday they will travel to Brooklet to play Southeast Bulloch and will be in Waynesboro Saturday for a rematch game against the Bears from Burke Co.
