Hard work pays off in the end.

All of the hard work paid off for Escambia County tonight as the Blue Devils swept Monroe County in a crucial area doubleheader at Tom Byrne Park.

The Blue Devils decimated the Tigers 20-4 in the opener, going out to a 9-0 lead in the first inning, and put together another complete performance in the nightcap with a 10-3 showing on a cool, humid evening.

With the sweep, the Blue Devils clinched a spot in the Class 4A state playoffs, finishing runner up in Area 2. ECHS lost to MCHS 8-3 on Tuesday and needed to win its next two area games to clinch.

“The guys deserve it,” ECHS baseball coach Curtis Hixon said. “They played hard all season. They never gave up on me. They played hard.”

Hixon said a big difference in tonight’s wins was that the team jelled as a unit.

“We really played like a ball team,” he said.

ECHS is back in action on Mon., April 3, at home against Flomaton.

 

ECHS 10, MCHS 3

The game was tied 1-1 until the second inning.

ECHS’s Jaylan Brown hit a three-run triple to clear the bases to help the Blue Devils take a 5-1 lead.

Brandon Cummings added an RBI double to make it 2-1.

ECHS led 7-1 after four innings, tacked on two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth.

Devon Robinson went 2-for-2 to lead ECHS. Justin Johnson, Bobby Ephriam, Kuron Frye, Cummings, and Brown had one hit each.

 

ECHS 20, MCHS 4

Johnson, Frye, Jabryce Hooks, Justin Pearson, Ephriam and Brown had two hits each. Robinson and Cummings had one hit each for the Blue Devils.