Three-homer inning lifts Lions to 8-6 win over SAU Tech in Hinds-hosted softball tourney finale

VICKSBURG – A three-homer fourth inning powered East Mississippi Community College's softball team to an 8-6 win over Southern Arkansas University Tech during Saturday's finale of the two-day Hinds JUCO Classic played this past weekend at Key City Park.

Their mid-game power surge against SAU Tech highlighted a 1-3 weekend for the Lions that began with losses to preseason-ranked foes Kirkwood Community College (7-0) of Iowa and Parkland College (7-2) of Illinois on Friday. EMCC was also shut out 4-0 in Saturday's opening game versus Coastal Alabama-North.

In Saturday afternoon's tournament finale against SAU Tech, the Lions followed a three-run third inning with their trio of home runs off relief pitcher Olivia Huckabee during a four-run fourth frame. Karen Wisher's one-out solo homer – her first of the year and eighth of her EMCC career – got the home run derby started for EMCC. Freshman shortstop Emmajane Lepard followed with her second home run of the year for back-to-back solo shots. Transfer Sasha King joined the slugfest three batters later with a two-run blast to put the Lions in front 8-4.

The home runs gave Wisher, Lepard and King their second hits of the contest. Sophomore catcher Rachel Rommel contributed three singles in three trips to the plate to help lead EMCC's nine-hit team effort.

In the circle for the Lions, freshman pitcher Savannah Fralix picked up her second win of the year in as many decisions after working the first four innings. Fellow frosh Allee Bennett earned her first collegiate save by retiring the Rockets in order in the seventh inning to nail down the two-run win.

Saturday's first game for EMCC marked the season's rubber match against Coastal Alabama-North. Earlier in the month (Feb. 8) in Monroeville, Ala., the two teams split a doubleheader with the Lions claiming a 15-0 shutout win before the Coyotes evened the score with an 8-6 nightcap victory.

The rematch belonged to Coastal Alabama-North, as the Coyotes reached EMCC starting pitcher Gail Wisher for solo home runs in the first and sixth innings during their 4-0 shutout win. Offensively, the Lions were limited to four hits as a team in Saturday's opener.

Friday's tournament action in Vicksburg began with EMCC getting no-hit by Peyton Paulsen of the preseason second-ranked Kirkwood Eagles. While earning five bases on balls in the game, the Lions' lone time getting on base via a batted ball came when Lepard led off the fifth inning reaching first base on an infield error.

Gail Wisher absorbed the 7-0 loss for EMCC, striking out six batters while pitching into the fifth inning.

Friday's 7-2 setback in the Lions' tournament opener against preseason 21^st-ranked Parkland began with three scoreless innings before the Cobras struck for five runs in the fourth inning and two more scores the following frame off EMCC starting pitcher Madison Newburn.

The Lions' pair of runs off Parkland starter Mya Brown came in the fifth during an inning that was started by Fralix's leadoff base hit and capped by Gail Wisher's run-scoring single.

Coach Mackenzie Byrd's 4-6 EMCC Lions are set to return to softball action on Tuesday (Feb. 25) with a recently added home doubleheader against Wallace State-Hanceville. The first pitch for Tuesday's twin bill is set for 1 p.m. at the EMCC Softball Field on the Scooba campus.