EMCC Lions move to 3-1 in conference play with home baseball sweep over Co-Lin

SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College broke open a pair of close contests with some late-game offense to sweep visiting Copiah-Lincoln, 11-3 and 4-1, during Sunday's MACCC baseball action played at EMCC's Gerald Poole Field.

While improving to 3-1 in conference play, the Lions put together a seven-run seventh inning to earn a run-rule victory in the opener and then completed the home sweep over the Wolves with a three-run fifth inning during the nightcap.

After Co-Lin grabbed the early lead in the opener with a solo run in the opening frame off EMCC starting pitcher Kylan Stepter, the Lions used the home run ball to help build a 4-1 advantage through three frames. Following Blayze Berry's solo shot – his fourth home run of the year – in the bottom of the first and Ethan Medlin's two-out RBI single an inning later, Trey Trosclair's two-out, two-run homer – his second of the season – extended EMCC's lead.

The Wolves chipped away at the deficit by plating solo runs in the fourth and seventh innings. Tom Biggs' homer to lead off the fourth was followed by an unearned run three frames later to close the margin to 4-3 in favor of the home team.

The Lions responded by batting around in the bottom half of the seventh of the scheduled nine-inning opener. Aided by a pair of Co-Lin infield errors, three walks and a hit batsman, EMCC sent 12 batters to the plate before scoring its seventh run of the inning on a bases-loaded wild pitch to reach the eight-run margin and close out the run-rule win. Trosclair, Wesley Sides and Coby Holmes each had run-scoring singles during the game-deciding frame.

Offensively for the Lions in the opening game, Trosclair led the way with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate with three RBIs and two runs scored. Sides and Kade Shannon also added two hits apiece for EMCC.

Stepter threw four innings, giving up two runs on three hits with four strikeouts and three walks, to earn the victory for the Lions. Dakota Boney picked up the save by finishing out the final three innings allowing just one unearned run.

The seven-inning nightcap featured a pitcher's duel between EMCC's Cade Davis and Kade Parker of Co-Lin. Both hurlers pitched into the sixth inning.

The game's only run scored through the first four frames came on Hunter French's lead-off homer - his third of the year - in the third inning.

After the Wolves knotted the score at 1-1 on Josh Boone's two-out RBI single in the fifth, the Lions answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Consecutive run-scoring singles by Berry and Sides – their second hits of the contest – keyed EMCC's three-run rally.

Berry, a two-way standout who has signed with UAB, then made his way to the mound from his shortstop position with one out in the sixth inning. The Heritage Academy product struck out three of the five batters he faced to pick up the save for the Lions.

Coach Brett Kimbrel's 8-9 EMCC Lions are scheduled to play conference doubleheaders on the road this week by traveling to Northwest Mississippi on Wednesday (March 23) and Southwest Mississippi on Saturday (March 26). EMCC's upcoming baseball twin bills are slated for 2 p.m. starts in Senatobia and Summit, respectively.