by RON WEATHERFORD
The road warrior Lady Dawgs softball team were busy last week scratching 5 games off their schedule. They played in Vidalia last Tuesday then traveled to Winder, Georgia to play 4 games in the Titan-Warrior Tournament. If the Lady Dawgs had a theme for this season’s schedule, it could be gotten from Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
They continued to play up in class last week from state runner up, AA Vidalia to AAAAAAA Lambert, facing stiff competition readying for region play and eventually the state playoffs.
The Lady Dawgs defeated Vidalia the second game of the season 7-3. The Indians evened the season series on Tuesday giving the Bulldogs their second loss of the season by a score of 6-2.
ECI scored the first run of the game in the top of the first. Jayna Kearson, on after a one out single, scored on a Charla Clifton double to put the Lady Dawgs up 1-0. The Indians had a runner in scoring position with one out in the bottom of the inning, but Clifton struck out the next 2 batters to end the threat. It would be Kearson scoring the Bulldog’s second run in the third after hustling for a one out triple for a 2-0 lead after 3 innings.
The Indians struck for 3 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on a walk, two doubles and a single to take a 3-2 lead. Vidalia added 3 more runs in the bottom of the sixth, putting ECI in the hole 6-2. The Bulldogs failed to score after the third inning as the Indians took the game 6-2. Kearson and Kaylan Lamb led the Bulldogs at the plate with 2 hits each with Clifton and Dot Russell collecting one hit. Clifton started the game in the circle for ECI giving up 5 hits while striking out 5 Indian batters. Sullee Bodiford closed out the game giving up 2 hits.
The Bulldogs spent Friday and Saturday in Winder, Georgia playing in the annual Titan Tournament. The first game saw the Bulldogs facing AAAAA Flowery Branch. They defeated the Falcons in the 4 p.m. game 7-2. They faced AAAAAAA Lambert High School from Suwanee, Georgia in the second game. The Longhorns gave the Lady Dawgs their third loss of the season by a score of 5-1.
The Lady Dawgs had a short rest. After playing Lambert Friday night, they were back on the field to face Hebron Academy from Dacula at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. ECI defeated the Lions 4-2 for their second win of the tournament. They faced South Effingham in the second game Saturday. The Lady Dawgs defeated the Mustangs earlier in the year 2-1. It was the Mustangs taking this game 5-3 giving the Dawgs 2-2 record in the tournament.
The Bulldogs played their first region game Tuesday, (yesterday) when they traveled to Portal to face the Panthers for their 6 consecutive road game. They don’t have another game on the schedule until they face Bryan Co. on September 6 in Twin City.
