Columbus High School’s diamond Blue Devils put the hoo-doo on visiting Liberty County on Friday, eliminating the Panthers in the first round of the playoffs in two quick, mercy-rule games.
The Blue Devils took five innings in game one to outscore the Liberty boys 11-0. Game two was called after six innings and the Panthers lost 14-1.
Panther pitcher Joe Watkins struggled in game one and was relieved after one and one-third innings.
In that time, the Blue Devils got nine hits and smacked in a three-run homer over the left-field wall.
In the next inning, the Blue Devils hit a two-run homer while the Panthers never got an opportunity to bring in runners.
The boys regrouped and did a better job in game two. The Blue Devils had only a one-run lead (2-1) going into the fifth inning.
However, Columbus once again powered up and scored five runs in the fifth inning and seven more in the sixth.
In game two, Eddie Chipple was one of three and Watkins was one of two with an RBI.