EMCC collects season’s first softball win in run-rule fashion at Coastal Alabama-North

MONROEVILLE, Ala. – East Mississippi Community College's softball team picked up its first win of the season in impressive fashion with a 15-0 run-rule road victory over Coastal Alabama-North during the opening game of Saturday's non-conference doubleheader.

Bouncing back from last week's season-opening home losses (8-4 & 11-5) to Shelton State on Wednesday (Feb. 5), the visiting Lions banged out 15 hits during Saturday's opener against Coastal Alabama-North. After getting on the board with a solo score in the first frame, EMCC batted through the order with five runs in both the second and third innings followed by a four-run fourth frame.

Individually for EMCC in Saturday's opener, sophomores Karen Wisher, Gail Wisher, Victoria Irby and Brianna Byrd all had two singles apiece. Freshman shortstop Emmajane Lepard smacked a fourth-inning, inside-the-park home run to go along with her run-scoring single the previous frame.

In the circle for the Lions, Gail Wisher picked up her first collegiate win with a five-inning shutout, allowing only a leadoff single in the opening frame while striking out six batters.

The home-standing Coyotes bounced back in Saturday's nightcap by scoring runs during each of the first four innings against three different EMCC pitchers. While the Lions scored once in the first inning and three times a frame later, Coastal Alabama-North countered with two runs in the first and fourth innings along with a solo run in the second and three more scores the next frame.

As Gail Wisher made her second appearance of the day in the circle by throwing two shutout innings with four strikeouts, the visitors cut into their 8-4 deficit by plating single runs in the sixth and seventh innings before falling two runs short.

Karen Wisher had four singles and scored three runs from her leadoff position during Saturday's nightcap to pace the Lions offensively.

During their season-opening twin bill versus Shelton State on Wednesday, the home-standing Lions allowed four runs in both the third and fifth innings. They managed to cut their deficit in half with a solo score in the fifth and three more runs in the seventh before coming up on the short end of an 8-4 decision.

Gail Wisher led the way offensively in EMCC's season opener with a pair of doubles and two runs scored, though the two-way standout from Irvington, Alabama took the loss for the Lions in the circle.

EMCC switched up things during Wednesday's nightcap against the Lady Bucs by jumping out to an early 5-0 lead with a pair of runs in the opening frame and three more tallies an inning later. After getting five hits through the first two innings, the Lions were then limited to just three singles by Shelton State pitching over the final five frames.

The visitors knotted the score with a five-run fourth inning in which they batted around. Shelton went on to add three-run efforts in the fifth and seventh frames to seal the doubleheader sweep with an 11-5 win.

Irby and Lepard led EMCC offensively with two singles each in Wednesday's second game. The Wisher twins both had doubles and scored runs.

Coach Mackenzie Byrd's 1-3 EMCC Lions will have nine days away from game competition before playing host to Moberly Area Community College from Missouri in a Feb. 18 home doubleheader on the Scooba campus.