The ECI Lady Dawgs have opened the 2026 softball season in impressive fashion, picking up two victories to begin their latest championship run. The Lady Dawgs opened the season August 1 at the Wayne County Diamond Day Tournament in Jesup, where they picked up an 8-3 victory over Thomasville.
ECI wasted little time taking control of the game, scoring eight runs over the first two innings to build an early 8-0 advantage. The Lady Dawgs’ pitching and defense held Thomasville to just three runs the rest of the way to secure the season-opening win. ECI collected nine hits in the game, led by Jamyia Mack with two hits. Seven other Lady Dawgs added one hit each. Mary Katherine Durden earned the win in the circle, scattering eight hits while striking out 10 and issuing no walks.
The Lady Dawgs returned home August 4 for their home opener against Metter and continued their strong start with a dominant 9-1 victory over the Tigers. Leadoff hitter Charley Mitchell got the home opener started with a bang, launching a home run over the left-field fence to give ECI an early 1-0 lead. The Lady Dawgs added four runs in the third inning, taking advantage of some two-out magic to extend their lead to 5-0.
With Durden reaching on a single and Hadleigh Henry drawing a walk, Senaria Hillman provided the big blow, hitting a three-run homer to put ECI ahead 4-0. Ansley Frye reached base one batter later and eventually scored the fifth run of the inning on a Colbie Radford double. ECI added two runs in both the fourth and sixth innings to finish off the 9-1 victory and improve to 2-0 on the young season.
Hillman supplied the offensive power, finishing with three hits and four RBIs, including her three-run homer in the third inning. Durden added two hits for the Lady Dawgs. Durden also returned to the circle, allowing just one hit—a sixth-inning single—while striking out three Metter batters.
The Lady Dawgs have two more non-region games on the schedule this week. ECI traveled to Hazlehurst Tuesday August 11 to take on Jeff Davis and will return home Thursday, August 13, to host Jenkins County.
Jenkins County moved from Region 3 to Region 4 this season and is no longer a region opponent for the Lady Dawgs. However, with the long-standing rivalry between the two programs, Thursday’s matchup should still provide plenty of competition between these 2 neighboring schools.
