No. 14 EMCC splits with Northwest Mississippi in home regular-season baseball finale

SCOOBA – In a high-scoring battle of second-place teams, 14^th-ranked East Mississippi Community College earned an MACJC baseball doubleheader split with visiting Northwest Mississippi Community College Wednesday night at Gerald Poole Field.  The Lions claimed a 15-11 victory over the visiting Rangers in the opening game but dropped an 11-9, extra-inning decision in the nightcap.

In their regular-season home finale, head coach Chris Rose's 23-13 EMCC Lions totaled 24 runs on 32 hits in the doubleheader to run their record to 17-7 in conference play and stay tied with NWCC for third place in the league standings behind top-ranked Hinds Community College and second-place Meridian Community College.  MCC swept at Coahoma Wednesday to move into sole possession of second place at 18-6.

In the first game, the home team's six-run opening frame held up until Northwest scored three runs in the top of the fifth to take a brief 7-6 lead.  Two-run homers by Luke Latham in the fifth and earlier by James Clark in the first inning off EMCC starting pitcher Andrew Crane helped the Rangers temporarily gain the advantage.  

The Lions promptly reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the fifth on Chris McCullough's two-run blast – his fifth of the year – off Northwest reliever Hunter Lacefield with Emil Ellis on board.

After Northwest knotted the score at 8-8 with a solo tally in the sixth, EMCC used timely two-out hitting to essentially put away the contest in the latter innings.  Kyle Liberto's two-run single keyed a three-run sixth to reclaim the lead, 11-8, for good.  A frame later, David Pimentel launched a three-run bomb to deep left-center field off Peter Barton for his team-leading ninth home run of the season to increase the margin to 14-8 en route to the four-run victory. 

Offensively in the opener, the Lions had six players with multiple-hit efforts to power their 18-hit team attack.  Freshman JoVaughn McNabb went 4-for-5 with three runs scored at the top of the lineup, while Ellis was 3-for-5 and also scored three runs from the cleanup position.  In the power department, Pimentel and McCullough drove home four and three runs, respectively, in the first game.

Freshman right-hander Ryder Davis picked up his first collegiate victory with his two-inning stint in middle relief, while fellow Kosciusko High School product closed out the win by throwing the final two frames. 

In the nightcap, the Lions' early 4-0 lead after three innings dissipated when the visitors went through their lineup to plate four runs off EMCC starter Layton Dill in the top of the fourth inning.  Both teams added solo tallies in the fifth to knot the score at 5-5 heading into the dramatic seventh inning.

Northwest sent nine batters to the plate once again in the top of the seventh by manufacturing four runs on just two hits with the aid of two walks, a hit batsman and a run-producing wild pitch.  The Lions countered in the bottom half of the frame with four runs of their own off six-game winner Colt Smith.  EMCC's first six batters were able to reach base off Northwest's staff ace, including a pair of walks.  Freshman Corley Reynolds delivered the clutch, game-tying hit for the home team with a two-out, two-run single to the opposite field to send the thrilling contest into an extra frame.        

The visitors didn't waste any time regaining the momentum, as Northwest's Dalton Dulin led off the eighth with his second double of the game.  Following a wild pitch and two intentional walks to load the bases, he scored on Latham's sacrifice fly.  The Rangers then picked up a key insurance run when Liberto, making his initial pitching appearance of the year, balked home Clay Casey from third base. 

EMCC did manage to threaten again in the bottom half of the eighth but could not push across a run against Koby Busby after Dylan Vuncannon singled and Ellis reached base on a two-out infield error.

East Mississippi is slated to conclude the regular season with upcoming road doubleheaders at Mississippi Gulf Coast on Saturday and two days later at Mississippi Delta.  The MACJC's best-of-three playoff series are set for next Friday and Saturday (May 1-2) with the top eight teams in the standings advancing to postseason play.  The top four teams at the end of regular-season play will all host best-of-three playoff series at their respective campus sites.