By JOSH FRYE
News Sportswriter
Escambia Academy beat Lee-Scott 6-2 during the first game of the Edgewood Academy Baseball Tournament season-opener last Friday, February 21, but failed to generate another victory, falling in the final two games of the tournament to Bessemer Academy, 4-0, and Macon East, 5-0.
Jason Davis got the nod as the starting pitcher against Lee-Scott. He struck out five batters, walked three and hit one.
Both of the runs scored by Lee-Scott were unearned.
“We had a few control issues, but Davis worked through them,” EA head coach Mike Sims said.
Davis went the distance on the mound for the Cougars, and Ty Williams went 2-for-3 with a triple and a double and drove in four runs to lead the offense.
During Friday’s nightcap game, the Cougars fell short to Bessemer, which has yet to lose a game this season.
“We had a number of factors that contributed to the loss,” Sims said. “We had a bad call early that helped put us down, and the top of the fourth inning cost us some runs.”
J.J. Stevens took the mound against Bessemer. He recorded eight strikeouts, walked two batters and hit one.
Parker Robinson was 2-for-3 at the plate, Landon Sims stole two bases and Davis went 3-for-3 at the plate.
“We pitched well against a really good team,” Sims said. “They (Bessemer) always have a really good team each year. We just couldn’t scratch a run, despite a well-played performance. We have a young team, and the guys still need to grasp the concept of playing station-to-station.”
Last Saturday, February 22, the final day of the tournament, the Cougars were shutout by Macon East.
Bryant Quimby got the start on the mound but had a rough outing. Quimby gave up five runs during the first few minutes of the game.
Caleb Davis relieved Quimby and finished the game. He didn’t give up a hit, struck out four and hit four batters.
Jason Davis and Ty Williams were named to the All-Tournament team.
“Despite only putting away one game, we had a good outing,” Sims said. “We played well against some tough competition. Baseball is a game of inches, and we are getting better. We have to get some quality at-bats and work on generating outs instead of pitching outs.”
Sims also expressed that he is pleased with his team’s fielding and fells that more will be learned as the season continues and experience is gained.
The Cougars will travel to face Snook this Friday, February 28.