| EMCC Lions split home baseball twin bill with Jones County |
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.jpg "Image") Luke Walker (left) went 4-for-4 at the plate and Corey Luke went the distance on the mound, as the Lions pulled out a 5-4 comeback victory in Saturday’s opening contest of a doubleheader split at home against non-divisional foe Jones County. After cutting the deficit to 4-2 with a pair of runs in the sixth inning of the opening contest, the Lions continued their momentum in the final frame. Former West Lauderdale standout Luke Walker capped a 4-for-4 outing with a leadoff single and would later come around to score EMCC’s third run with a stolen base and subsequent wild pitch. Following a single by Northeast Lauderdale product Nathan Peden, Heidelberg’s Derek Beach knotted the score at 4-4 with an opposite-field single. David Williams and Billy Beard both reached safely on sacrifice bunt attempts that resulted in an infield error and fielder’s choice, respectively. With the bases loaded, Nettleton’s Cody Brownlee bounced into a double play that forced Beach at home. However, pinch hitter Addison Swink of Southeast Lauderdale came through in the clutch by scoring Williams on a game-winning, two-out single hit deep in the hole between short and third. The visiting Bobcats struck first in the opener with three runs in the third inning, as Chris Lofton’s two-run triple down the left-field line was followed by Tyler Gardner’s sacrifice fly. JCJC plated a solo run the following frame after a slow start to the inning. After EMCC starter Corey Luke struck out the first two Bobcat batters, Dustin Gilmore singled up the middle. After stealing second and moving to third on a throwing error by Williams behind the plate, Gilmore scored on Zachary Robertson’s single to center. A former standout at Philadelphia High School, Luke picked up the complete-game victory in the opener for the Lions, scattering seven hits over seven innings. After allowing runs in the third and fourth innings, he settled down to surrender only one hit – a leadoff double by Tyler McMullen in the sixth – over the final three innings. Though managing only three hits in the nightcap, the Lions manufactured solo scores in four successive innings to take a 4-1 advantage into the final inning. With EMCC forced to use three different pitchers in relief of starter Drake Gregory, Jones County sent 11 batters to the plate in the seventh inning and pushed across six runs on five hits to take the nightcap by a 7-4 final tally. Coach Tony Montgomery’s EMCC Lions, now 7-29 overall and 2-9 in North Division play, continue their current four-date home stand by playing host to divisional foe Northwest Mississippi Tuesday afternoon in a doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. start on the Scooba campus. |
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 05 April 2009 ) |
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