By By Jeff Byrd / staff writer
May 2, 2002
Meridian Community College closed out its baseball regular season on Wednesday afternoon with a narrow 9-8 win over visiting Shelton State, Ala., at Scaggs Field.
The win moves the Eagles to 24-26 on the season heading into next week's Region 23 Tournament which will be hosted by MCC. Coach Mike Federico's team will face Mississippi Delta in the opening game on May 9 at 1 p.m.
Federico had to sweat out another stomach-turning effort from his bullpen. The Eagles had an 8-3 lead before the Pioneers began clawing back, scoring five runs in their final two at bats.
The Eagles bullpen, which surrendered the five late runs including two in the ninth, remains a big concern for Federico.
Leading 9-6, the Eagles sent starting centerfielder in Brad McKee to the mound to save it. After one out, Shelton's Ryan Beagle and Jody Colvin both singled to put two on. An error at short scored Beagle to make it 9-7.
McKee then fanned Dustin McMillin for two out. A single by Brett Davis, Shelton's 17th hit of the game, scored Colvin for a 9-8 game.
Tom Whitaker, who earlier blasted a three-run homer to make it 9-6 in the eighth, was next with two men still on. McKee, though, got him to hit into a fielders choice at third to end the game.
MCC trailed 3-2 going into the bottom of the fifth. They scored two runs, the latter run coming on a two-out double by Brian Page to make it 4-3.
In the sixth, Adam Smith slugged his 10th home run of the season, a three-run shot to left-center. The homer scored Jake Bell and McKee to make it 7-3.
Billy Porter had a RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to to put the Eagles up 8-3.
In the Shelton eighth, Whitaker hit his three-run shot off Justin Bounds to cut the MCC lead to 8-6.
The Eagles got the run back in the bottom half of the eighth when Porter was hit by a pitch with the bases-loaded. The play scored Lance Dawkins who had led off with a double.
Page had three hits to lead MCC. Scarbrough went 2-for-5 with a double and a RBI. Porter had two RBIs and Smith had three.
Tim Jones started for MCC. Justin Rayborn was the Eagle pitcher in the fifth and gets the win while McKee picks up his first save.
Shelton, 34-15, was led by Colvin who went 4-for-5.