EMCC Lions close out baseball season with pair of setbacks at Hinds

RAYMOND — Despite hitting four home runs during the doubleheader, the visiting Lions of East Mississippi Community College fell 10-7 and 6-3 to the Hinds Eagles during Monday's MACCC baseball action played at Joe G. Moss Field.  The road setbacks closed out EMCC's 2021 baseball season.

The Lions played from behind the entire opening game after Hinds scored four runs with four singles, a walk and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning off EMCC starting pitcher Will Long.

The visitors utilized the long ball to stay in the game throughout the opener.  Catcher Braxton Lee got things started for EMCC by belting a two-out, two-run homer – his second of the year - off Hinds starting pitcher Brooks Auger in second inning.  Lee then cut the deficit to a run with a two-out RBI single two frames later.

After the Eagles got a run back in the fourth on Matt Corder's run-scoring single with two outs, they extended their lead to 8-3 with a three-run fifth inning.  Four more singles in the frame ultimately led to 16 one-base hits for Hinds in the opener.

EMCC temporarily cut the Hinds lead in half (8-4) in the sixth inning on Beau Bates' fifth homer of the year, but Hinds countered with solo runs in the sixth and seventh innings to stretch the margin to six runs.

The Lions had one more comeback attempt in them with Al Dumas smacking a three-run homer – his second of the season – off Hinds reliever Austin Fugler in the eighth inning to cut the deficit in half.  Matthew Taylor then closed out the Hinds win by working a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save.

Dumas, Bates and Lee all had two hits apiece – a homer and a single – for EMCC in the opener.  Six of the Lions' seven runs in the first game were scored on home runs.

That trend continued into the start of the nightcap when Wesley Sides' two-run blast – his fifth homer of the year – off Hinds starter Bryce Brock gave the visitors an early 2-0 lead in the first inning.

The Eagles promptly answered with three two-out runs off EMCC starter Cade Davis in the home half of the frame.  They then used the home run ball to lengthen their lead to 6-2 on a solo shot by Justin Williams in the third followed by Pablo Lanzarote's two-run blast two frames later.

Dumas capped a 5-for-9 day at the plate for the Lions with a 3-for-4 effort in the second game.    

Coach Brett Kimbrel's EMCC Lions finished the 2021 season with an 18-18 overall record and an 11-17 mark in MACCC play.