Bulldogs bully Cougars en route to region championship
Published 10:12 am Friday, April 21, 2023
THOMASVILLE – It may be a new classification but it’s the same result for the Thomasville Bulldogs baseball team – a region championship.
The Bulldogs (23-7) won the Region 1-3A title on Wednesday, sweeping Crisp County 15-3, 11-0 in a home doubleheader. It is the sixth straight region crown for head coach Erik McDougald and his Bulldogs, but the first in Class 3-A. He wants his team to savor the accomplishment.
“I do not take it for granted because I’ve seen darker days,” McDougald said. “I hope these players and parents don’t take it for granted. It just doesn’t happen. A lot of work goes into it.
“The challenge was there. We had a number of different challenges. We felt like we were playing up. It was a huge challenge going to Triple-A. It was no easy task.”
The Bulldogs dominated at the plate and on the mound against the overmatched Cougars. In game one, the Bulldogs capitalized on 13 hits and 14 RBIs to cruise to the win. Anderson Everett, Jadon Lirette, Brandon Allen and Beck Nicholson each chipped in with two hits, while Lirette delivered four RBIs. Everett, James Douglas, Allen and Nicholson each drove home two RBIs.
The Bulldogs scored six first-inning runs and led 9-0 after two innings.
The run support was more than enough for the pitching staff that limited Crisp County to two runs in the third inning and one in the fourth. Crisp County struck out eight times.
Thomasville flexed its muscle again in game two, tallying 14 hits, including four from Everett, along with limiting Crisp County just two hits.
Carson Fryman led the Bulldogs with three RBIs. Everett, Jacob Jordan and Allen each added two RBIs. Ethan Barrett pitched five innings and allowed just one hit and 10 strikeouts for the Bulldogs.
“We had some really good days of preparation. The guys bought in to what they were telling them,” McDougald added.
Thomasville will host the first round of the state playoffs on Monday against Peach County. The teams will play a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. A third game, if necessary, will be played at 5:30 p.m.
