The Ethel baseball team saw its 2018 season come to an end last weekend with a pair of heartbreaking losses to Salem in the MHSAA Class 1A state playoffs.
The Tigers, the No. 3 seed out of Region 5-1A, ventured to Salem for Game 1 of a best-of-three series on Friday and dropped a 3-2 decision. The host Wildcats scored twice in the bottom of the third inning to snap a 1-1 tie and held on for the win.
Saturday, Ethel jumped to a big lead early but could not hold on in a 13-12 loss at home to the 8-1A runner-up Wildcats.
The Tigers scored four times in the first inning and six times in the second to build a 10-3 advantage. Salem scored four times in the top of the fourth to get back in it, and the Wildcats won it with a three-run rally in the top of the seventh.
No other details were available by press time.
Ethel finished the season with an overall record of 14-10.
Last Monday, the Tigers tuned up for the postseason with a 12-0 win over West Lowndes.
Ethel scored nine times in the first inning and never looked back, taking advantage of 10 walks and seven hits in the win.
Alex Schuster had a single, double, three runs and three RBIs and Cullin Cummins singled, doubled, scored twice and also drove in a run to lead the way.
Brady Odom doubled, drove in two runs and scored. Hayden Langford added one hit, one run and one RBI and Hayden Graves singled and drove in one run.
Schuster was the winning pitcher, combining with Tanner Reeves and Odom to strike out nine while allowing just two hits in the rout-shortened victory.
