| Home-standing EMCC Lions drop pair to division-leading Holmes in key MACJC baseball twinbill |
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SCOOBA – In a key MACJC North Division baseball doubleheader, the home-standing Lions of East Mississippi Community College battled first-place Holmes to the final out before falling, 2-0 and 6-3, to the visiting Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at EMCC’s Gerald Poole Field.
The opener featured a classic pitching duel between EMCC’s Cole Vaughan and Taylor Burrell of Holmes, as both hurlers entered the final inning having allowed but one hit apiece while also having each faced but one batter over the minimum through the first six frames. In the top of the seventh, Vaughan retired the first two Holmes batters before Brandon Villarreal ripped a single to center field. Vaughan then got Josh Crowder to strike out on a ball in the dirt, but Lion catcher Jake Upton’s throw to first base hit the runner in the back. Villarreal moved over to third on the throwing error. Jocobby Robinson promptly knocked in the game’s first run with a bouncer up the middle, followed by Jermaine Liggins’ run-scoring single to left field. In the Lions’ final at-bat, Alex Chick reached base with a one-out single to left for EMCC’s second hit of the contest. Aaron Brady had previously reached on a bunt single in the third inning. However, Holmes’ Burrell struck out the next two batters to preserve his two-hit shutout. The Bulldogs’ freshman right-hander fanned 10 and did not allow a walk in the complete-game victory. Vaughan, EMCC’s sophomore left-hander, was equally as impressive on the hill, giving up just four hits and striking out nine while going the distance. The former Heritage Academy product fell to 0-2 on the year with the tough-luck loss for the Lions. In the nightcap, the visitors broke open a scoreless contest with five runs in the third inning on only three hits. Along with five stolen bases in the frame, the Bulldogs benefitted from two EMCC errors along with a pair of walks, a passed ball and a wild pitch while batting around. With EMCC middle reliever Lance Portera keeping the Lions in the contest by throwing 3.2 innings of two-hit baseball, fellow Oak Hill Academy product Mitch Bohon cut the deficit to 5-3 with one swing of the bat in the fifth inning. After Brady led off the inning with a single and Noah Greer reached on a hit-by-pitch, Bohon launched his team-leading fifth home run of the year over the left-center field fence off Holmes starter Rafiel Johnson. After the Bulldogs added an unearned insurance run in the top of the seventh, EMCC managed to load the bases in the bottom half of the inning on a Bohon single and two subsequent walks. However, Holmes stopper Caleb Kellum got Tyler Bonaventure to fly out in the infield for the game’s final out. Limited to just eight total hits on the afternoon by Holmes pitching, the Lions received a pair of hits from Bohon and Brady in the nightcap to lead the way. Freshman left-hander Thomas Dorsey took the loss for EMCC, falling to 1-2 on the season after getting lifted in the five-run third inning. Now 12-25 overall and 10-8 in division play, head coach Chris Rose’s EMCC Lions stay at home to play host to the Coahoma Tigers on Tuesday (April 19). First pitch at Gerald Poole Field is set for 3 p.m. on the Scooba campus. |
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 17 April 2011 ) |
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