EMCC Lady Lions prepare for Saturday's division softball opener by sweeping Pearl River, 7-4 and 3-0, in Scooba
The Lady Lions of East Mississippi Community College closed out the pre-division portion of their softball slate by sweeping visiting Pearl River Community College, 7-4 and 3-0, during Thursday's MACJC inter-divisional action played at the EMCC Softball Field.
SCOOBA – The Lady Lions of East Mississippi Community College closed out the pre-division portion of their softball slate by sweeping visiting Pearl River Community College, 7-4 and 3-0, during Thursday's MACJC inter-divisional action played at the EMCC Softball Field.
Claiming their second doubleheader sweep in three days, the Lady Lions benefitted from Pepper Baker's game-deciding grand slam in the third inning of Thursday's opener. In the nightcap, sophomore left-hander Tori Seymour kept PRCC's batters off-balance all game en route to tossing a two-hit shutout and nailing down EMCC's third win in four tries against the Lady Wildcats on the year.
The visitors took an early lead in the opening game with two runs in the top of the first off EMCC starter Halie Green. The Lady Lions got back those two runs and more two frames later. After Anna McCrary and Meri Morgan Fortune drew back-to-back, bases-loaded walks, freshman Pepper Baker smacked her first collegiate home run to empty the bases and put the home team in front by a 6-2 tally.
With Green settling down in the circle, EMCC added a solo tally in the fifth on Corey Dawkins' RBI single that plated Kristen Mitchell, who had doubled in front of her. Pearl River added a pair of runs in the seventh to account for the final 7-4 outcome.
Green notched her team-leading sixth victory of the year in nine decisions by going the distance. The Lafayette, La., native allowed six hits and the four runs while striking out four and walking two.
In the nightcap, the home team posted a lone early run that stood by itself until the sixth inning. Fortune's first of two singles in game two brought home courtesy runner Beth Hull in the second frame. The score would stay 1-0 until the sixth when Baker squeeze-bunted in a run and then later came around to score on a wild pitch.
Meanwhile in the circle, Seymour gave up just two singles while going the distance and improving to 2-1 on the season. The D'Iberville product fanned three and walked two while keeping the Lady Wildcat hitters off stride throughout the contest.
Fortune and Baker led the way offensively with two hits apiece in the nightcap. Catcher Abby Roberts, a Clarkdale High School product, had a triple in the shutout win. Dawkins, from Brooksville, was the lone EMCC batter with multiple hits in the opener with a pair of singles.
Coach Kyndall White's 11-9 EMCC Lady Lions open MACJC North Division softball play with a Saturday doubleheader against Northwest Mississippi beginning at noon in Senatobia.