Losing streak halted as EMCC Lady Lions earn division softball split at Holmes

GOODMAN – The Lady Lions of East Mississippi Community College snapped their 11-game losing skid by earning a road MACJC North Division softball split at Holmes Community College Saturday afternoon.  After being shut out 7-0 in the opener, EMCC bounced back with a 7-4 victory in the nightcap.

With 11 hits in Saturday's victory, the Lady Lions jointly snapped a winless streak and halted an offensive slump that had dated back to their season-opening home sweep (12-4 & 7-6) over rival East Central back on Feb. 10.  Now 3-11 overall and 1-3 in division play, EMCC will play host to Northeast Mississippi in a division doubleheader Sunday afternoon beginning at 2 p.m. on the Scooba campus.  The EMCC-NEMCC twinbill was moved up one day because of the rainy forecast to begin the week.

In Saturday's nightcap after only managing three hits in game one, the visitors struck first with a pair of runs in the opening frame on Anna McCrary's two-run double.  After Holmes evened things up with two unearned runs in the bottom of the third, McCrary came through again in the fifth with a bunt single that scored Heather Abney.

The Lady Lions, whose highest single-game run total during their losing skid had only been four runs, equaled that output with a four-run sixth inning on five hits.  The big blow of the inning was Kristen Mitchell's bases-clearing double.  Emily Patrick capped the frame with an RBI single that increased EMCC's lead to 7-2.

The home-standing Lady Bulldogs cut into the deficit in the bottom of the sixth on Lindsey Robbins' two-run double.  But, EMCC starting pitcher Logan Smith was able to get out of the inning without further damage to pick up her first victory of the season.  Freshman Jenny Reynolds pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Lady Lions to record her first collegiate save.

Offensively for East Mississippi in the second game, McCrary and Mitchell drove home three runs apiece, while Abney led the way with three singles and two runs scored.

In game one, a tight 1-0 contest in favor of the home team grew to an insurmountable 6-0 Holmes lead as a pair of Lady Lion errors at the plate contributed to a five-run fifth inning for the Lady Bulldogs.

Winning pitcher Kassey Ard allowed only three singles in the opener to pick up the complete-game victory for Holmes.  Managing the only hits for EMCC in game one were Abney, Patrick and Pepper Baker.

Pitching in tough luck for the Lady Lions, freshman left-hander Valiree Blair dropped to 0-6 on the year as the victim of four fielding errors behind her.