By DON FLETCHER
News Staff Writer
Escambia County High’s baseball team ended last week the way it had started, still searching for its elusive first win of the season after dropping both ends of a March 16 doubleheader to T.R. Miller.
The Blue Devils fell in the first game of the twin bill by a 13-3 score and were swamped 20-2 in the nightcap as the team’s inexperienced pitching staff continued to have trouble with its collective control.
In the second contest, the Tigers wound things up in 4 innings. ECHS hurlers Jamarion Robinson, Anthony McCants and Marrion Hooks combined to issue 10 walks, hit a batter and uncork 6 wild pitches. Throw in 3 fielding errors, and the outcome was never in doubt.
The Blue Devils managed just 3 hits, all singles. Robinson (who stole 2 bases) got 1 hit, as did Lebron Hooks and Caseano Oliver.
ECHS hadn’t played badly in the opener, a 5-inning contest. They didn’t commit a fielding error, and they had 6 hits. Unfortunately, the hits were evenly divided among 6 players.
Hooks had the team’s only extra-base hit, a double, while McCants and Jacorion King each drove in a run. Hasten Dean went all the way on the mound, walking only 4 batters while not unleashing a wild pitch or hitting a batter.
A scheduled March 17 game against TRM was canceled because of rain.
According to the schedule posted on MaxPreps, the Blue Devils (now 0-9) have 4 games left. They won’t play again until Thursday, April 6, when they open a 3-game showdown against region foe Satsuma with a 5 p.m. contest on the road.
Satsuma will come to Atmore for a doubleheader on April 7 (4 p.m. and 6 p.m.), and ECHS (which reportedly could earn a playoff spot by winning 2 of the 3 Satsuma games) will close out the regular season with an April 13 home game (4 p.m.) against W.S. Neal.