EMCC’s softball Lions earn doubleheader split at Meridian CC with 8-2 nightcap win

MERIDIAN – With an 8-2 nightcap victory, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College earned a road doubleheader split with Meridian Community College during Tuesday afternoon MACJC softball action played at Tommy McDonald Field in Highland Park.  The Lady Eagles claimed a 3-2 win over EMCC in the opening contest.

Bouncing back from their narrow loss in the opener, the EMCC Lions staked starting pitcher AG Stewart to an early 5-0 lead through two innings of the second game.  In the first frame off Meridian's Kaylie Delapaz, sophomore Averi Pender smacked her second home run of the year – a two-out solo blast that marked the sixth career EMCC homer for the Union product.  The Lions then batted through the lineup the next inning in scoring four runs on two hits and a pair of walks.

That proved to be the only run support Stewart would need, as EMCC's freshman right-hander scattered six hits in going the distance.  Three of those hits came in succession with two outs in the fifth when Katherine Inman doubled home the Lady Eagles' lone runs of the game.

The visitors added some insurance runs late in the contest to secure the victory.  Sophomore Mallory Vance, out of West Lauderdale High School, capped her 6-for-8 afternoon at the plate with an RBI single in the sixth.  Freshman Magnolia Keller followed suit with a run-scoring hit in the seventh to account for the final margin.

In the circle for the Lions, Stewart, a Pisgah High School product, struck out three and walked three to improve to 4-3 with her fourth complete game of the season.

As a team, EMCC matched its 11-hit effort of the opening game in the win.  Along with Vance, fellow sophomores Rachel Rooney and Treasure Lynch had multi-hit outings with two hits apiece.

The home-standing Lady Eagles got on the scoreboard first in the opening game.  With two outs in the third inning, MCC's Anna Lloyd, Brianna Duquette and Inman singled in succession off EMCC starting pitcher Ciara Steward to take an early 1-0 lead.

The Lions answered by plating a pair of runs two frames later off Meridian's Tiana Boutte.  Following singles by Ashley Vickers and Vance, Pender stroked a two-out, two-run triple to give EMCC a brief 2-1 advantage.

Meridian countered with a run in the bottom half of the fifth inning and then scored the go-ahead run in the sixth.  Against EMCC freshman right-hander Carly Thompson, Lloyd doubled home Kandler Flora to knot the score in the fifth.  A frame later, the Lady Eagles reclaimed the lead on back-to-back doubles by Alexandria Riser and pinch-hitter Mackenzie Harvey.

EMCC did mount a comeback attempt in the top of the seventh with the aid of Lynch's leadoff hit.  Vance followed with her third hit of the game, but Lynch was thrown out first-to-third trying to take an extra base on the infield hit to the shortstop.  Boutte then locked down the 3-2 Meridian victory by getting the next two Lion batters to ground out.

Vance led the way at the plate for the Lions with her first of two 3-for-4 efforts on the day, while Pender went 2-for-4 with the two RBIs in the opener.

Coach Kyndall White's EMCC Lions, 13-14 overall and 10-2 in conference play, are scheduled to take on the top-ranked Lady Bobcats of Jones County Junior College in a 2 p.m. Thursday twin bill at the EMCC Softball Field on the Scooba campus.