State tournament setback to East Central concludes EMCC's softball season
A fifth consecutive appearance in the MACJC State Softball Tournament proved to be short-lived for East Mississippi Community College, as the Lady Lions dropped a 6-3 decision to East Central Community College in Sunday's quarterfinals of this year's tournament being played at Ross-Smith Field on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
PERKINSTON – A fifth consecutive appearance in the MACJC State Softball Tournament proved to be short-lived for East Mississippi Community College, as the Lady Lions dropped a 6-3 decision to East Central Community College in Sunday's quarterfinals of this year's tournament being played at Ross-Smith Field on the campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
Seeded second in the MACJC's North Division with a 17-7 regular-season division mark, the EMCC Lady Lions closed out the 2013 softball season with a 24-19 overall record under the guidance of first-year head coach Kyndall White.
EMCC starter Amelia LaVergne struggled with early control problems that resulted in three East Central runs in the top of the first inning. Following a lead-off free pass to Marlee Massey and a sacrifice bunt by LaJoya Griffin to move her into scoring position, Ty Buckley delivered the Lady Warriors' first run with a sharply hit ball up the middle. A walk to Amber McBroom and an AJ Peeler line drive off LaVergne's leg then loaded the bases. EMCC's sophomore right-hander responded by striking out Dakota Vowell on a called third strike with the count full. With two outs, subsequent ECCC hitters Hayley Stephens and Morgan Porter also forced full counts and ultimately both pushed across runs with bases-loaded walks.
East Central, seeded third out of the MACJC's South Division, chased LaVergne in the top of the third following back-to-back, two-out home runs by Stephens and Porter. With the setback, LaVergne, of Rayne, La., fell to 8-8 on the year.
The Lady Lions cut into the 5-0 deficit by plating a solo run in the bottom of the third when Abby Roberts' two-out single to left field scored Charly Boswell, who doubled off the base of the left-center field wall to open the inning.
The Lady Lions further trimmed the margin to just two runs with a pair of scores in the fifth. Following Misty Richard's walk and Boswell's second hit of the game to begin the frame, Corey Dawkins drove home Richard with an RBI single bounced between first and second. Two batters later, freshman first baseman Meri Morgan Fortune knocked in Boswell with an opposite-field single to tighten the margin at 5-3.
With the aid of three EMCC infield errors in the frame, East Central was able to add an unearned insurance run off EMCC's Kendra Wilson in the sixth inning. Meanwhile, winning pitcher Tenna Patterson retired the Lady Lions in order the final two innings to nail down the victory.
EMCC outhit East Central 7-6 in the game, while the Lady Warriors stranded 10 runners on base. In her final EMCC appearance, Boswell, from Northeast Lauderdale High School, went 2-for-3 at the plate, as did Roberts, a former standout for Clarkdale High School. For East Central (31-14), Buckley and Porter had a pair of hits apiece.
The MACJC's South Division swept the quarterfinals of this year's MACJC State Softball Tournament, with seventh-ranked and host Mississippi Gulf Coast shutting out Northeast Mississippi 9-0, No. 8 Jones County beating Holmes 7-1 and Pearl River blanking Itawamba 15-0. The tournament's semifinals and championship game were slated for Monday on the MGCCC campus.