| East Mississippi softball team earns doubleheader split with Hinds in 2011 home opener |
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SCOOBA – For the second time in a week’s span, the East Mississippi Community College softball team split a doubleheader with Hinds. After a one-hitter thrown by freshman pitcher Amy Johnson keyed the Lady Lions to an 8-0 run-ruled win in Monday’s home opener, the visiting Lady Eagles managed a 5-4 eight-inning victory in the nightcap to earn the split at the EMCC Softball Field.
In Monday’s opener in Scooba, the Lady Lions sent 11 batters to the plate in the third inning en route to scoring six runs on four hits in addition to four Hinds errors. Sophomore shortstop Mallory Pace contributed a two-run double in the inning to key the rally. The former Northeast Lauderdale product went 3-for-3 in the opener with the two runs batted in and a pair of runs scored. That third-inning explosion was all EMCC needed in the first game, as Johnson allowed just a fourth-inning double to Skyla Meek in picking up her second victory of her freshman year for the Lady Lions. The Starks, La., native struck out two and did not issue a walk while facing but 16 batters in her five-inning win. With nine hits as a team in the first-game victory, the Lady Lions also had Jessie Clark and Lainie Simcox with two hits apiece in the opener. The visiting Lady Eagles grabbed the early advantage in the nightcap, plating one run in the first inning and two more in the third off Johnson to take a 3-0 lead. EMCC responded by knotting the score at 3-3 with two outs in the fourth on consecutive run-producing hits by Clark, Simcox and Nashedra Barry. Neither team could mount any type of scoring opportunity during the late innings to force a deciding extra frame. In leading off the eighth on second base due to softball’s tiebreaker rule, Hinds’ Morgan Lott scored on Clark’s throwing error in an attempt to pick her off second. Mallory Hall then singled, stole second and scored on Meek’s eventual game-winning hit to right field off Lady Lion reliever Alex Dawkins. EMCC got one of the runs back in the bottom of the eighth when Leigh Ellen Barefield scored on Courtney Castleberry’s bunt attempt to third base that was mishandled on the out attempt at first base. However, Castleberry was thrown out to end the game as she attempted to advance to third base on DeShuni Sanders’ subsequent tap back to the pitcher’s circle. Head coach Kate Neely’s 2-7 EMCC Lady Lions will stay at home to play host to preseason 12th-ranked Mississippi Gulf Coast Thursday afternoon (Feb. 24) in a rematch doubleheader set for a 2 p.m. starting time on the Scooba campus. MGCCC swept East Mississippi, 8-0 and 8-1, two weeks ago in Perkinston to open the 2011 softball campaign. |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 22 February 2011 ) |
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