Gail Wisher’s shutout lifts EMCC to twin-bill split at Holmes in MACCC softball opener

GOODMAN – Gail Wisher tossed her second shutout of the season to lift visiting East Mississippi Community College to a softball doubleheader split at Holmes Community College during Friday's season-opening MACCC action played on the Goodman campus. EMCC's 1-0 win in the opening game was followed by the Lady Bulldogs' 8-3 nightcap victory.

Wisher fanned eight Holmes batters and scattered five singles over seven innings for the complete-game shutout to improve her record to 3-4 on the season. The Irvington, Alabama native previously tossed a one-hit shutout during a 15-0 run-rule win at Coastal Alabama-North on Feb. 8.

Wisher and Holmes' Anne Elise Sartin combined on the pitchers' duel, keeping the opening game scoreless through the first four innings.

After the Lions stranded courtesy runner Kendel Thompson at third base following Madison Newburn's one-out double in the fourth inning, the visitors broke the scoreless deadlock the next frame. EMCC catcher Rachel Rommel opened the fifth with a double and moved to third on Emmajane Lepard's single. Two batters later, Karen Wisher drove Rommel home on a fielder's choice for the game's lone tally.

Though the Lady Bulldogs did have eight batters reach base off Gail Wisher in the contest, none of the runners were able to reach third base. The second and seventh innings marked the only frames that Holmes managed to get a pair of batters on base. Five of Wisher's eight strikeouts in the game were recorded during the first two innings.

Sasha King had a pair of singles for EMCC's other two hits in the opener.

The nightcap began with the teams exchanging solo runs in the opening frame. Newburn's RBI groundout that plated Karen Wisher following her leadoff single and subsequent stolen base was answered by Kaitlyn Jones' two-out, run-scoring single in the home half of the first inning.

The home-standing Lady Bulldogs broke open the second game during the middle innings with four unearned runs in the third off EMCC starting pitcher Allee Bennett and three more scores the next frame off reliever Savannah Fralix. Holmes' four runs in the third came on a Jones two-run double and Abbie McGee's two-run homer. Jones followed the next inning with a bases-clearing double to give her six runs batted in for the game on three hits.

The Lions made an initial comeback attempt in the fifth inning when Rommel smacked a two-out, two run homer – her first of the year and second of her career – off Holmes starting pitcher Mollie Swilley.

Karen Wisher's leadoff double in the seventh inning followed by a one-out walk to Lepard challenged Holmes' 8-3 lead, but Swilley finished off the contest without further damage to record the complete-game win for the Lady Bulldogs.

Karen Wisher, Rommel and Victoria Irby each had two hits to pace EMCC's 10-hit team effort in the second game.

Head coach Mackenzie Byrd's 5-9 EMCC Lions (1-1 MACCC) continue conference softball competition by heading to Decatur to take on the East Central Lady Warriors (10-6, 0-2 MACCC) in a Tuesday (March 11) twin bill beginning at 3 p.m.