EMCC Lions open MACCC softball slate with home doubleheader sweep over Hinds
East Mississippi Community College’s softball team successfully opened the 2023 MACCC season by sweeping visiting Hinds, 4-2 and 6-5, during Saturday’s conference action played at the EMCC Softball Field.
SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College's softball team successfully opened the 2023 MACCC season by sweeping visiting Hinds, 4-2 and 6-5, during Saturday's conference action played at the EMCC Softball Field.
The Lions' pair of narrow victories snapped a seven-game slide and marked their first doubleheader sweep under the direction of first-year head softball coach Mackenzie Byrd.
EMCC trailed the Eagles early in both contests before utilizing three-run innings each game to hang on for the wins.
In the opener, the Lions took an early 1-0 lead on Devyn DeBardelaben's two-out RBI double off Hinds' starting pitcher Riley Myers in the bottom of the first inning.
After the Eagles plated their leadoff batters in the second and third innings to take a brief 2-1 lead against EMCC starting pitcher Laken Firth, the Lions finished off the game's scoring with three runs in the bottom of the third. Consecutive bases-loaded walks to DeBardelaben and Lana Atkins were followed by Celeste Study's sacrifice fly to give middle reliever Carys Goodwin all the run support she would need.
In making just her fifth appearance in the circle on the year, Goodwin replaced Firth in the third inning when EMCC's starter was hit in the shoulder area on a line drive. Goodwin, out of Corinth High School, allowed just two singles over the final 4.1 shutout innings to pick up her first collegiate win.
During the nightcap, the two teams opened the game's scoring by trading a pair of runs in the second inning. After Hinds went up 2-0 with two unearned runs off Atkins, EMCC countered with Madalyn Dvorak's two-run single in the home half of the frame.
The Eagles responded by pushing across solo runs against Atkins in the third and fourth innings on sacrifice flies by River Boultinghouse and Carli Estis, respectively.
EMCC's second three-run inning of the afternoon came during a two-out rally in the fifth frame. After Goodwin came in to set down Hinds in order in the top of the inning, the Lions rallied in the home half with five consecutive two-out singles. Atkins and Study set the table in front of Goodwin's RBI single and Dvorak's second two-run single of the contest to give the Lions their first lead (5-4) of the game.
EMCC added another two-out run the following frame courtesy of back-to-back Hinds miscues. The unearned tally proved vital for the Lions in the seventh inning. Hinds opened the final frame by loading the bases off Atkins, who had re-entered in the circle the previous inning, before EMCC called upon Firth after she left the opening game in the third inning following the line drive back to the circle. After Kaitlyn Papizan greeted Firth with a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game, the sophomore Alabama native proceeded to strand the bases loaded to secure the save and complete the sweep for the Lions.
The East Mississippi Lions (5-17, 2-0 MACCC) continue their Spring Break softball home stand by playing host to the Mississippi Delta Trojans on Wednesday (March 15). First pitch for the EMCC-MDCC conference doubleheader is set for 2 p.m. on the Scooba campus.