EMCC Lions pick up conference baseball road sweep over Holmes
East Mississippi Community College picked up its first road sweep of the conference baseball season by knocking off Holmes, 11-5 and 7-6, during Tuesday’s MACCC action played at Charlie Donald Field.
GOODMAN – East Mississippi Community College picked up its first road sweep of the conference baseball season by knocking off Holmes, 11-5 and 7-6, during Tuesday's MACCC action played at Charlie Donald Field.
The Lions led the entirety of the opening nine-inning contest. After EMCC took an early 3-0 lead by batting through the lineup in the second inning, the home-standing Bulldogs pulled to within a run with two-out, run-scoring singles by Andrew Dinkelacker and Brenden Skirtech in the second and third innings, respectively.
The visitors then extended the margin to 7-2 with four runs during the middle innings. On the heels of Ayden Alsobrooks' RBI single in the fourth inning, the Lions forged ahead by five runs a frame later on Jon Paul Yates' two-out, three-run homer.
After a pair of scoreless innings, the teams traded three-run at-bats in the eighth frame with the aid of some pitching wildness from both staffs. EMCC took advantage of three straight hit batsmen by plating those base runners on Alsobrooks' two-run double followed by Evan Radford's sacrifice fly. Holmes was then gifted with four consecutive walks to open the bottom of the inning that resulted in a trio of runs for the Bulldogs.
Yates and Alsobrooks combined for five of EMCC's seven hits as well as eight RBIs between them during the 11-5 opening-game victory. In addition to scoring five times, driving in four runs and stealing three bases, Yates reached base all five times with his fourth homer of the year to go along with two singles, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. Alsobrooks was 2-for-4 with four runs batted in.
Freshman right-hander Matthew Birdsong worked four scoreless innings of two-hit baseball to pick up his first collegiate win in relief of EMCC starting pitcher Brandon King.
In the nightcap, the Lions spotted Holmes a 2-1 first-inning lead before scoring four times in the third frame. Radford's base-clearing triple provided the big blow that put the visitors on top for good.
EMCC maintained a 7-3 lead through the sixth inning before things became very interesting during the home half of the seventh and final frame. After the Bulldogs loaded the bases to begin the inning, they chipped away at the lead by scoring three runs on a hit batsman, an infield out, and an infield single to third base. With the potential tying and winning runs on base, EMCC closer Ryan Ladner got Jacob Lott to ground out to second base to preserve the one-run nightcap win for starting pitcher Landon Scruggs and secure the conference road sweep for the Lions.
Scruggs claimed his team-best fourth win in five decisions on the year by scattering five hits, striking out seven and walking three while pitching into the seventh inning.
Alsobrooks completed his 5-for-8 doubleheader at the plate with a triple, double and single in four at-bats during the second game. Radford added a double and an RBI groundout to finish the nightcap going 2-for-4 with four runs batted in.
In their third straight conference road doubleheader, head coach Brett Kimbrel's EMCC Lions (19-10, 5-3 MACCC) travel to Meridian to take on the 12th-ranked Eagles in a 2 p.m. Saturday (March 23) twin bill at Scaggs Field.