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ECHS pounds Statesboro to advance to region baseball semifinals
Will Floyd
Effingham County's Will Floyd tags out Statesboro's Jordan Weathers (No. 8)) who ventured too far off second base on a ball hit to the left side of the infield to nix a third-inning scoring opportunity April 3. The Rebels won 10-2 and advanced to the Region 1-5A semifinals. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
Published: Apr 8, 2025, 7:33 PM

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald


SPRINGFIELD – Effingham County combined timely hitting with great pitching Thursday and a concern about beating a team five times never materialized in the first round of the Region 1-5A baseball tournament against Statesboro.

The Rebels scored their first eight runs by making plays after two outs during a 10-0 victory in Game One.

Not to be outdone, righthander Luke Edwards pitched a no-hitter in 10-2 Game Two victory as ECHS swept a doubleheader in the best-of-three series to advance to the region semifinals and earn a spot in the Class 5A state championships.

The Rebels (23-3) will host Brunswick in a one-game, region semifinal clash on Tuesday, April 15 at 6:30 p.m.

If ECHS wins, it would play the winner of Glynn Academy-Greenbrier for the title on April 17 and the region’s No. 1 seed heading into state. Semifinal losers would play for third place. Both games would be played in Springfield.

About two months earlier, the Rebels pounded the Blue Devils 12-0, 7-3 and 12-2 in a three-game set. Nothing changed Thursday.

“I tip my hat to our guys for being prepared and not taking them lightly because of what we did to them before,” ECHS coach Eric McCombie said.

Kaleb Pendley was a one-man offensive wrecking ball for the Rebels. The junior was 4-for-4 in the opener with three runs batted and added two triples and two RBIs in the nightcap. He reached base eight times and scored six runs in the doubleheader.

“I always do my best when I’m not thinking about myself so I was thinking about getting the team to the state playoffs,” Pendley said “I just wanted to have selfless at bats and do whatever I had to to win.”

Pendley had a lot of help offensively. ECHS scored in nine of its 13 innings at the plate and had only one inning when it didn’t have a hit.

Will Floyd, Aiden Garcia and Newton Kieffer added three hits apiece in the doubleheader. 

And the Rebels took advantage of Statesboro freebies. Seven walks and three hit batsmen scored – accounting for five runs in each game.

Conversely, Statesboro had hits in only one inning on the day. Righthander Kyle Thomas lost his no-hit bid in the fifth inning of the opener.

The Blue Devils scored their only two runs on two groundouts in the first inning of Game 2 against Edwards, who walked five and hit two batters while striking out nine.

Edwards’ no-hitter remained intact despite the constant distraction on the bases.

Caleb Swindle
Caleb Swindle steals second base to help manufacture a second-inning run for Effingham County. The Rebels scored the final eight runs and won 10-2 to advance in the Region 1-5A baseball tournament. (Mark Lastinger for the Effingham Herald.)
“By the third or fourth inning I was looking at the scoreboard. … It was my first no-hitter. It was special,” said Edwards, who benefitted from two double plays.

Garcia also made a heady defensive play, erasing a Blue Devil baserunner straying from second base after a routine grounder on the left side of the infield in the third inning with the Rebels leading just 3-2.

Pendley’s triple highlighted a two-run fourth inning to give Edwards and ECHS some breathing room. Caleb Swindle had a two-run double during a three-run sixth to bump the score to 8-2.

“We’re getting better every game and that’s what we’re going to keep doing,” Pendley said. “That’s what winning teams do.”

 

SEHS falls to Greenbrier

South Effingham dropped a doubleheader to Greenbrier 11-1 and 11-0 April 3 and lost the best-of-three series two games to none in the first round of the Region 1-5A tournament.

The Mustangs (13-10) will miss the state tournament for the first time (not counting the abbreviated 2020 season for COVID) since 2012.

Greenbrier (11-10) has won seven of its last eight games. The Wolfpack will play Glynn Academy in a single-game semifinal region tournament matchup April 15.