EMCC Lady Lions total 33 runs on 29 hits in 19-5, 14-7 home division softball sweep over Northeast Mississippi

SCOOBA – Accounting for 33 total runs on 29 hits, the Lady Lions of East Mississippi Community College moved into a second-place tie in the MACJC North Division softball standings by sweeping visiting Northeast Mississippi Community College, 19-5 and 14-7, Thursday evening at the EMCC Softball Field.

Now 23-15 overall and 12-6 within the division, head coach Kyndall White's EMCC Lady Lions are currently tied with Northwest Mississippi (23-12, 12-6) for runner-up division honors behind front-running Itawamba (25-10, 17-3).  EMCC will play host to Mississippi Delta on Friday during "Sophomore Day" activities on the Scooba campus before heading to Fulton to take on the ICC Lady Indians Monday afternoon.  The Lady Lions must also make up a road twin bill against last-place Coahoma.  

In Thursday's opener versus Northeast, the Lady Lions struck for four runs during each of the first two innings to move ahead 8-0.  EMCC's opening frame was capped by a two-run, two-out single by Pepper Baker.  An inning later, EMCC starting pitcher Halie Green led off the second by smacking her first home run of the year and sixth of her collegiate career.  Jade Albritton later added a two-run double to contribute to EMCC's second straight four-run inning.

The Lady Lions completely put the opening game out of the reach by sending 14 batters to the plate in the third inning.  With the home team totaling eight hits in the frame, Tori Seymour capped EMCC's 10-run third by belting her first collegiate home run – a three-run blast to center field.  Corey Dawkins and Abby Roberts each added two-run singles in the inning.

Finishing with 17 hits as a team in the opener, EMCC's final run of game one came on Kasey Stanfield's third home run of the season to lead off the fourth inning.

Green, who surrendered three runs in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth, improved to 10-7 in the circle for the year.  With her 14^th complete-game outing in 15 pitching starts on the season, the Lafayette, La., native allowed eight hits with three strikeouts and six walks in the run-rule, five-inning opener.

The visitors grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the nightcap on Chelsea Buntin's leadoff home run off Taylor Hackney to begin the contest.  EMCC countered with a solo tally in the bottom half of the first.

The Lady Lions took their first lead of game two with four runs in the second, highlighted by Albritton's team-leading fourth home run of the year – a three-run shot to center field – and sixth of her collegiate career.

Northeast reached Hackney for six runs on five hits by batting around in the fourth inning to reclaim the advantage at 7-5.  That lead was short-lived, however, as EMCC unleashed the bats again in the bottom half by sending 15 batters to the plate during a nine-run fourth.  Meri Morgan Fortune knocked in three runs in the frame with a two-run single followed later in the inning by an RBI double.  Stanfield, from New Hope High School, also added a two-run single in the decisive fourth inning.

Despite allowing seven runs on seven hits through the first four innings, Hackney picked up the victory in the nightcap to improve to 9-5 in the circle on the year and 13-5 for her EMCC career.  Seymour, a sophomore left-hander, worked the final three innings not allowing a hit or run to earn a save.

With a dozen more hits as a team in the nightcap, the Lady Lions were led by Kristen Mitchell's 3-for-4 hitting effort after going 3-for-3 with a walk in the opener.  Mitchell, a Clarkdale product, was a combined 6-for-7 at the plate with five runs scored for the night while reaching base during all but one of her nine plate appearances.