Sweet Water (16-11) put timely hitting with effective pitching Friday night to beat Pleasant Home 7-0 and 16-3 Friday night in round one of the Class 1A state playoffs.

Game one saw junior Linc Luker anchor his team on the mound, striking out five batters over seven innings while walking three, allowing three hits and giving up no runs.

“He did a good job,” Sweet Water head coach Kevin Byrd said of the Bulldogs’ No. 1 starting pitcher.

“He has pitched with us for three years. He’s used to the playoffs.”

Despite the seven-run win in the opener, Byrd felt his team was capable of more than it showed in the contest.

“We had a lot of mental errors on the bases. It kind of kept the game close,” Byrd said.

“So we’ve got something we can work on this week.”

Brett Davis went 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored in the game. Ladarius Dumas went 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, a walk and two runs scored.

Chris Landrum went 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and four RBIs.

Michael Thompson went 2-for-2 with two walks, two stolen bases and an RBI in the game.

Luker went 1-for-4. Tyler Luker, B.J. Cade and Tra Pritchett each scored a run in the game.

The Bulldogs pummeled the Eagles in the nightcap, scoring five runs each in the first, third and fourth innings and one in the second. Pleasant Home struck for three runs in the bottom of the fifth to account for its only scoring of the night.

Davis went 3-for-3 with a triple, a double, a walk, four runs scored and two RBIs in the second game.

Dumas was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, two runs scored and two RBIs. Landrum went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.

Thompson went 4-for-4 with a triple, a double, a run scored and five RBIs.

Luker went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Fabian Ledzma went 2-for-4 with a double, three runs scored and two stolen bases.

Luker went 1-for-3 with a run scored and three RBIs.

Cade scored a run. Reid Lewis went 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.

Tyler Henslee went 1-for-2 and Trayun Jones finished 1-for-1.

The win advances Sweet Water to the second round where they will host Brantley next Friday night.

“We came into the playoffs not healthy and not hitting the ball,” Byrd said of his team.

“So that’s what we’ve worked on the last few weeks, getting guys some rest. It is good to get back out here at close to full strength.”