The ECI Lady Dawg softball team has two more games this week to stay sharp as they prepare for the GHSA State Softball Playoffs, which begin next week.
The Lady Dawgs hosted Jeff Davis Tuesday and will travel to Vidalia Wednesday afternoon for a rematch with the Indians.
As region champions, the Lady Dawgs will host the first round of the state playoffs when postseason play begins next week. ECI is currently ranked No. 6 in the GHSA softball power rankings. The final power rankings could change depending on the results of games played this week.
Wheeler County, with just one loss on the season, currently holds the No. 1 position in the power rankings. The final rankings will be released Monday.
The Lady Dawgs played just one game last week, taking on Southeast Bulloch in a makeup game. ECI came away with a 5-1 victory over the Yellow Jackets.
It was another standout pitching performance by senior All-State pitcher Mary Katherine Durden. The Yellow Jackets remained hitless until a two-out single in the fifth inning. Durden finished the game allowing just two hits while striking out seven batters.
The Lady Dawg offense was equally impressive, pounding out 12 hits against the Yellow Jackets.
Durden led the offensive attack as well, collecting three hits. Charlie Mitchell, Senaria Hillman and Hadleigh Henry each added two hits, with Mitchell recording a double. Ansley Frye, BC Johnson and Ajlah Nobles provided the other three ECI hits.
With the state playoffs just around the corner, the Lady Dawgs will use this week's games to stay sharp and fine-tune their game before beginning their postseason run. Seniors Durden and Nobles will leave this season with four region championships.
Game opponents and start times for the first round of the state playoffs will be posted on the Emanuel County Institute and ECI Softball Facebook pages.
