EMCC Lady Lions drop home softball twin bill to No. 7 Itawamba

SCOOBA — Despite a valiant comeback attempt in the opening game, East Mississippi Community College's softball team dropped a pair of home decisions to seventh-ranked Itawamba during Wednesday's MACCC action.  After falling short, 10-7, in the opener, the Lady Lions dropped an 18-2 run-rule decision in the nightcap played at the EMCC Softball Field.

After the visitors plated a solo run in their initial at-bat, the Lady Lions came out aggressive at the plate with consecutive singles by Lily Ramsey, Kamryn Moore and Allison Brown off ICC starting pitcher Madison Burrus.  Brown's RBI hit was followed by Hope Thames' sacrifice fly and a run-scoring double by Kaitlynn Stroud to give EMCC an early 3-1 lead.

With Emily Robinson pitching in relief of Burrus for Itawamba, EMCC was then held only to a fifth-inning bunt single by Brown over the next four innings.  Meanwhile, the Lady Indians went to work offensively while also taking advantage of five EMCC miscues in the field.

Another ICC run in the second inning was followed by Brianna Posey's three-run homer in the third inning.  Three unearned runs off EMCC reliever Taylor Watkins in the fourth and fifth innings put the visitors on top, 8-3, after five innings.

EMCC responded late in the game to cut the deficit to 8-5 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.  Tommesha Brown's RBI single was followed by Carrie Grace Baty's run-producing double to make it a three-run game heading into the final frame.

After Itawamba got the two runs back in the top of the seventh with clutch two-out RBI hits from McKenzie Patterson and Katie Rutledge, the Lady Lions continued to battle back in the bottom half by getting their first two batters on base.  Allison Brown's third hit of the game was followed by Thames reaching base on an infield error.  Jenna Coker's two-run double down the right-field line then scored Brown and pinch-runner Maggie Meadows to get it back to a three-run contest.  That was as close as EMCC would get to a possible upset, as ICC's Robinson got Katelyn Humphreys and Tommesha Brown to ground out to end the game.

In contrast to the opening game, the nightcap was never in doubt with the visitors scoring multiple runs in four of the five innings, including a nine-run fifth frame, to cruise to the 18-2 run-rule victory.

EMCC's runs came on Ramsey's RBI double in the third inning and Aislynn Cochran's run-scoring single a frame later.

ICC pitchers Madison Jenkins and Ka'Mya Hampton limited the Lady Lions to just three hits in the second game, while the Lady Indians combined for 19 hits off four EMCC pitchers. 

Looking for their first win of the season, Coach Austin McNair's EMCC Lady Lions are scheduled to begin a week-long stretch of games away from home beginning with Saturday's road doubleheader against the Lady Bears of Southwest Mississippi in Summit.  Next week, East Mississippi is slated to travel to Northeast Mississippi on Tuesday (March 16) and Pearl River (March 20) on Saturday.