After getting beat up by presumptive Region 8-2A favorite St. Patrick in back-to-back games, the East Marion Eagles did the drumming last week, beating district foe North Forrest by a combined 31-2 in back-to-back games.
The Eagles (4-6, 2-2) easily handled North Forrest 12-1 March 23 thanks to a pair of long balls by the middle of the order.
Ja’Quarious Jones launched a two-run homer, and after two more runners got on base following Jones, LJ Andrews crushed a three-run dinger. Eagles head coach Mandell Echols said Jaden Mingo also had a great game at the plate and went 2-for-3.
“We came out swinging the bat and hitting the ball well, but North Forrest is really young,” he said. “The first pitcher they had was pretty decent just like some of the pitchers we’ve seen, but once we started hitting him, he unraveled.”
Then Friday in Hattiesburg, East Marion’s offense was even better, leading the Eagles to a 19-1 victory over North Forrest. Echols said in Game 2, North Forrest’s pitcher couldn’t find the strike zone.
The veteran coach said he’s not quite convinced though that the sweep of North Forrest points to a turning point or if it was a mirage.
“We are playing better overall, but that’s scaring me. I don’t know if we played that way because we were up (on the scoreboard) or if we were just playing better,” he said. “We’ve been talking to them and working on stuff in practice. If it’s because we were up, that’s not indicating how the team is. But if we finally got it, we’re going to be OK.”
Although East Marion is young in its own right, Echols said the Eagles are “baseball young” with sophomores and juniors playing baseball for the first time; whereas, North Forrest was playing with eighth graders and freshmen.
Echols said he’s been impressed with Andrews’ progression this season and how he’s handled a position switch.
“Leon (LJ) Andrews has looked really good behind the plate, so he has solidified that he’s my new catcher. He started out the year as my shortstop, but he’s going to be my new catcher,” he said.
The Eagles played host to Perry Central (4-9) Tuesday to begin a two-game series, but results were unavailable at press time. They will play the Bulldogs again Thursday on the road.
“Their No. 1 guy (Brett Robnett) is pretty decent. If we come out ready to play and we hit him, we should be OK,” Echols said.
Across 25 innings this season, Robnett has fanned 35 batters against just six walks with a 2.76 ERA. However, through 11 games, the Bulldogs were hitting just .169 as a team prior to Tuesday’s game.
“If we play good against Perry Central, we possibly will end up in second place,” Echols said. “We can play with anybody if we come to play. Right now it is not anything physical but mental.”
Echols added that what he’s trying to get his players to understand is that if they make an error or strikeout, they can’t spend the next four innings sulking. They have to shake it off and get right back in the game.
“That’s mainly what we’re dealing with right now,” he said.
