EMCC Lions earn softball road doubleheader split against Bevill State
East Mississippi Community College’s softball team earned a second straight road doubleheader split to begin the season by claiming a 6-1 nightcap win over Bevill State after dropping a tough 6-5 decision in Tuesday’s opening game.
SUMITON, Ala. – East Mississippi Community College's softball team earned a second straight road doubleheader split to begin the season by claiming a 6-1 nightcap win over Bevill State after dropping a tough 6-5 decision in Tuesday's opening game.
Avenging an extra-inning setback in the opener in which they led for most of the contest, the Lions came back in the second game riding a one-hit pitching effort from sophomore Carys Goodwin. The right-hander from Corinth retired the first 17 batters she faced before allowing a two-out single in the sixth inning. She struck out five and did not allow a walk in improving to 2-0 on the young season.
EMCC's offense in the second game came in the second and fifth innings. Madalyn Dvorak's run-scoring single highlighted the second frame, while Gail Wisher's two-out, two-run hit capped the Lions' four-run fifth inning to supply ample run support for Goodwin.
The opening contest at Bevill State featured EMCC's Wisher twins – Karen and Gail – accounting for the Lions' first four runs on a trio of homers. After Karen opened the game with her first collegiate home run, Gail followed suit an inning later before Karen's two-run blast in the third put the visitors on top 4-1.
That was all the offense EMCC could muster in regulation play, however, as Bevill State's Kyla Edmonson settled down to retire the Lions in order during the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
The home-standing Bears produced solo tallies in the second, third and fifth innings before knotting the score at 4-4 by scoring the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Devyn DeBardelaben's go-ahead sacrifice fly RBI in the top of the eighth for EMCC was countered by Bevill State's two-run, walk-off hit in the home half of the inning.
Head coach Mackenzie Byrd's 2-2 EMCC Lions are scheduled to participate in Northeast Mississippi-hosted tournaments during upcoming consecutive Saturdays (Feb. 10 & 17) in Booneville before their scheduled home opener on Feb. 22 in a doubleheader rematch against Bevill State.