The ECI baseball team began region play last week coming away with 3 wins against McIntosh Co.
They started the sweep with a bang at home Tuesday, run-the Bucs in 5 innings, 15-4. They traveled to Darien Friday, winning both games of the double header 6-3 and 2-1, to start 3-0 in region.
Coming into the game on Tuesday, McIntosh was on a 6-game winning streak before they ran into the pitching and bats of the Bulldogs.
McIntosh took a second inning 1-0 lead after an error and errant throw to the catcher scoring a run.
The Bulldogs abused the Buccaneer pitcher in the bottom of the second, blasting 3 home runs that accounted for an 8 run inning. Jacob Durden, Bryce Kearson and Hudson Henry scattered the squirrels behind centerfield to put ECI up 8-1 after two innings.
The Bulldogs left no doubt in the outcome scoring two more in the third and 5 in the fourth to take a commanding 15-1 lead.
With the game in hand, the Bucs were able to put 3 on the board in the top of the fifth. But it wasn’t enough as the Bulldogs took the first game of the series in 5 innings 15-4.
Lawson Mercer went the distance on the mound giving up just 4 hits, while striking out three.
The Bulldogs pounded out 14 hits against Bucs’ pitching. Mercer and Durden led the pack of Dawgs with 3 hits. Henry, and Tuff Boddiford were the other multiple hitters for the game with two. Kearson, Henry and Durden had 3 RBI each with their homeruns.
After the long ride to Darien the Bulldogs won the first game of the double header on Friday 6-3 against McIntosh.
The Bulldogs stole a run in the top of the first on a Kearson walk, steal and a Mercer ground out to go up 1-0.
ECI added 3 more in the third after a couple McIntosh errors and singles by Gabe Lee and Henry to make the score 4-0 after 3 innings.
The Bulldogs added 1 more in the fifth on a Lee single and a Henry double and 1 in the sixth on a walk and singles by Kearson, Charlie Rehberg and Aden McQuaig.
McIntosh scored 3 in the fifth but fell short again as the Bulldogs took game 6-3.
Kearson had another good outing on the mound, giving up just 2 hits while striking out 6 Buccaneers.
Lee led in hits with two as 8 others ended the game with one hit each for another multiple hit game for the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs completed the sweep in the second game of the doubleheader with a 2-1 win.
ECI got the lead in the second on singles by PJ Farnum, Durden and Rehberg to go up 1-0. The Buccaneers tied the game in the bottom of the inning 1-1.
The Bulldogs added the last run of the game in the fourth on two walks and singles by Rehberg and Kearson to make the final score 2-1.
Another Bulldog pitcher going the distance for the third game last week, Jacob Durden scattered 6 hits with 8 strikeouts to pick up the win.
Rehberg led at the plate with 3 hits. Mercer, and Henry were the other multiple-hit Bulldogs with two each.
The Bulldogs traveled to Millen yesterday for a region game against Jenkins Co. and will finish out the 3-game set against the Eagles on Friday at home with a double header at Joe Harvey. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 4:00.
