EMCC Lions earn second straight fourth-place team finish in MACJC golf action

RAYMOND – The East Mississippi Community College Lions posted their second straight fourth-place team finish during the MACJC's third fall golf tournament held this past weekend at Eagle Ridge.  The Hinds Community College-hosted tournament concluded Sunday.

Moving from fifth to fourth place on the heels of Saturday's opening-round 301, EMCC carded a final-round 304 to finish just two strokes behind third-place Meridian Community College (300-303—603).  Copiah-Lincoln (286-292--578) outdistanced runner-up Mississippi Gulf Coast (292-301—593) by 15 strokes to earn the team title.  Northwest Mississippi (303-307—610), East Central (305-308—613) and Northeast Mississippi (306-308—614) followed in fifth, sixth and seventh place, respectively.

Co-Lin's Matthew Scoville jumped to the top of the leaderboard by firing a 5-under-par 67 Sunday to claim individual medalist honors with a two-stroke victory over teammate Brandon Blakney (70-74—144) and Gulf Coast's Colby Blake (72-72-144).

Sophomore Kent Vaughn, from Choctaw County High School, paced EMCC individually with a two-round score of 149 (75-74) to finish in a four-way tie for 14^th place.  Freshman Joey Partin, the Lions' stroke average leader this fall, tied for 18^th at 150 (76-74).

Including Saturday's opening-round, 1-over-par 73, freshman Conner Stevens' 151 total tied for 21^st, while sophomore Michael McGill (77-78—155) finished 31^st following both days of competition.  Fellow freshmen Eli Hemphill (79-85—164) and Cameron Guinn (77-88—165) rounded out East Mississippi's scorecard in 47^th and 49^th place, respectively.

The EMCC Lions will close out the MACJC's fall golf schedule, Oct. 17-18, in a Mississippi Gulf Coast-hosted tournament to be played at Grand Bear.