EMCC Lions limited to six total hits in home softball setbacks to No. 18 Itawamba
East Mississippi Community College was limited to six total hits during Wednesday’s MACCC softball doubleheader sweep (6-2, 5-3) at the hands of visiting 18th-ranked Itawamba.
SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College was limited to six total hits during Wednesday's MACCC softball doubleheader sweep (6-2, 5-3) at the hands of visiting 18th-ranked Itawamba.
The Lions were only able to manage three hits during each of the respective complete-game contests thrown by the ICC pitching tandem of Emily Robinson and Hallie Turner.
In the opening contest, Robinson held EMCC hitless until Sidney Argo's two-out bunt single in the sixth inning. Up until then, the Lions were only able to push across an unearned run in the second inning on Carys Goodwin's RBI groundout that plated Devyn DeBardelaben. EMCC's other run in the opener came on back-to-back doubles by Layla Roper and Celeste Study in the seventh inning.
After the Indians scored their first three runs of the unearned variety on Allie Beckley's two-out, two-run single in the second inning followed by her RBI groundout two frames later, the visitors were able to chase Goodwin from the circle with three more runs in the fifth inning.
ICC's dominant pitching continued into the nightcap with Turner retiring the Lions in order through the first four innings. Though consecutive singles by DeBardelaben and Study to lead off the fifth inning didn't lead to any runs, EMCC did make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh. Following one-out walks to Study and Roper, Ki'arah Byrd's inside-the-park home run lined down the right field line cut the deficit to 5-3.
Itawamba's 5-0 lead off EMCC starting pitcher Laken Firth was built during the early innings of the second game. On the heels of Julia Shaw's solo home run in the second inning, a two-out infield error by the Lions contributed to a three-run third. Another ICC tally followed in the fourth as a result of five more singles by the Indians.
Head coach Mackenzie Byrd's EMCC Lions (11-27, 8-10 MACCC) will play twice on the road during the coming week by traveling to Southwest Mississippi on Saturday (April 15) before playing at second-ranked Northwest Mississippi the following Tuesday (April 18).