EMCC Lions sweep Marion Military in back-to-back doubleheaders to move to 10-2
The Lions of East Mississippi Community College outscored Marion Military Institute by a collective score of 43-1 during their home-and-home baseball doubleheader sweeps played this past Thursday and Friday at their respective home fields.
SCOOBA – The Lions of East Mississippi Community College outscored Marion Military Institute by a collective score of 43-1 during their home-and-home baseball doubleheader sweeps played this past Thursday and Friday at their respective home fields.
Thursday's twin-bill played in Marion, Alabama resulted in a 6-0 series-opening, one-hit shutout and a 17-1 run-rule victory over the Tigers. The following day in a home doubleheader played at Gerald Poole Field in Scooba, the Lions posted two more shutouts (8-0 & 12-0) over MMI to move to 10-2 overall on the season.
Thursday's series opener at Marion Military was highlighted by Ayden Alsobrooks and Zac Butler combining for half of EMCC's eight total hits and five of the team's six runs batted in. Alsobrooks had a two-out solo homer in the third inning and added a two-run shot with two outs in the seventh for his three RBIs, while Butler followed his run-scoring single in the second frame with his first career EMCC home run – a solo shot – in the fourth.
On the mound for EMCC in the series opener, Cooper Garrison allowed just a first-inning single and struck out seven over five innings to improve to 2-0 on the year. Matthew Birdsong came on to throw two innings of hitless relief with three strikeouts to earn his first collegiate save and finish off the combined one-hitter.
In Thursday's road nightcap, East Mississippi plated multiple runs in all five innings en route to the 17-1 run-rule victory over MMI. Banging out a dozen hits in the contest, the Lions sandwiched a seven-run second inning between a pair of three-run frames in the first and third and then followed with two-run efforts over the final two innings.
EMCC's top hitters in Thursday's second game were Colin Boyd and Gates Gerhart, who combined for seven RBIs between them. Boyd had a pair of run-scoring doubles and a bases-loaded walk, while Gerhart gave a precursor to his upcoming Friday hitting performance by following an opening-frame sacrifice fly with a three-run homer an inning later.
Though allowing the Tigers' lone run of the four-game series with a second-inning home run by MMI's Devin Howell, Landon Scruggs picked up his first win of the year by scattering four hits and striking out six during EMCC's five-inning, complete-game victory.
The story was much the same as the four-game series moved to Scooba the following day, as the Lions claimed two more shutouts (8-0 & 12-0) and out-hit Marion Military, 16-6, during Friday's doubleheader.
Gerhart made headlines for the Lions during Friday's twin-bill by going a combined 4-for-6 at the plate with three home runs and 10 RBIs. He started the day with a two-run double in the opening frame of the first game and then followed Alsobrooks' two-run homer an inning later with a solo blast of his own. Gerhart was also hit by a pitch in the fourth inning before stealing second and third base and then scoring on Aiden Fancher's RBI single.
Brandon King improved to 2-1 on the season by limiting the MMI Tigers to a pair of singles and fanning seven during six shutout innings in Friday's opening contest. Sam Malone pitched a scoreless seventh frame for the Lions.
Gerhart continued his torrid hitting in Friday's nightcap by belting a first-inning grand slam and then capping EMCC's seven-run third frame with a three-run homer. For the four-game series against Marion Military, the New Hope High School product went 6-for-9 at the plate with four home runs, a double and 14 runs batted in. Gerhart also scored five runs and added two stolen bases and a sacrifice fly along with being hit by a pair of pitches. On the young season, the sophomore first baseman has raised his batting average to .421 and is tied with Alsobrooks for the team lead with 15 RBIs.
In the series finale from the leadoff position, Boyd had two singles and a pair of walks in four plate appearances along with scoring twice, knocking in two runs and stealing two bases.
Drake Bayles capped EMCC's dominant series against MMI by scattering four hits with three strikeouts and no walks over five innings to run his record to 2-0 on the year with the complete-game victory over the Tigers.
Head coach Brett Kimbrel's 10-2 EMCC Lions are scheduled to get their first look at MACCC competition by taking on Southwest Mississippi and host Mississippi Gulf Coast during Tuesday's (Feb. 20) round-robin, non-conference action being played in Perkinston. Later in the week, East Mississippi is slated to host Shelton State in a nine-inning single contest on Thursday (Feb. 22) before heading to Tuscaloosa to take on the Bucs during a Saturday (Feb. 24) doubleheader at Shelton State.