EMCC Lions salvage doubleheader baseball split with nightcap win over Bishop State at Northeast Lauderdale

MERIDIAN – In their final pre-conference action of the regular season, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College bounced back by holding on for a 10-9 nightcap victory to earn a doubleheader split with Bishop State Community College Monday afternoon at Northeast Lauderdale High School's Glynn Frazier Field.          

In the opener, the Lions fought back from a 4-1 deficit with three runs in the bottom of the sixth only to have the visiting Wildcats send 11 batters to the plate during a six-run seventh inning to claim a 10-4 victory.

Things didn't get much better for East Mississippi to start the second game, as the first six batters reached base safely for Bishop State off EMCC starting pitcher Chance Witt.  After four runs scored and the bases were left loaded with one out, local product Ben Smith provided a much-needed spark in relief by minimizing the damage and getting out of the inning with a pair of strikeouts.

Smith, a former Northeast Lauderdale standout, kept the Wildcats scoreless through the fifth before running into some sixth-inning trouble.  In picking up his first collegiate victory, Smith allowed two runs on five hits, while striking out six and walking two, in five innings of work before giving way to Colton McKeithen.

As Smith was holding BSCC's offense in check during the middle portion of the contest, the Lions' bats came alive with three solo home runs and a four-run second inning.  Following Taylor Stafford's solo blast in the first, EMCC took the lead for good the following frame with four runs on five hits.  On the heels of four singles to begin the inning, Stafford drove in his second run of the game with a sacrifice fly in front of David Pimentel's two-run double down the left-field line.

Subsequent solo homers from Mike Farnell and Pimentel in the third and fourth innings, respectively, stretched EMCC's lead to 7-4.  After Smith gave up a two-run single in the sixth, McKeithen came in to get the final two outs and maintain the one-run lead.  The Lions seemingly put the game on ice in the bottom half of the sixth by scoring three times, highlighted by Emil Ellis' two-run double, to jump back out to a 10-6 advantage.

However, the Lions made things tough on themselves in the top of the seventh when three defensive errors and a pair of hit-batsmen produced three unearned runs.  After pushing across the three runs without a hit or a walk, Bishop State was able to get the potential tying run to third base with only one out.  McKeithen, a West Lauderdale product, came through in the clutch by striking out Austin Daix and Whitney Franklin to preserve the 10-9 victory and salvage the doubleheader split.

With 21 total hits for the afternoon, East Mississippi was led by four-hit efforts from Pimentel and Jo McNabb.  With four singles at the top of the lineup, McNabb scored four runs and drove in a pair during the twin-bill.  In addition to his mammoth blast and two-run double in the nightcap, Pimentel had two singles in the opening game and was intentionally walked three times on the day.

Coach Chris Rose's 4-12 EMCC Lions now turn their collective attention to the start of MACJC play.  Because of on-going repair to their home baseball facility caused by last month's tornado, the Lions have additionally moved their first three scheduled home conference doubleheaders away from campus.  EMCC is now scheduled to play a Saturday twin-bill at Southwest Mississippi, followed by a Wednesday (March 16) doubleheader against Mississippi Delta at Jackson's Smith-Wills Stadium.  The following Saturday (March 19), the Lions will now play a pair of games at Jones County.