Lady Dawgs Advance to Sweet 16

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The ECI softball team hosted Pataula Charter last Wednesday in the first round of the state playoffs. The Lady Dawgs swept the Panthers in the first best of 3 series taking both games on Wednesday.

Pataula showed up in Twin City averaging 13 runs per game but ran into a buzz saw against the Bulldogs.

The Lady Dawgs needed just 8 innings to end Pataula’s season. They overwhelmed the Panthers in the first game 20-0 in just 3 innings. ECI defeated the visiting team from region one 8-0 in 5 innings in game two.

This marks the eighth consecutive year the Lady Dawgs have advanced to the sweet 16.

It didn’t take long to see that the Panthers were overmatched. The Bulldogs exploded for 13 runs in the first inning sending 18 batters to the plate. They added 7 more runs in the second innings for a 20-0 lead.

Coach Wimberly emptied his bench during the game, sending just about everyone to the plate except the mascot with 16 different players facing Panther pitchers.

Charla Clifton and the Bulldog defense were one error away from a perfect game for the second time this season. The junior pitcher needed just 32 pitches to strike out 7 of the 10 batters she faced during the game.

Ten different Lady Dawgs recorded one hit each with most having just one plate appearance during the 2 innings.

Stats and line score are not available for the second game of the series which ECI won 8-0 in 5 innings.

Wednesday, October 20 the Bulldogs will host Schley Co. in the second round in another best of 3 series.

The Wildcats advanced to the second round by taking 2 out of 3 games against Glascock Co. Schley lost the first game 7-0 but bounced back to take the next two games 14-4 and 6-5.

Schley is the number two seed from region 5 with a 10-13 season record and 4-2 region record. Only 4 of the 10 region 5 teams decided to play softball this season.

The Bulldogs and Wildcats have one common opponent. Schley lost to Bryan Co. 7-4 and 13-6 while the Bulldogs won both games against Bryan 9-4 and 11-1.

The Lady Dawgs and Wildcats play a double header today with first pitch scheduled for 3:00. Second game will be 30 minutes following. The “IF” game will be played Thursday at 3 p.m.