The Brantley Bulldogs didn’t have much trouble advancing to the second round of the playoffs as they swept Florala last Friday night.

“They got off to a bad start, and you could tell they were young and nervous,” said head coach Ashley Kilcrease. “They walked about 12 guys in the first two innings, and we were able to jump on them.”

Brantley won the first game 13-0 and the second game 14-1.

Neither game went the full seven innings.

“Reid Kilcrease got a couple of big hits for us in the first game, and we also played some really good defense,” Kilcrease said. “We didn’t have any errors.”

Chase Hall led off the second game with a home run, but the game was still 1-1 in the third inning.

The Bulldogs pulled off several hits in a row to break the game open.

One key for Brantley was the play of Chris Walker, and Kilcrease said he is hoping that was a positive sign of things to come.

“Chris was a big part of our success last year. He came through with a lot of big hits, and he’s been struggling,” Kilcrease said. “He had a really good day, and that’s what he needed.”

There were other positives that came from the series, such as experience.

“It’s good to get everyone into a playoff game for the experience, and we subbed a lot of people,” Kilcrease said. “We also got some pitchers out of there that needed rest.”

The Bulldogs aren’t expecting such an easy road in the second round as they travel to Hartford to take on Geneva County.

Kilcrease said he’s expecting to walk into an evenly-matched series.

“I’ve never been down there and played, but everyone tells me that it’s a really tough environment,” he said. “We’ve been in some tough situations before, and I’m confident enough in our guys and their experience to say that if we lose, it won’t be because of the distractions.”

“They’ve got a reputation for having some fans that try to pull your focus off the game, and hopefully we can overcome that,” Kilcrease added.

The first game of the series is set for 5 p.m. with the second game following after. If a third game is necessary, it will be played on Saturday at 2 p.m.