EMCC Lions drop pair of narrow home softball decisions to Mississippi Gulf Coast

SCOOBA – Despite holding slim leads in both contests, the East Mississippi Community College softball team dropped narrow 6-4 and 7-4 home decisions to Mississippi Gulf Coast during Saturday's MACCC action played at the EMCC Softball Field.

The Lions held the early advantage in the opening game by scoring during each of the first three innings. Sidney Argo's game-opening triple led to a pair of EMCC runs off Gulf Coast starting pitcher Kylie Burnett in the first inning. Magen Caro's single plated Argo and Celeste Study's bases-loaded walk gave EMCC a 2-0 lead. The Lions then followed with solo runs the next two frames on run-scoring singles by Lana Atkins and Ki'arah Byrd to move ahead, 4-1, after three innings.

After the Bulldogs got on the board with a second-inning tally, they pulled within a run by scoring twice in the fourth off EMCC starting pitcher Laken Firth. Olivia Plummer's first of two triples in the contest was the key hit for Gulf Coast in the inning.

The score stayed at 4-3 in favor of the home team until the Bulldogs forced an extra frame by manufacturing a game-tying run in the seventh inning. A frame later, the visitors grabbed their first lead of the contest on Plummer's second run-scoring triple of the game followed by Kate Brannan's RBI single.

Devyn DeBardelaben's two-out double in the home half of the extra inning gave EMCC some hope for a comeback attempt, but she instead became the Lions' 13^th runner left on base in the opening contest.

DeBardelaben and Argo paced EMCC's 11-hit team effort during the opener with three hits apiece.

It was Gulf Coast's turn to grab the early advantage by scoring during each of the first two innings off EMCC starting pitcher Carys Goodwin. The Bulldogs added a solo run in the second inning after scoring twice in the opening frame to hold a 3-1 lead heading into the fifth.

The Lions received home runs from a pair of freshman pitchers in the home half of the fifth inning to claim their first lead of the nightcap. Following a leadoff walk to Caro, Atkins blasted her second home run of the year to knot the score at 3-3. Two batters later, Goodwin helped her own cause by drilling her second homer of the season to put EMCC on top by a run.

As they did in the opener, the Bulldogs rallied during the late innings with a pair of runs in the sixth to reclaim the lead followed by two more insurance runs in the seventh to complete the sweep.

Goodwin and Atkins, who combined for EMCC's three hits in the game and drove in three of the team's four runs with their home runs, also jointly worked all seven innings in the circle for the Lions.

Head coach Mackenzie Byrd's EMCC Lions (11-23, 8-6 MACCC) are scheduled for road doubleheaders this week against 15^th-ranked Northeast Mississippi on Tuesday (April 4) and No. 11 Pearl River on Friday (April 7). First pitches in Booneville and Poplarville, respectively, are set for 2 p.m.