EMCC Lady Lions shut out at ninth-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast
Despite an impressive pitching effort by freshman Britney Bonney in the opener, the Lady Lions of East Mississippi Community College couldn’t produce any runs off Mississippi Gulf Coast pitching during Friday’s MACJC softball doubleheader played at Ross-Smith Field. The ninth-ranked Lady Bulldogs only allowed seven total hits in posting 1-0 and 8-0 shutout victories over EMCC.
PERKINSTON – Despite an impressive pitching effort by freshman Britney Bonney in the opener, the Lady Lions of East Mississippi Community College couldn't produce any runs off Mississippi Gulf Coast pitching during Friday's MACJC softball doubleheader played at Ross-Smith Field. The ninth-ranked Lady Bulldogs only allowed seven total hits in posting 1-0 and 8-0 shutout victories over EMCC.
Bonney, a right-hander out of Madison Central High School, went head-to-head with two-time MACJC Pitcher of the Week Kristen Cade of Gulf Coast in the opening game that produced only seven total hits between the two teams.
The Lady Lions, who were limited to just three hits by Cade in the opener, had their chances against the freshman right-hander from Harrison Central High School. In the first inning, Bonney smacked a one-out double but was stranded at third base. EMCC's best chance to score on the day came in the sixth inning when the visitors loaded the bases with no outs on an infield error, a hit batsman and a Kelsey English single. However, EMCC came up empty when Cade got out of the jam with no damage by retiring the next three batters.
An inning later, Gulf Coast's Camryn Williams led off the seventh with a walk and was bunted around to third before coming home on Kayla Cade's one-out infield single for the walk-off winner.
For the game, Bonney only allowed four hits and two walks during the tough-luck loss.
In the nightcap, MGCCC grabbed an early 3-0 lead in the second inning before adding a solo tally two innings later off EMCC starting pitcher Madelyn Wilkes.
The Lady Bulldogs benefited from a pair of two-out walks in the fifth inning when Hannah Hembree hit a bases-clearing double to extend the lead to 7-0. Gulf Coast then ended the nightcap an inning early on Marsha' Hunt's game-winning hit that brought home Bailey Massey to reach the run-rule margin in the sixth.
Coach Austin McNair's EMCC Lady Lions, 2-13 overall and 2-8 in conference play, begin a week-long home stand by playing host to the Holmes Lady Bulldogs in a Wednesday doubleheader on the Scooba campus. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. at the EMCC Softball Field.