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PERKINSTON – In their third road baseball doubleheader in a week’s span, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College were swept, 5-3 and 4-3 in eight innings, by Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College late Tuesday afternoon at Curly Farris Field on the MGCCC campus.
Following three scoreless innings in the opener, EMCC took the first lead in the top of the fourth inning on Tyler Bonaventure’s two-run home run off MGCCC starting pitcher Tyler Bray that also scored courtesy runner Cody Berryhill. Sophomore catcher Zane Migues got the rally started with a one-out single. Bonaventure’s homer was the Brusly, La., native’s first collegiate round-tripper, as well as marking the Lions’ first home run as a team this season.
The home-standing Bulldogs struck right back in the bottom half of the inning with a four-run fourth to take a 4-2 lead. MGCCC benefitted from a lead-off walk and four straight singles off EMCC relievers Blake Thomas and Dillon Hawkins. Freshman right-hander Corbin Johnson drew the starting nod on the mound for the Lions in game one but didn’t figure in the decision after pitching just the first two innings.
After Gulf Coast added an unearned run in the fifth frame, the visitors mounted a comeback attempt in the top of the seventh. Leroy Wilson, of Columbus, started the rally for the Lions with a one-out single. Following a pop out, consecutive pinch-hit singles by Randy Hornesbuger and Holden Watts brought Wilson around to score to cut the deficit to 5-3. However, with Jason Yarbor at the plate, Hornesbuger was thrown out at third base while attempting to advance on a ball thrown in the dirt by MGCCC reliever Jordan Mata.
The nightcap featured another tight contest, as the Bulldogs grabbed the early 1-0 lead in the first on a run-scoring triple by Ben Slaton that plated Michael Gilbert following his lead-off double. The two teams would trade single tallies in the next two innings. In EMCC’s second at-bat, Wilson doubled and later scored during a delayed steal of second base by Watts. Gulf Coast went back ahead 2-1 with a solo run a frame later.
The Lions would take back their short-lived lead with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Watts, a former Stone High School product, smacked a one-out double to ignite the rally. Yarbor then drove home Watts with a two-out single to left field. After Aaron Brady singled, Austin Braddock’s ground ball was booted by the second baseman, allowing Yarbor to race home and put EMCC on top briefly by a 3-2 score.
However, the Bulldogs immediately knotted the score at 3-3 in the bottom half of the fifth on a lead-off home run by Daniel Miles off EMCC starting pitcher Blake Hutcheson. With the extra-inning contest, the sophomore left-hander from Saltillo didn’t figure into the decision after scattering six hits and giving up three runs over 5.1 innings.
With both teams using three additional pitchers over the final three innings, both EMCC and Gulf Coast squandered scoring opportunities down the stretch to force an extra and decisive eighth inning. After leaving a runner at third base to end a scoreless sixth inning, the Lions stranded potential go-ahead runs at second and third during the seventh and eighth innings.
Meanwhile, the Lions did atone themselves defensively by first gunning down a runner at third base in the sixth on a throw by Yarbor from center field. An inning later, EMCC’s Brady, from left field, nailed courtesy runner Brelan Booker at home plate as he attempted to score the would-be winning run on Joey Harris’ two-out single.
The decisive bottom of the eighth inning started ominously for the Lions and reliever K.C. Abney with a lead-off walk to JC Cassidy, who was then bunted over to second. Following a walk to Hunter Frierson at the bottom of the lineup, Cassidy later took off for third base on a steal attempt. Migues’ throw from his catcher’s position bounded away from Braddock at third to send the winning run to home plate and complete the home sweep for the 11-3 Bulldogs.
Coach Chris Rose’s 3-7 EMCC Lions return home for a scheduled 5 p.m. doubleheader Friday evening against Pearl River at Gerald Poole Field on the Scooba campus.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 29 February 2012 )
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.jpg "Image") Coach Dale Peay’s EMCC Lions made their spring golf debut by grabbing third-place team honors Monday at The Oaks Golf Club in Pass Christian.
Coach Dale Peay’s EMCC Lions carded a first-round 305 on Sunday to hold a 4-stroke lead over four-time defending NJCAA Region 23 champion Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The Bulldogs, along with Copiah-Lincoln CC, bounced back Monday with identical 301 team scores, while EMCC lost the lead with a second-day score of 310. MGCCC and Co-Lin finished atop the team leader board at 610 and 611, respectively, slightly ahead of the Lions’ 615 composite total.
Making their successful collegiate debuts for East Mississippi, newcomers Miles Respess and Nick Davis placed third and fourth, respectively, among the tournament’s individual leaders. Respess, of Paragould, Ark., stood second following Sunday’s even-par 72 but fell a notch to third after his 78 in Monday’s final round. Davis, last year’s Alabama Class 4A state runner-up for Springville High School, followed a stroke behind his teammate with rounds of 74 and 77.
Reigning MACJC stroke average leader and 2011 Hubert Tucker Award recipient, sophomore Weston Wallace also earned a Top 10 finish for the Lions. The former Northwest Rankin product shaved four strokes off his opening-round 80 to finish in a three-way tie for eighth place with a 156 (80-76) composite score.
Co-Lin’s Keaton Stamps collected individual medalist honors with a two-day score of 147 (71-76) to hold off teammate Bull Mixon (75-73—148) on the final day of the Mississippi Gulf Coast-hosted event.
EMCC sophomore Andrew Spiers, of Pearl River Central High School, tied for 12th individually with a pair of 79s. Rounding out the scorecard for the Lions and tying for 24th place overall were Caledonia’s Zac Taylor (85-81—166) and Tyler Slocum (78-88—166). Slocum, a sophomore from DeSoto Central High School, competed as an individual for East Mississippi.
The MACJC’s second spring golf event takes place this weekend (March 3-4) at the Eagle Ridge Golf Course in Raymond. The two-day tournament will be hosted by Hinds Community College.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 February 2012 )
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FULTON – The 10th-ranked Lions of East Mississippi Community College drilled 17 three-point field goals en route to cruising to a convincing 103-70 victory over Jones County in Monday’s first-round men’s action of the 2012 MACJC State Basketball Tournament being played at the Davis Event Center on the campus of Itawamba Community College. The 33-point triumph marked EMCC’s 20th win of the season and gave fifth-year head coach Mark White his 100th career victory with the Lions.
The top-seeded EMCC Lions, 20-3 overall and MACJC North Division regular-season champions for the third straight year, advance to take on the South Division’s second-seeded Wildcats of Pearl River Community College in Wednesday’s tournament semifinals. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. on the ICC campus.
Pearl River, who bested Northwest Mississippi CC, 75-59, in Monday’s opening round, has knocked out EMCC from state tournament championship contention each of the last two years. Last season in Wesson, the Wildcats claimed 61-52 semifinal-round win over the Lions. Two years ago in Scooba, PRCC posted a 61-58 road victory over home-standing East Mississippi in the 2010 state championship contest.
Against Jones County, the Lions forced early turnovers and tallied 11 unanswered points on the offensive end to jump to a double-digit lead (15-4) eight minutes into the contest. Following a put-back basket by JCJC’s Courtney Mack, EMCC went on a 13-0 run to mount a 22-point margin (28-6) with eight minutes left in the half.
The cushion ballooned to 31 points (39-8) with just over four minutes remaining until intermission following another 11-0 EMCC spurt. The Lions’ insurmountable advantage stood at 51-15 at the halftime break, as they connected on 7-of-12 three-point shots through the opening 20 minutes of play.
Much of the same continued following the break, as EMCC’s bulge reached 40 points (55-15) 1:18 into the second stanza on a 3-pointer by sophomore playmaker D.J. Evans. Still red-hot from the perimeter with 10-of-15 accuracy from beyond the arc after halftime, the Lions’ lead reached a game-high 47 points (66-19) four minutes into the half before the two-time defending NJCAA Region 23 champions settled for the 33-point final outcome.
Evans, a former All-Jackson Metro selection out of Brandon, keyed EMCC’s scoring outburst and shooting exhibition by scoring a game-high 25 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting. Sophomore swingman Deon Bedford, out of West Oktibbeha County High School, recorded his second double-double of the year with 16 points and 10 rebounds, including 10-of-10 perfection from the line and seven offensive boards. Slowed by first-half foul trouble, sophomore transfer Colin Borchert tallied all 16 of his points in the second half, while sophomore sharpshooter Dione Milsap accounted for his dozen points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting.
Falling to 12-12 on the season, the Jones County Bobcats were led by Donta Pittman and Tim Allen with 12 points apiece. Felton Collins added 10 points for JCJC.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 27 February 2012 )
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TEXARKANA, Ark. – The East Mississippi Community College rodeo teams opened the spring portion of their schedule by placing second in men’s competition and tied for third in women’s action this past weekend at the Cossatot Community College-hosted event. The season-opening rodeo of the Ozark Region’s five-event spring slate concluded Saturday evening at Texarkana’s Four States Fairgrounds.
In men’s competition for the Lions, sophomore cowboy Andrew Yates and freshman Ethan Bobo led the way with first-place individual finishes. Yates, of Crystal Springs, collected an event-high 155 points in the calf roping competition, while Bobo, of Carthage, took top honors with 125 points in the steer wrestling event.
Freshman Shane Overby, of Morton, picked up 55 points with his sixth-place showing in calf roping. In addition, former Noxubee County product D.D. Hunt and Scooter Scarbrough, of Florence, jointly collected 70 points for the EMCC men by tying for fourth place in the team roping competition.
As a team, the EMCC Lions compiled 405 points for the runner-up finish. Ozark Region powerhouse Missouri Valley College comfortably claimed first-place men’s honors with 935 points. A year ago, the MVC men placed fourth nationally as a team in the 2011 College National Finals Rodeo held in Casper, Wyo.
Lady Lion freshman cowgirl Kellie Hailey, of Macon, single-handedly totaled all of the 165 points for the EMCC women in their spring opener. The former Central Academy product earned 100 points for a second-place tie in the breakaway roping competition. She also grabbed 40 points in goat tying and 25 points in barrel racing.
The Lady Lions’ 165 team points tied with Missouri Valley College for third place, finishing behind team champion Southern Arkansas University (330 points) and runner-up Tennessee-Martin (185).
Coach Morgan Goodrich’s East Mississippi Community College rodeo teams will next participate at the University of Arkansas at Monticello event to take place March 29-31.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 26 February 2012 )
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DECATUR – The East Mississippi Community College baseball team bounced back from a heartbreaking 3-1 road loss in Saturday’s opener with a 6-1 win in the nightcap to earn a doubleheader split against East Central Community College at the Clark/Gay Baseball Complex.
The Lions and Warriors battled through eight scoreless innings of the scheduled nine-inning opener to set up an eventful final frame. In the top of the ninth, EMCC leadoff batter Tyler Bonaventure reached on a walk and was sacrificed to second by Spencer Wilson. Following a groundout, Lion sophomore catcher Zane Migues battled back from a two-strike hole to get his second single of the contest. With EMCC runners on first and third, East Central reliever Brock Ward balked in the go-ahead run. Ward’s replacement, Evan Humphries, then hit Ismael Reyes and walked Jason Yarbor to load the bases, but late-game replacement Brett Tortorich popped up to second base to end the threat.
Though finally posting a run with the solo tally in the ninth inning, the Lions left two runners on base in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings before leaving the bases loaded in the ninth. Those nine stranded runners late in the game would come back to haunt the visitors.
The home-standing Warriors promptly responded in the bottom of the ninth. Leadoff batter Jared Seymour earned a four-pitch walk from EMCC middle reliever Dillon Hawkins. Freshman right-hander Tyler Jones came in and picked up an out when Tim Anderson sacrificed Seymour to second base. Ricardo Velez followed with a single to set up Carlos Leal’s walk-off, three-run home run to right-center field, giving East Central the 3-1, come-from-behind victory in the opening game.
The nightcap also started out as a pitcher’s duel. Following three scoreless innings, the Warriors plated the game’s first run when Leal scored on a wild pitch by EMCC starting pitcher Smokey Ethridge after leading off the fourth inning with a walk.
The Lions scratched out solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings before adding four insurance runs in the final frame of the pre-determined, seven-inning nightcap. Reyes drove in the tying run in the fifth with his first of two doubles in the contest. An inning later, Randy Hornesbuger knocked in Austin Braddock with a sacrifice fly to give EMCC the 2-1 lead.
With middle reliever Tyler Thomas earning the win with his brief fifth-inning appearance and freshman K.C. Abney picking up the save by working two shutout innings, EMCC’s pitching trio would only allow a third-inning, leadoff single by Xzavier Franklin. Ethridge surrendered just the one single and only one run, while striking out two and walking two, over 4.2 innings, though the former West Lauderdale product didn’t figure in the decision.
After Reyes, of Northeast Lauderdale, led off the final frame with his second double of the nightcap and third hit of the day, the visitors would tack on four more runs on successive two-run doubles by Migues and Bonaventure to push the final margin to 6-1. Migues, from Lafayette, La., went 3-for-4 at the plate in game two to cap off a 5-for-7 effort on the afternoon.
Coach Chris Rose’s 3-5 East Mississippi Lions will be back on the road to take on Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in a Tuesday twinbill in Perkinston, before returning home to play host to Pearl River CC in a Friday doubleheader set to begin at 5 p.m. at Gerald Poole Field on the Scooba campus.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 25 February 2012 )
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