The ECI Lady Dawgs softball team is back in Columbus this week after advancing to the Elite Eight round of the state playoffs. The trip marks the eighth consecutive year ECI has reached the Elite Eight and the 10th time overall. The Lady Dawgs are scheduled to face Johnson County today, October 28, at 1:15 p.m.
The Lady Dawgs dominated the first two rounds of the state playoffs, winning all four games, recording three shutouts and outscoring their opponents 54-3. However, as the coaches and players know, the competition only gets tougher with the eight remaining teams in Class A battling for a chance at the state championship.
ECI hosted Manchester in the first round of the playoffs, and the Blue Devils faced a difficult trip home after dropping both games. The Lady Dawgs won the opener 15-0 in three innings before completing the sweep with another 15-0 victory in four innings.
Senior All-State pitcher Mary Katherine Durden and the defense behind her faced the minimum nine batters in the opening game. With no walks, no hits and no errors, Durden recorded a perfect game, striking out seven of the nine batters she faced in the three-inning contest.
The Bulldogs continued their dominance in the second game, shutting out the Blue Devils 15-0 in another shortened contest. Durden allowed just two hits while striking out eight and issuing no walks.
Opposing teams have little room for error against the ECI pitching staff. The Bulldogs have issued just nine walks all season while facing 608 batters, a testament to the staff's outstanding control.
ECI collected 24 hits in the two-game series against Manchester. Hadleigh Henry, Senaria Hillman and Ajlah Nobles led the way with four hits apiece. Durden, Charlie Mitchell, Colbie Radford, Bristol Dorsey and Jamyia Mack each added two hits.
Treutlen County traveled to Twin City last week for the second round of the playoffs. The Lady Dawgs continued their impressive postseason run, defeating the Vikings 11-3 in the opening game before closing out the best-of-three series with a 13-0 victory.
Hillman and Ansley Frye led the Lady Dawgs at the plate in the second-round series with five hits each. Mitchell collected four hits, Durden added three, and Henry contributed two. In the circle, Durden scattered eight hits against the Vikings, struck out eight batters and issued no walks.
Now sporting a 20-7 record, the Lady Dawgs face the Johnson County Trojans in the Elite Eight. Johnson County enters the matchup with a 16-14 record and a Region 5 championship. The Trojans advanced by sweeping Seminole County in the first round and winning their second-round series against Georgia Military College.
With another trip to Columbus secured, the Lady Dawgs will look to continue their strong postseason performance against a Johnson County team that has also battled its way into the final eight. ECI's combination of timely hitting, dominant pitching and solid defense has carried the team this far, but the road to a state championship gets tougher with each round.
The other Elite Eight matchups feature Wheeler County against Telfair County, Lanier County against Bowdon, and Trion against Irwin County.
The Lady Dawgs have once again put themselves among the state's best. With eight consecutive Elite Eight appearances and 10 trips overall, ECI continues to build on an impressive postseason tradition as the team pursues another state title.
