EC freshmen sweep Mustangs in doubleheader

Adrian Roman looks in for a sign in his start Wednesday
against the Ola Mustangs. Roman allowed three hits in four
innings of East Coweta's 5-0 win in game one of a freshman
doubleheader.

SHARPSBURG-Fans looking for an entertaining way to end a baseball game had to look no further than the second game of a Wednesday freshman doubleheader between the East Coweta Indians and the Ola Mustangs.

What appeared to be a walk to load the bases for the Mustangs with two outs in the top of the fifth turned out be something different as the entire Indians infield executed a rundown of a baserunner to preserve a 2-1 win and a sweep of the twin bill.

The Indians, now 5-1 on the young season, began the day with a 5-0 victory as Adrian Roman and Trey Jones combined for a three-hitter.

In the opener, the Mustangs threatened to take the lead in the top of the second inning with two base runners and two outs when starting pitcher Kameron Laine singled to right field.

Holland was sent home on the play but Indians right fielder Dekel Williams threw a strike to Ryan Barber behind the plate and the third out was recorded to keep the run off the board.

The Indians responded after two outs in the bottom of the frame with three runs to take the lead they would never give up.

Ben Brisky led off the inning by reaching first base after being hit by a pitch and Kaleb Carey reached on a single.

Following the Carey single, Jones was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

A strikeout was recorded then Charlie Paige hit a line drive down the first base line which allowed Brisky to score and Carey to advance to third as the out at first was being recorded.

Dekel Williams had an impact in both games of a
doubleheader sweep for the East Coweta Indians as he
threw a strike to nail a runner at home in game one and
in game two had a double that became the deciding run
in a 2-1 win.  

A single by Nico Senese gave EC a 2-0 lead as Carey was crossed home plate and the final run of the inning came home as the result of a balk call that allowed Jones to score.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Indians added to their lead as Kaleb Gardner led off with a double and moved to third on a single by Brisky who stole second while Carey was at the plate.

Carey lined a shot off of the pitching hand of Laine and the ball rolled toward the shortstop who threw the ball past the first baseman.

On the play, Gardner and Brisky came home while Laine came out as he was in pain after the liner.

The lead was more than enough for Roman who allowed three hits in the second inning but was excellent in his four inning stint on the mound as he recorded seven strikeouts and allowed two walks.

Roman was relieved by Jones in the top of the fifth and after a walk to the leadoff batter was able to get out the inning and end the game with a pair of groundouts and a strikeout.

In the second game, the two teams were scoreless until there were two outs in the bottom of the third inning when Denver Watson reached first after a third strikeout was mishandled and Williams reached on a double that advanced Watson to third.

Nico Senese prepares to deliver a pitch in the second game
of the freshman doubleheader between East Coweta and Ola.

Senese, who was the starting pitcher in game two, aided his own cause as lined a double inside the third base line allowing Watson and Williams to come home.

The second run proved to be important as the Mustangs tried to rally in the top of the fourth inning.

After a double play was turned in the frame, Senese surrendered a single to Jack Robinson and the former was replaced on the mound by Zach Carlton.

In three and two-third innings, Senese allowed four hits and recorded four strikeouts.

Robinson moved to second on a passed ball and cut the margin to 2-1 as Talon Holland reached on an RBI single.

Cochran was able to record the third out of the inning and got through the top of the fifth inning as he retired the first two batters on groundouts.

However, the game was far from over as Hunter Basko reached on an error and Jackson Owens followed with a single.

A walk to Ola starting pitcher Austin Merritt was to have loaded the bases but Basko was caught off of the third base and the old “pickle” play was in effect as a number of players were involved in the rundown before catcher Austin Black was able to apply the tag and end the game.

The freshmen will play again on Friday when they host Northgate in a doubleheader beginning at noon.

Meanwhile, the EC Junior Varsity will travel to the home of the Vikings Thursday in a doubleheader beginning at 10am while the Varsity will host Hardaway at 3:30 with a game against Northside-Columbus to follow. 

Gardner scores hat trick as EC Freshmen open season with 10-run fourth en route to win

SHARPSBURG-The East Coweta Indians freshmen took advantage of pitching problems by McIntosh Thursday evening with 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to defeat the Chiefs 13-3 in the season opener.
The Chiefs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, but the Indians tied the game in the bottom of the frame as Kaleb Gardner was hit by a pitch and stole two bases before collecting the first of three runs on a throwing error by the pitcher.
McIntosh reclaimed the lead in the top of the third inning with a pair of runs and held a lead until the bottom of fourth inning.
Craig Newlands opened the frame with double and after one out, Dekel Williams reached on a bunt single but the duo appeared to be left on base as the second out was recorded.
However, EC began to cut into the lead as Charlie Paige walked to load the bases and Ryan Barber was hit by a pitch that scored Newlands.
A pitching change was made by the Chiefs but that didn't seem to work as Williams came home on a wild pitch that tied the game at 3-3 and Austin Black reached on a walk to reload the bases.
Gardner followed by receiving a free pass that scored Paige from third with the go ahead run and Zach Carlton was hit by a pitch that scored Barber.
Newlands batted for the second time in the inning and was able to reach base on a walk that scored a run and winning pitcher Andrew Martin aided his own cause by also receiving a run-scoring walk.
A balk eventually scored Newlands and the scoring finally end as Nico Sinese had a two-run single for the Indians.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Chiefs attempted to rally as the first two batters reached against Martin, but the runners were left stranded as the next three batters were retired to end the inning.
The game ended on the 10-run mercy rule as Ben Brisky reached on a force play and Gardner lined a double as Kaleb Carey and Jacob Medina followed with RBI singles.
Ethan Leonard started for the Indians and pitched the first two and two-third innings allowing a hit and three runs while recording three strikeouts before he was replaced by Martin who allowed a hit and recorded three strikeouts.
The EC freshmen are scheduled to play again on Saturday when the host the Westlake Lions in a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 11:00.

Indians win 2018 baseball season opener behind pitching of Austin Bunn, Ramey and Wright

SHARPSBURG-The East Coweta Indians broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning with six runs Monday night and added four more in the final two innings as they opened the 2018 season with a 10-0 win over the Fayette County Tigers.

Another Fayette County school will be the next opponent as the Indians will host the McIntosh Chiefs in a non-region game Tuesday night in Sharpsburg at 5:30.

Austin Bunn had an up and down first inning as the Tigers loaded the bases but was able to leave the runners stranded as he retired the final batter of the frame on a called third strike and retired the side in order in the top of the second with strikeouts.

Ahmad Ali proved to be tough in the bottom of the inning as he retired the side in order on called third strikes but would run into trouble in the bottom of the second as the Indians threatened to score early.

With one out, Jeff Sangster and Caleb Cashion reached on consecutive walks with the former advancing around the bases on a pair of fielding miscues.

However, Ali would settle down by recording a strikeout and a pop fly to short that would halt the scoring opportunity for the Indians.

The bottom of the fourth inning was a different matter for Ali as Sangster reached on another walk and with one out reached second on a bloop single by Dooley Bunn.

An infield error allowed Sangster to advance to third and the junior came home with the first run of the season as Daniel Smith recorded a sacrifice fly to center field.

The inning was not over as Trevor Crowdis reached on a single and Bailey Psathas reached on a walk that loaded the bases for Nick Daniel who batted after Ali was replaced on the mound by Spencer Hulsey.

Daniel greeted Hulsey with a shot into left center field that resulted in a bases clearing double that gave the Indians a 4-0 advantage.

Walks to Ryan Dyal and William Kelley loaded the bases and a pair of wild pitches allowed Daniel and courtesy runner Myles Dowell to come home and account for the other two runs of the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Indians threatened to end the game on the mercy rule after two outs as Tony Player singled and Psathas reached on a walk with both coming home on an error by the Tigers’ left fielder that allowed Daniel to reach base.

Daniel came home on a double by Dyal and the lead was 9-0 but the Indians were denied the 10^th run as a groundout ended the frame.

However, the Indians were able to end the game in the bottom of the sixth inning as Ethan Walker reached on a leadoff single and eventually score with two outs in the frame as a flyball to right field was mishandled to end the game.

Fayette County was charged with five errors in the game.

After tossing three innings of two-hit, six strikeout baseball, Austin Bunn was lifted in favor of Peyton Ramey in the top of the fourth inning.

Ramey pitched two innings allowing one hit and recorded two strikeouts and was the winning while Lanier Wright pitched the top of the sixth inning.

All-Region Team Named

REGION 2-AAAAAAA ALL REGION TEAM

Win all of your games as well as a state championship and the team will come away with a lot of gold as evidenced by the East Coweta Lady Indians as the Region 2-AAAAAAA team was announced.

Rachel Vaughan, who pitched a 10-0 shutout over Etowah in the final of the Elite Eight for EC, was named pitcher of the year while Kelley Lynch was named Player of the Year.

The Lady Indians had seven players named to the squad along with two named honorable mention.

Newnan also had seven players while Westlake had three, Wheeler had two (two honorable mention) and Campbell had one (three honorable mention)..  

REGION PLAYER OF THE YEAR: KELLEY LYNCH (P/SS East Coweta) 

REGION PITCHER OF THE YEAR: RACHEL VAUGHAN (East Coweta)

C- Caroline Lively  (East Coweta)

C- Reagen London (Newnan)

C- Marissa Holmes (Westlake)

P- Addie Andrews (Newnan)

P- Anniston Wright (East Coweta)

P- Zamiyah Williams (Westlake)

1B- Mary Williams (Campbell)

1B- Rachel Vaughan (East Coweta)

2B- Olivia Davis (East Coweta)

2B- Hailey Bloom (Newnan)

SS- Danielle Curlee (Newnan)

SS- Zaquai Dumas (Westlake)

3B- Ashlynn Gunter (East Coweta)

3B- Ansley Houston (Newnan)

OF- Lily Agan (East Coweta)

OF- Kaylen Madry (Newnan)

OF- Carmen Prior (East Coweta)

OF- Sydney Kaltman (Wheeler)

UT- Alex Williams (Newnan)

UT- Ansley Gunter (East Coweta)

UT- Carmen Stafford (Wheeler)

Honorable Mention:

Bella Galloway(Campbell), Maya McNeal (Wheeler), Paige O’Rourke (Campbell), Olivia Houghton (Wheeler), Joy Tyrlick (Campbell), Caison Byars (East Coweta), Hanna Miller (East Coweta

Vaughan pitches, hits EC into the 'ship

Rachel Vaughan was mugging in front of the camera in
this 2016 file photo but she was all business Friday
night with two innings of solid relief and the game winning
hit against Etowah.

COLUMBUS-Rachel Vaughan summed it up the best as her single in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Kenadie Cooper from second to give the East Coweta Lady Indians a 3-2 victory over the Etowah Lady Eagles Friday in the semifinals of the AAAAAAA Elite Eight Tournament at South Commons Softball Complex.

"It was a good team effort tonight," the senior said. "I just put the ball in play. Kelley (Lynch) and Ashlynn (Gunter) got on base."

With one out, Lynch hit a flyball to right field that appeared to be the second out of the frame, but the ball popped out of the glove and became a two-base error as Lynch was able to get to second base on the play.

Cooper was sent into the game as a pinch runner and Gunter followed and was able to coax a walk from Lady Eagle pitcher Kinsey Norton to set the stage for Vaughan.

Vaughan, who pitched the last two innings for the Lady Indians, responded by hitting a 2-1 offering past the shortstop and the speedy Cooper raced around the bases and was able to slide home ahead of the throw for the winning run.

The win allows EC to enter the 9:00 championship game Saturday with a 35-0 record against either Archer or Etowah.

The two teams were facing each other in a late night contest determined by impending rains.

Etowah (24-5) had a chance to get on the board first in the top of the second as the first two batters reached but Lynch had a pair of strikeouts sandwiches a popfly to Gunter at third to end the threat.

In the bottom of the frame, EC was able to take an early lead as Gunter led off the bottom of the second with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Vaughan and score on a two out double by Caison Byars.

Byars would give the Lady Indians a 2-0 lead as she came home on a double to right center by Caroline Lively.

The Lady Indians had a pair of opportunities to add to the lead but Nelson was able to make the out pitch that stalled the chances and gave her team a chance to rally.

The Lady Eagles was able to rally in the top of the fifth inning as Skylar Wallace walked and with two outs was able to score in front of a shot to left field by Emilie Watson and the game was tied at 2-2.

Vaughan took over for Lynch in the top of the sixth inning and had a little trouble as the Lady Eagles had the bases loaded and one out.

However, Vaughan showed determination and was able to leave the runners stranded as she able to induce a force play at home and a strikeout the retired the side in order in the top of the seventh with three swinging strikeouts to set the stage for the bottom of the frame.

As for reaching the championship game in her senior year, Vaughan was able to put her views into perspective.

"It hasn't kicked in yet but it will later," she said. "As for it being my last game, I plan to go out with a bang and hope we can finish the drill."

She will get her chance Saturday morning as the Lady Indians look to finish ahead of the rain.

EC advances to Friday showdown with Etowah after two wins on Thursday

COLUMBUS-The East Coweta Lady Indians began their quest for a state championship Thursday with a psir of victories on the opening day of the 2017 AAAAAAA Elite Eight Tournament at South Commons Softball Complex.

In the opener, Kelley Lynch allowed an infield single but recorded 13 strikeout in an 8-0 five inning victory over the Archer Lady Tigers and collected their 34th win of the season with a 6-1 victory over Kennesaw Mountain in the nightcap.

The Lady Indians will face the Etowah Lady Eagles in a Friday nigh contest at 6:00 with the winner advancing to the championship game on Saturday.

Etowah defeated Lowndes 6-2 to advance to the Friday showdown.

In the opener, EC scored four runs in bottom of the first as Lilly Agan tripled and came home on a single by Olivia Davis who stole second, moved to third base on a wild pitch and came home on a single by Lynch.

The Lady Indians took a 4-0 lead at the end of the frame as Ashlynn Gunter drilled a shot over the left field fence for a two-run home run.

The score held at 4-0 despite the Lady Indians attempting to add to the margin but Lady Tiger pitcher Kaylinn Berry was able to get the pitch need for the third out in the second and third innings.

However, Berry got into trouble in the bottom of the fourth as the Lady Indians added four more runs for the final margin.

Agan singled and advanced after Davis reached on an error and was able to score after a one out single by Gunter.

Vaughan followed the Gunter single by drilling a shot over the fence in center field for a three-run home run and victory was in hand as Lynch breezed through the top of the fifth inning with a pair of strikeouts and a ground out.

The nightcap did not start as easily as the morning contest as KM had the bases loaded with two outs but Vaughan was able to get of the situation with the second of nine strikeouts the senior lefty recorded.

In the top of the fourth inning, the scoreless tie was broken as Aniston Wright reached on a force play and moved to second on a sacrifice by Caison Byars and came home on a single to center field by Carmen Prior.
Prior scored the second run of the frame as she stole second and came home on double by Agan.
The Lady Mustangs got one of the runs back in the bottom of the frame as Boo Huddleston singled and scored on a groundout.
The 2-1 margin increased in the top of the fifth inning as Gunter reached on a one out single, stole second and after Vaughan walked and the second out of the frame was recorded, Wright hit a 2-0 offering over the fence for a three-run and a 5-1 lead.

Byars followed Wright's home run with a single to left field and stole second and took advantage of a throwing error by rounding the bases to the plate for the final run of the game.

The margin appeared to be enough for Vaughan who had the strikeout ball working as well as getting solid defensive efforts behind her.

In the bottom ofthe seventh inning, Vaughan ran into trouble by walking the first two batters in the frame necesitating a pitching change with Lynch who took over by striking out the first batters and ending the game with a flyball to Byars in left field.

The quest for the gold continues Thursday morning for EC

For the East Coweta Lady Indians, the pursuit for a state championship may begin Thursday morning at the Elite Eight Tournament in Columbus, but the quest for gold began sooner.
Try almost 12 months ago after the 2016 season ended with a 1-0 loss to Mill Creek in extra innings.
The Lady Indians began offseason workouts that continued into 2017 and as late July rolled around, they took the field for preseason workouts.
Next, the season began on August 11 with a 13-2 win over the Lassiter Lady Trojans in a rematch of a 2016 Elite Eight game then a 3-0 win over Hillgrove on that same evening.

After 77 days since those victories along with 30 more, the 2017 quest for gold began with a bus ride Wednesday afternoon from school and will get underway on the field with a 9:00 game against the Archer Lady Tigers in the first game of the AAAAAAA tournament at the South Commons Softball Complex.
In the event of an EC win, the Lady Indians will face the winner of the contest between Kennesaw Mountain or Lambert in a Thursday night winners bracket game beginning at 7:00 otherwise it is an elimination game Friday morning at 10:00 against the loser of that matchup.
For now it is one game at a time as the Lady Indians look to meet the mantra of beating everybody on the way to the state championship that has been elusive over the past two years and that begins with the Lady Tigers.
The Archer Lady Tigers come into the tournament with a record of 22-10 overall after series wins over Norcross and 2016 champion North Gwinnett.
Among the common opponents are Hillgrove (Archer 1-1, EC 3-0) and North Gwinnett (Archer 2-2, EC 1-0).
Archer and East Coweta have met before as the Lady Indians defeated the Lady Tigers 7-4 during the Elite Eight on October 29, 2015.
In that contest,
Among the key players for head coach Eric Stoker are senior pitcher/first baseman Madison Abell, junior pitcher Kaitlin Berry, senior third baseman Terrica Williams, freshman second baseman Skylar Berkhiser, junior outfelder Kinley Stewart, freshman infielder Faith Barth and catcher Casey Sims.
Williams was recognized by the Gwinnett Diamond Club as the county's offensive player of the year after producing a .540 batting average with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs.
Barth was named to the all-county south squad in her first year by the same organization while Moore and Sims were named to the squad as honorable mentions.
Barth, who comes into the game with a .440 average broke a 1-1 tie with a grand slam and finished with five RBIs in a 7-5 victory over Grayson on September 28, and had five hits, a home run and six RBIs in a doubleheader sweep of South Gwinnett two days prior.
Her efforts garnered athlete of the week by the Gwinnett Daily Post.
As for the next tournament game...
The Kennesaw Mountain Lady Mustangs have been to Columbus on a number of occasions including 2012 runnerup under head coach Lisa Chapman who is in her 18th season and early in the season recorded her 400th win with the program.
This season, Chapman saw her Lady Mustangs begin the campaign 0-4 before starting a 22-3 streak as they enter the tournament with a 22-7 mark.
Kennesaw Mountain enters the Elite Eight after series wins over Woodstock and Camden County.
Among her key players are junior pitcher Haley Glass.
In the first round of the state playoffs, Glass came within a walk away from a perfect game last Saturday as the Lady Mustangs beat Woodstock in the deciding game of their series. She was also solid at the plate with a 2-for-3 that included a double and two RBIs.
She was honored as player-of-the-week by the Marietta Daily Journal this week.
Other key players for the Lady Mustangs are junior outfielder Mallory Parker,senior infielder Mallory Lewis, junior shortstop Hannah Forehand, Boo Huddleston and senior catcher Michy Ramos.
The last game played between the Lady Indians and Lady Mustangs was on October 26, 2013 with KM winning 3-2.
The Lambert Lady Longhorns enter the tournamofent with a record of  20-11 after series wins over Mill creek and Brookwood in the playoffs.
The Lady Longhorns met the Lady Indians in a contest played on September 1 at Home Plate in Peachtree City with EC winning by a 4-1 margin to support the pitching of Rachel Vaughan.
Lambert has since recovered from this defeat having defeated Mill Creek and Brookwood in the state playoffs.
Among the key players are pitcher Kassiday Krupit who had a home run against EC and a game winner the same night against Chapel Hill.
Krupit has also pitched all 35 innings in Lambert's playoff run.
Other key players for head coach Brooks Youngblood are senior second baseman Skylar Aledia, sophomore shortstop Brooke Miller and catcher Rachel Cowart.