COVINGTON - The Eastside High baseball team celebrated Senior Night in style with a 10-1 victory over Clarke Central on Friday at Eagle Field.

After dropping a 4-0 decision to Dacula on Wednesday, the Eagles (7-17 overall, 7-15 Region 8-AAAA) brought their lumber to the park against region foe Clarke Central (4-16, 3-15), producing 17 hits and 10 RBIs to take the victory. It was their first win at home this season.

The Gladiators' dismantling started early in the bottom of the first inning. Eastside senior leadoff hitter Jared Trust reached first on a hard liner back at the starting pitcher, hitting the wrist and causing him to leave the game.

It was all Eastside from there on.

The Eagles picked up four runs in the bottom of the inning, with hits from seniors Jake Casteel, Kyle Durand, Joe Thigpen, Daniel Digby and junior Tim Roton.

"I'm pleased with the way we played tonight," said Eastside coach Michael Poor. "We played good defense and swung the bat."

 Casteel led the Eagles with three hits. In fact, the Eastside seniors were well represented throughout the game in all phases on the field.

Digby started the game on the mound, throwing darts at opposing hitters for five innings. He struck out six, allowing just one run on three hits.

"Daniel gave us a good performance on the mound tonight," Poor said. "He was effectively wild, and sometimes that's a good thing. He gave us five strong innings, and that's all you can ask of your pitcher. He was a little bit all over the zone but he kept them off balance."

The Eagles added two more scores in the second when Casteel singled to straightaway center before Roton went deep to left for a single, driving in the run. Hunter Parker sacrificed a run on a long fly ball to center, and Eastside led 6-0 entering the third inning.

The Eagles picked up another run in the third when Digby aided his cause by hitting a solo home run over the left field fence.

"I caught a fastball on the inner-half part of the plate about belt high," Digby said, who finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored. "I didn't think it was going out, but when I looked up it kept traveling."

Digby kept the Gladiator hitters off the base paths most of the game until the top of the fourth. Taylor Layne doubled and Dillon Bawayan hit a long RBI single to deep center for the Gladiators' only run of the day.

Eastside plated another run in the fourth after Durand went yard over the left-center field fence, increasing the lead, 8-0, and canceling all hopes of a comeback from the visitors of Athens.

"It was exciting to hit a home run, especially on Senior Night," Durand said. "It felt good to finally win a game at home, and to watch Digby pitch a great game and get a homer."

Digby gave way to freshman reliever Randy Lowe, who came in to face eight batters beginning in the top of the sixth. Lowe sent two Gladiators back to the pines, while walking three and surrendering zero hits.

"My freshmen relievers have served us well, and (Lowe) is proof of that," Poor praised. "My collective freshmen earned run average is much lower than the team ERA."

Trust and Thigpen were each 2-for-4. Junior Keaton Anglin went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and one RBI.

Eastside next hosts Heritage in region action at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.