EMCC Lions bounce back to earn 8-4 nightcap win and gain DH baseball split at Pearl River

POPLARVILLE – Home runs by Taylor Stafford and Jo McNabb helped power East Mississippi Community College to an 8-4 nightcap road win over Pearl River Community College during Saturday's MACJC baseball doubleheader split at Wildcat Field.  In the opener, the home-standing Wildcats plated two runs in the bottom of the ninth to claim a 7-6 walk-off victory over the Lions.

Bouncing back from letting a 6-2 lead slip away in the opening game, the visitors followed two unearned, first-inning runs by scoring five times in the second inning off PRCC starting pitcher Justin Demary, who was the Wildcats' hitting hero in the opener.  Mike Farnell's two-run single preceded Jo McNabb's three-run blast – his first of the year and fifth of his EMCC career – to stake EMCC starter Colton McKeithen to a 7-3 lead after two innings.

That proved to be the bulk of the scoring in the seven-inning nightcap, as both teams received effective relief help.  For the Lions, freshman Whitt Davis limited PRCC to just two hits and only one run during the three middle innings en route to improving his record to 3-5 on the year.  The Huntsville, Alabama native struck out three and walked two before giving way to Stafford.

Stafford, who homered in both games to raise his team-leading total to seven on the year, threw two shutout innings to pick up the save in the second game.  The former New Hope High School standout now has 11 career home runs for the Lions.

Freshman Marcus Ragan had two of EMCC's six hits in the nightcap after also collecting a pair of hits in the opening contest.  The Warren Central High School product also added two runs scored and two RBIs during the twin-bill.

In the opening game, the visitors came back from an early 2-0 deficit to stake EMCC starting pitcher JC Redden to a 6-2 lead before Pearl River scored the last five runs of the contest.  The Lions scored their six runs during the three middle innings off PRCC starter Peyton Lee.  Stafford's first solo homer of the day – a two-out blast in the fourth – was followed by Ragan's two-run hit in the fifth.  EMCC then added three more runs in the sixth on consecutive run-scoring hits by Stewart Ball and Alex Knight.

But, that was the only offense the visitors could muster, as PRCC's Drake Nightengale cooled down EMCC's bats over the final three frames.  Meanwhile, the Wildcats reached Lion reliever Jay Booth for two runs in the eighth to trim the deficit to 6-5.  Graham Hackbarth's lead-off double paved the way for run-producing at-bats by Noah Nicaud and Zachary Clark. 

The game's momentum quickly turned in favor of the home team during the ninth inning.  In the top half, lead-off singles by Ragan and Farnell set up a bases-loaded opportunity with only one out for the visitors.  However, Nightengale responded by fanning Emil Ellis and getting McNabb to pop out and keep it a one-run ballgame.

In the home half of the ninth, Jonathan Turner and Carter Hankins started the PRCC rally with a one-out single and double, respectively.  Following an intentional walk to Hackbarth to load the bases, Demary lined a Booth delivery to left field for the two-run, walk-off game-winner.

Offensively for the Lions in the opening game, Ellis, McNabb and Knight joined Ragan with two hits apiece to pace the team's 11-hit effort.

Coach Chris Rose's East Mississippi Lions, 13-25 overall and 9-13 in conference action, hit the road for the final time this regular season by taking on the Rangers of Northwest Mississippi in a scheduled 3 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday in Senatobia.