EMCC Lions smack five homers in home baseball doubleheader split with Northeast

SCOOBA – Five home runs on the day helped lift East Mississippi Community College to a home baseball doubleheader split against Northeast Mississippi during Tuesday's MACCC action played at Gerald Poole Field. EMCC's Lions rebounded from a 12-5 setback in the opener to earn the split with a 13-5 nightcap victory over the visiting Tigers.

With big innings early in both contests playing a pivotal role in the final outcomes, the home-standing Lions bounced back from their seven-run defeat in the nine-inning opener to take the early advantage in the second game with four first-inning runs off Northeast starting pitcher Jackson Mayer.

After taking advantage of three walks, a hit batsman, an infield error and a run-scoring wild pitch during their four-run opening frame, the Lions scored eight of their next nine runs via the home run ball. Evan Radford got things going with his team-leading 11^th homer of the year – a solo shot in the second inning – to put EMCC in front, 5-0, before Northeast could get on the board.

Khi Holiday's leadoff homer in the third inning off EMCC starting pitcher Walker Swearingen helped Northeast trim the deficit to 5-2, but EMCC freshman Ayden Alsobrooks made it a 10-2 contest a frame later by capping a five-run fourth inning with a grand slam.

The Tigers answered with a pair of runs in the fifth inning on Jackson McCoy's two-run double and then added another tally a frame later to make it a 10-5 contest. The Lions got those three runs back on Gates Gerhart's three-run homer in the sixth inning for EMCC's third home run of the game and fifth of the day.

Austin Garrison continued his hot hitting by leading EMCC's seven-hit team effort with two hits, including a fourth-inning triple, in the nightcap. His younger brother, Cooper, recorded his third save of the year by throwing the final five innings in relief of Swearingen, who picked up his first collegiate victory.

In the opening game, Northeast broke open an early 1-1 tie by batting around during a six-run third inning. Kelly Crumpton's first of a pair of two-run homers in the contest provided the spark that sent 11 Tigers to the plate in the inning.

From there, the Lions were able to get as close as 8-5 following Gray Berry's three-run homer in the third and Aiden Fancher's solo blast two frames later – his sixth homer of the year – off Northeast starting pitcher Matthew Bullard.        

Despite EMCC relievers Landon Scruggs and Jack Taylor combining for 10 strikeouts during the last seven innings, the Tigers added four more insurance runs over the final third of the game with Crumpton's second two-run homer of the game sandwiched between solo tallies in the seventh and ninth innings.

Along with the homers by Berry and Fancher in the opener, EMCC was also led offensively in the contest by Ethan Medlin and Will Crawford, who combined to reach base safely nine times in 10 total plate appearances between them.

Head coach Brett Kimbrel's EMCC Lions (18-18, 6-10 MACCC) are scheduled to play host to nationally fourth-ranked and reigning NJCAA Division II baseball champion Pearl River in a Friday (April 7) doubleheader. Weather permitting, first pitch for Friday's EMCC-PRCC baseball twin bill is slated for 2 p.m. on the Scooba campus.