EMCC Lions get back on winning track with home softball split against Southwest Mississippi

SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College's softball team got back into the win column by earning a home doubleheader split with Southwest Mississippi during Saturday's MACCC action played at the EMCC Softball Field. After letting a potential comeback win slip away by dropping a tough 3-2 decision in the opening game, the Lions bounced back with an 8-2 nightcap victory over the Bears to cap off EMCC's Sophomore Day festivities.

Regrouping as a team following a missed opportunity to pull out a possible come-from-behind win in the opener, the Lions grabbed an early 5-0 lead through the first two innings of the nightcap. After pushing across three runs in the opening frame without getting a hit, EMCC staked starting pitcher Lana Atkins to a 5-0 lead on Gail Wisher's two-run single an inning later.

The only offense Southwest was able to generate in the second game came in the third inning when the Bears capitalized on an infield error to produce their two runs on RBI singles from Liberty Gillihan and Presley Dease.

The Lions responded with a three-run fifth inning to increase their lead to the final score of 8-2. Rachel Rommel and Madalyn Dvorak had back-to-back RBI singles in front of Madelyn Cornelius' sacrifice fly.

Jenna Kirkland paced EMCC's eight-hit team effort in the nightcap with her second 2-for-3 showing at the plate of the afternoon.

Atkins improved her record to 4-3 on the year by scattering four hits over six innings. Morgan Mills came in to pitch a scoreless seventh inning for the Lions.

Featuring a pitchers' duel between EMCC's Carys Goodwin and Lauren Mounce of Southwest, the Bears got on the scoreboard first in the nightcap with Gillihan's two-run homer in the third inning.

Following two scoreless frames, the visitors added a crucial third run in the sixth inning on Anna Claire Sistrunk's run-scoring single.

That third run proved critical for the Bears, as EMCC mounted a comeback attempt over the final two innings. Aided by a pair of Southwest errors to begin the sixth, the Lions were able to cut their deficit to 3-2 before leaving the potential tying run at third base.

An inning later, Kirkland and Gail Wisher led off the bottom of the seventh with consecutive hits to mount another rally attempt for the Lions. However, Mounce again came up big in the circle for the Bears by getting a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to strand two more EMCC runners in scoring position and lock down the one-run road win.

Kirkland and Goodwin paced EMCC's eight-hit team effort with two hits apiece in the opening game. Goodwin was the hard-luck loser in the circle for the Lions and fell to 7-8 on the season.

Having snapped an 11-game losing skid that had dated back to March 21, head coach Mackenzie Byrd's EMCC Lions (13-19, 5-13 MACCC) are slated for a busy upcoming week of conference softball action. After traveling to Itawamba for a rescheduled Monday (April 15) doubleheader because of a previous rainout, East Mississippi will play host to Northwest Mississippi on Wednesday (April 17) in Scooba. The Lions will then close out the week by heading to Wesson to take on reigning NJCAA Division II national champion Copiah-Lincoln on Saturday (April 20).