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ECHS, Evans meet in subregion baseball showdown
Adam Acel
Effingham County shortstop Adam Acel (No. 4) steps on second base to begin a third-inning double play as Lakeside's Peyton Grizzle (No. 1) slides into the bag. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
Published: Mar 26, 2025, 6:44 PM

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald


SPRINGFIELD – Having short memories served Effingham County’s baseball players well last week.

Twenty-four hours after suffering a humbling loss to Lakeside on Thursday, the Rebels bounced back to beat the Panthers on Friday night 15-3 and get back on course toward a subregion championship.

ECHS (18-3, 5-1 Region 1-5A North) will take a one-game lead into its three-game series with defending region champion Evans this week. Two wins in the series will give the Rebels a No. 1 seeding in the upcoming region crossover tournament.

“Our guys are fired up to prove they can win this,” ECHS coach Eric McCombie said. “Our guys still think, for whatever reason, that people think we’re not very good.”

ScoreAtlanta’s baseball rankings don’t reflect that opinion. The Rebels are No. 7 in the Class 5A Top-10 poll that came out March 17.

But hiccups along the way fuel the ECHS doubters. Thursday, the team was cruising against Lakeside but the Panthers’ four-run seventh inning – scoring runs on an error, a hit batsman and a wild pitch with the bases loaded – trumped a 3-0 advantage.

Lakeside had its best pitcher – Georgia Southern-bound Jude Matthews – saved for Game 3.

The Panthers built an early 3-1 lead, but ECHS knocked out Matthews with four runs in the third inning and put the game out of reach with a seven-run seventh.

It was the ninth time this season the Rebels scored 10 or more in a game. They won Game 1 of the series 15-3 as well.

Luke Edwards
Effingham County righthander Luke Edwards pitched five scoreless innings, striking out nine and allowing just one infield single, but didn't get the win when Lakeside rallied in the seventh inning for a 4-3 victory March 20. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
Senior Q King remained red hot. He had seven hits in 12 at bats during the series and extended his hitting streak to 10 games.

Caleb Swindle had two hits, including a home run, and drove in three runs in Game 3 against Lakeside.

“After losses, we’ve responded well. I think that shows the maturity of our team,” said McCombie, pointing to a 13-12 setback against Savannah Christian on March 7 before coming back the next afternoon to defeat South Effingham 4-3.

The Rebels’ biggest test to date will come against Evans. The Knights, 25-8 a year ago, have an 8-9 record this season, 4-2 in subregion play. Evans record is deceiving because three losses came against Class 3A’s top-ranked Harlem and another to Class 4A’s second-ranked North Oconee.

Game 1 between Effingham County and Evans was scheduled for Springfield on March 25. Game 2 heads to Evans on Thursday, March 27 with Game 3 returning to ECHS on Friday, March 28.

All three games will start at 5 p.m.

The Knights have won six straight games against ECHS, sweeping the three-game series in 2024 and 2023.

Last year, Evans outscored the Rebels 28-6 while winning 10-2, 12-0 and 6-4.