The ECI baseball team will face Screven County this week in a two-game home-and-away series, with the region lead hanging in the balance. Both teams enter the matchup with one region loss. ECI’s lone defeat came against Bryan County, while the Gamecocks fell to Metter last week. Both teams hold tiebreakers over Bryan County and Metter.
Metter remains close behind with a 5-2 region record and seven with region games remaining, keeping the Tigers firmly in the hunt.
Depending on the outcome of ECI’s series with Screven County and Metter’s matchup with Jenkins County, the Bulldogs could finish the week alone in first place—or fall as low as third, one game behind Metter.
ECI wrapped up its two-game region series with McIntosh County last week, outscoring the Buccaneers 23-0.
The Bulldogs took care of business at home on Tuesday, March 17, run-ruling McIntosh 15-0 in four innings. They completed the sweep Friday in Darien with an 8-0 victory.
In Tuesday’s win, ECI jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning and put the game away with seven runs in the third. The Bulldogs added three more in the fourth to end the game early.
Davis Johnson and Jud Underwood, who hit his first career varsity homerun, led the Bulldogs with three RBIs each. Underwood, Jackson Kennedy, and Tuff Boddiford recorded two hits apiece.
Lake Bush pitched a two-hit shutout, issuing no walks and striking out six.
In Friday’s rematch, Underwood delivered another dominant performance on the mound. The sophomore allowed just two baserunners—one hit and one walk—while striking out seven in the 8-0 win.
The Bulldogs scored in every inning except the fourth and outhit the Buccaneers 11-1. Boddiford, Underwood, and Brayden Rich each collected two hits.
Along with the two region wins, ECI suffered a 9-4 non-region loss to Southeast Bulloch on Wednesday in a rematch.
The Yellow Jackets took a 3-1 lead in the second inning and never relinquished it, adding six more runs to secure the win.
Lake Bush led ECI at the plate with two of the team’s five hits. Bryson Thompson pitched five innings, allowing eight hits while striking out eight. Gunnar Johnson worked the sixth inning, giving up three hits, and Boddiford closed out the seventh, striking out two without allowing a hit.
In addition to the Screven County series on Tuesday and Friday, the Bulldogs travel to Lyons on Wednesday for a rematch with Toombs County. ECI defeated Toombs 6-0 earlier this month.
