The ECI Bulldogs baseball team will make the short trip to Statesboro this weekend to compete for the Class A Division II state championship. The Bulldogs will face Lanier County Friday at J.I. Clements Stadium on the campus of Georgia Southern University.
This marks the third time ECI has played for a state baseball championship. The Bulldogs finished as state runner-up in 2015 against Schley Co. and again in 2023 after falling to Charlton County in a three-game championship series at J.I Clements stadium.
ECI earned its return trip to the finals by sweeping Charlton County Thursday in the Final Four round. The Bulldogs rallied for a dramatic 6-5 walk-off victory in Game 1 before completing the sweep with an 11-2 win in the nightcap.
Lanier County reached the championship series by sweeping Marion County, Metter, Wilcox County and Baconton Charter in the playoffs. The Bulldogs of Lanier County will be seeking their third consecutive state championship after winning titles in 2024 and 2025. ECI swept Lanier County in the second round of the 2023 state playoffs.
ECI advanced to the championship round by sweeping GSIC, Trion and Charlton County while defeating Taylor County two games to one.
Lanier County enters the championship series with a 31-4 record and the Region 2 title. Pitching has been the strength of the team all season, as Lanier has allowed just 52 runs in 35 games for an average of 1.5 runs per contest.
ECI comes into the finals with a 26-12 record and the Region 3 championship. The Bulldogs’ pitching staff has also been dominant, especially during the postseason. ECI allowed an average of 3.6 runs per game during the regular season but has surrendered just 10 runs in nine playoff games while recording five shutouts.
In front of a loud Dawg Pound crowd, ECI opened the Final Four series against Charlton County with one of the most dramatic wins in program history. Trailing 5-0 early sixth inning, the Bulldogs stormed back before Tuff Boddiford delivered a walk-off two-run homer in the seventh inning for a 6-5 victory.
Charlton County wasted no time taking control of Game 1. Just three pitches into the contest, ECI found itself trailing 2-0 after the Indians connected on two early home runs. Another homer in the second inning extended the lead to 4-0, and Charlton added another run later in the inning for a 5-0 advantage.
The Bulldogs finally broke through in the sixth inning. Tuff Boddiford and Bryson Thompson singled, and Jud Underwood drew a walk to load the bases. Two runs scored on wild pitches before Davis Johnson delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-3.
ECI completed the comeback in the seventh. Jacob Hughes opened the inning with a single and later scored on a line-drive hit by Ab Marsh. Moments later, Boddiford launched a two-run homer over the left-field fence to give the Bulldogs the dramatic walk-off win.
The victory was a complete team effort for ECI. Boddiford, Thompson, Johnson, Hughes and Marsh all contributed key hits during the comeback.
Another key performance came from starting pitcher Jud Underwood. After allowing five runs and seven hits over the first two innings, the sophomore settled down and shut out Charlton County the rest of the way. Underwood allowed only two hits over the final five innings.
ECI finished Game 1 with nine hits. Boddiford and Hughes collected two hits each, while five other Bulldogs added one hit apiece.
The Bulldogs carried that momentum into Game 2 and quickly jumped out to a 3-0 first-inning lead. With the score 1-0, Davis Johnson connected on a two-run homer to put ECI firmly in control.
Leading 3-1 after two innings, the Bulldogs broke the game open with a seven-run third inning. Bryson Thompson opened the inning with a solo home run, and ECI continued to pile on runs. With two outs and the bases loaded, Boddiford blasted his second homer of the day, a grand slam that extended the lead to 9-1. The Bulldogs tacked on one more run in the inning to lead the Indians 10-1.
Both teams added one more run before the Bulldogs secured the 11-2 victory and punched their ticket to the state championship series.
Bryson Thompson turned in another strong outing on the mound, pitching six innings while allowing just three hits and striking out eight batters. Boddiford closed out the game in the seventh inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced. Thompson also led ECI offensively with four hits. Boddiford and Jacob Hughes added two hits each.
First pitch for the championship series against Lanier County is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday at J.I. Clements Stadium. Game 2 will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the opener. If necessary, Game 3 is scheduled for noon Saturday.
