Union pitcher Anna Rigdon gets ready to throw a ball to first base on Friday night against Walnut.

ENTERPRISE — Technically, it was just about as dominant of a performance that Bulldogs skipper John Welch could have asked of his players.

Enterprise hitters accumulated 10 hits, the pitching duo of Dalton Baxley and Seth Williams limited North Forrest’s offense to just one hit and the Bulldogs walked away from their playoff opener with a 16-2 victory over the Eagles at home Friday night.

But even after Enterprise (17-11) opened its 2018 postseason push with a resounding victory, Welch challenged his players to remain focused and to not look ahead. 

“One at a time,” Welch said. “We win tomorrow, we win the series and move on to next week. Instead of thinking about winning so many games in the playoffs, we want to win one at a time. And tomorrow, we just want to do go down there and play well and win tomorrow so we can get to next week.”

Williams launched his first home run of the postseason in the bottom of the fourth and ended the night 3-for-4 with team-highs in RBIs (3) and runs (3). Trey Beech had two hits in three plate appearances to go along with two RBIs and two runs.

Baxley threw four innings of one-hit ball. He struck out nine, walked four and allowed one earned run. He also tallied two RBIs. Williams entered in relief in the top of the fifth and struck out two of the four North Forrest batters he faced to preserve Enterprise’s one-hitter.

“We’re hitting the ball well,” Welch said. “We find ways to get on base, and we’re pitching it well right now. I can’t say enough about our top four or five pitchers. (They’re) throwing the ball very well for us now, and I’m really excited about how we are continuing to improve offensively.”

North Forrest’s Dawson Lowery scored on a passed ball in the top of the first, but the lead was short-lived as Enterprise responded with eight runs in the bottom of the first after RBIs by Beech, Ridge Kidd, Jackson Morrow and Williams.

John Luke Parker, Williams and Baxley produced RBIs in the bottom of the second to extended Enterprise’s lead to 15-1.

The Eagles added their second run of the contest in the top of the third when Baxley walked in a run.

Enterprise travels to North Forrest Saturday at 1 p.m. for Game 2 of the best-of-three series. A short memory, Welch said, will be paramount to Enterprise’s postseason success. 

“We need to stay focused on the task at hand,” Welch said. “We have to beat North Forrest (Saturday). And if we don’t, we’ve got to beat them Monday. So, we have got to find a way to win one more game, and then we can move on to whoever is next. It’s not even a discussion about who’s next right now. We’re not worried about the next round. We’re not worried about next week because next week is not promised to us. We have to go and find a way to win (Saturday).”