By By Will Bardwell/staff writer
April 4, 2004
SCOOBA Bill Baldner might run his players every day from now on.
East Mississippi Community College's baseball coach responded to being swept by Hinds Community College on Thursday by scrapping practice as planned on Friday, and the Lions responded with a two-game sweep of East Central Community College on Saturday. East Mississippi won the first game 9-5 and the second one 11-1.
The Lions grabbed that lead quickly in the afternoon game and never trailed. Rod Williams put East Mississippi up 1-0 early when he drove in Trent Thompson on a two-out single in the bottom of the first inning. Two innings later, Justin Faulkner drove in a run with another two-out hit.
Williams led East Mississippi with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, and Dusty Snider also went 3-for-4. David Nanney, Justin Faulkner and Brandon Mabry each went 2-for-4 for EMCC.
Four of the Lions' nine runs came across with two outs.
East Mississippi cruised to a 6-0 lead in the fifth after a Mabry single scored Williams, but the Warriors answered in the top of the sixth. Two East Central runners scored on an infield error, and Robby Carey jacked a three-run homer later in the inning to cut East Mississippi's lead to 6-5.
But the Lions rebuilt their lead in the bottom of the inning, scoring three more runs for a 9-5 advantage. Thompson came home on a deep sacrifice fly by Nanney, and Williams scored during a botched rundown between first and second. Snider finished the inning by scoring on Mabry's RBI double.
East Central never got a chance for that home run in the top of the seventh. The Warriors failed to score at all, giving the Lions the 9-5 win.
Robert Tucker evened his record at 2-2, pitching a complete game for East Mississippi.
Hunter Holley (3-2) took the loss for East Central, which was led offensively by Carey, who went 2-for-3 with a homer. Corey Coward was 2-for-4.
EMCC 11
ECCC 1
East Mississippi jumped on East Central early and often in game two, shelling the Warriors for nine early runs in an 11-1 win.
Will Matlock improved to 2-3 and allowed only four hits all singles.
Faulkner put the Lions on top quickly in the bottom of the first with a two-RBI single, and Chris Stamps added a two-RBI hit of his own later in the inning for a 4-0 East Mississippi lead.
The Lions built upon their lead in the third inning, manufacturing five more runs for a 9-0 lead. Williams, Mabry, Stamps, Tyler Bratton and Nanney each drove in a run in the third.
The Warriors threatened in the fourth by putting on two runners with one out, but Matlock pitched out of the jam.
Stamps smashed East Mississippi's only homer of the day in the fourth inning, driving in two runs for an 11-0 lead.
East Central put two on with no outs in the fifth inning, but could not stave off the run-rule loss. The Warriors' only run came home when Jim Tally's infield single scored Bryan Bennett.
The two wins improved the Lions' record to 10-21 overall and 3-3 in MACJC Central Division play. East Central is 10-20, 1-5 in the league.
EMCC travels to Holmes Community College on Tuesday, and East Central hosts Meridian Community College on the same day.