Although there is still a little bit of hope, the Eagles likely squandered their shot at the postseason with a pair of seventh-inning collapses against Sacred Heart last week.
East Marion (5-7, 2-6) went into the two-game series needing a sweep to clinch a playoff berth or winning the run-differential battle in a series split.
However, the Eagles went into the seventh inning of Game 1 in Hattiesburg April 2 up 6-2 only to give up five runs to lose in walk-off fashion. Then at home Friday, East Marion had a 5-1 lead going into the top of the seventh and gave up seven runs to fall behind 8-5. The Eagles were able to score one run in the bottom half of the inning but dropped the finale 8-6.
“We got too complacent, thinking like the game was over and we got it,” head coach Mandell Echols said. “We started not playing fundamental baseball and made a couple errors. Once they scored a couple of runs, we started pressing to get outs instead of just playing like we were playing the whole night. It was the same exact thing we did Friday that we did Tuesday.”
Having not been in a position before to clinch a playoff berth, the Eagles weren’t ready for the moment, according to Echols.
“The squad I have now is a younger crew. We were losing every game (for a while), and now they’ve developed their skills and are starting to win. But they haven’t been in a position where they have to focus and win those one-run games,” he explained. “They’re used to either blowing someone out or getting blown out. Nobody wants to be that guy to call the ball or want the ball because they don’t want to be the one to mess up. We’re still somewhat young, so I think it will be a lot better next year.”
Prior to the Sacred Heart series, all 10 of East Marion’s games were decided by eight runs or more, with eight of them being by at least 10 runs.
The Eagles still had an outside shot at making the playoffs as of press deadline Tuesday, though. Salem and Sacred Heart began a two-game series Tuesday night at Salem (results unavailable), and East Marion would need Salem to win both games to force a three-way tie for the third and final playoff spot out of the district.
In the event of a three-team tie, head-to-head results get thrown out and run differential in district play would be the deciding factor. The Eagles (minus-26) held a huge edge over both Sacred Heart (minus-53) and Salem (minus-66) heading into play Tuesday. However, when comparing the two teams against the Eagles, East Marion beat Salem a combined 32-7 in a two-game sweep but were beat by Sacred Heart 15-12 in two games. If Sacred Heart beats Salem in either contest, the Eagles will be eliminated from playoff contention.
Echols said in the final games of the regular season he wants to see the bottom portion of the lineup stop being so passive at the plate and be more aggressive, attacking hittable pitches early in the count.
“They’re basically waiting for the walk. My 7-8-9 guys are lacking confidence,” he said.
On the flip side, he wants the top of the lineup to be a little more selective. He said they want to hit the ball so bad that they have been swinging at anything close rather than being patient and hunting their pitch.
The Eagles will host Collins Saturday afternoon before heading to West Marion Tuesday and North Forrest Thursday.
Pictured Above: East Marion's Tre Thompson throws to first base from shortstop. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
