Trio leads EC to 11-6 win over McIntosh in freshman game

Jacob Burgess, Ashton DeLoach and Keegan Rich combined to reach base nine times, score six runs and steal five bases to lead the East Coweta Indians to an 11-6 victory over the McIntosh Chiefs in a freshman baseball game played Tuesday in Sharpsburg.

The Indians, who will play the Newnan Cougars at Joe Pope Field on Wednesday, improved to 13-4-1 on the season.

Keegan Rich pitched the first two and one-third innings of
the game and was 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored.

After Rich took care of the Chiefs in the top of the first inning on the mound, the Indians gave him a lead to play with as Jonathan Williams led off with a double, moved to third when Quinlan Wiley hit a fly ball to left and scored when Logan Frady grounded out.

Jordan Kenty reached on a one out walk, stole second and advanced to third on Frady’s ground out before coming home on a wild pitch.

In the bottom of the second inning, the Indians added to the lead as Burgess reached on a walk, stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a fielder’s choice hit by Kaleb Gardner.

Rich would help his own cause with a double and Williams followed with a walk before Wiley singled to left to bring both runners home to give EC a 5-0 lead.

McIntosh threatened to rally in the top of the third inning with three runs in the frame but Ethan Leonard, who replaced Rich on the mound, retired the final two batters on strikes after giving up a walk.

The Indians got two of the runs back in the bottom of the frame to take a 7-3 lead as Burgess singled, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error before coming home on a one out single to right field by Gardner.

Jacob Burgess scored his second of three runs in the bottom
of the third inning as Keegan Rich directs traffic.

Gardner moved to third on a double by Rich and score when Williams grounded out to the Chiefs’ shortstop.

Rich finished the game going 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and tossed two and one-third innings on the mound.

The Indians picked up two more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning as Levi Wilson singled and DeLoach was hit by a pitch before Burgess had a run-scoring single and Gardner reached on an infield error that allowed DeLoach to score.

The Chiefs came back with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut the margin to 9-5 made the top of the sixth inning uncomfortable for the Indians’ faithful as a run scored to cut the score to 9-6 with the tying run on base.

However, Wiley managed to avoid further trouble as he retired the final batter of the frame with a swinging strikeout.

The Indians managed to add a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth as DeLoach walked and Burgess was hit by a pitch.

DeLoach would steal third base and Burgess stole second with the former scoring as the throw to attempt to catch the latter went into right field.

Burgess, who had two hits and pitched an inning of relief to go along with four stolen bases, scored the final run of the night when Gardner hit into a fielder’s choice.

The top of the seventh inning was pretty quick for Wiley as he retired the first two batters on strikes before giving up a single and ending the game on a swinging strikeout.

FUN FACT:  The win by the freshman gave the EC basbeall program a clean sweep for Tuesday as the junior varsity defeated McIntosh 8-6 and the varsity defeated Newnan in a crucial Region 2-AAAAAAA contest 2-1.