Errors and Lack of Hitting Dooms Bulldogs Against Irwin Co.

The ECI baseball team traveled to Ocilla Thursday in the first round of the state playoffs. Irwin and ECI are no strangers in the playoffs the last few years. The Bulldogs and Indians have faced each other three times in football and now three times in baseball in the state playoffs.
The Bulldogs entered the playoffs as the number three seed with a 13-10 season record against the top 5 ranked Indians as the number 2 seed with a 24-3 record.
The Bulldogs were stymied at the plate collecting just 6 hits in the double header Thursday while Irwin pounded out 23 hits against ECI pitching. That disparity alone would be enough to cause two losses, but the Bulldogs committed 12 errors in the two games and were out- scored 23-7 with 14 unearned runs.
The first game of the double header on Tuesday started out promising for the Bulldogs taking a 2-1 lead in the third inning.
The Indians squeaked by ECI in the bottom of the innings to lead 3-2 after three innings.
Irwin broke the game open early scoring 7 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to lead 10-2.
The Bulldogs scored three more runs in the game while Irwin added one more to make the final score of the opening game 11-5.
Jack Walden was the multiple hit Bulldog in the game with 2 hits and 3 RBI with Kearson, Hughes, and Robertson collecting one hit each.
Hughes started on the mound for ECI allowing 7 hits and 10 runs, (4 earned) in his 3 2/3 innings of work. Joseph Steward relieved Hughes in the fourth allowing 3 hits and Andrew Chalkley closed the game in the seventh giving up just one hit.

The Indians as the visiting team in the second game wasted no time in taking up where they left off smacking 5 hits in the top of the first inning including a 3-run shot over the fence to take an early 3-0 lead in the first inning.
ECI picked up a run in the bottom of the inning. With Hughes on after a 1 out walk, he plated the Bulldogs first run on a wild pitch.
The second didn’t fair any better for ECI, starting out the inning with 3 consecutive errors. The Indians added two more runs in the innings without a hit to take a 5-1 lead.
Irwin pecked away putting the ball in play scoring a run in the third, fifth and sixth innings. ECI scored their second run of the game in the fifth inning.
With the score 8-2 after 6 innings, the Indians put the nail in the coffin adding 4 more runs in the top of the seventh to take a commanding 12-2 lead which was the final score of the game.
Trey Hughes got the only hit for the Bulldogs in the game against the Indians.
Kearson started the game for ECI giving up 10 hits and 8 runs, 4 earned. Stewart pitched the final 1 2/3 innings allowing two hits.
The Bulldogs fielded a young team this season with 3 freshmen starting most games. They will lose 4 seniors this season, with 2 that started every game.
Putting on the cleats for the last time this season for the Bulldogs were Trey Hughes, Chase Whitehead, Jeremy Jones, and Brandon Hatcher.