| Reigning North champion EMCC Lady Lions swept by Holmes in division-opening softball DH |
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SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College’s attempt at a possible defense of its MACJC North Division softball title didn’t produce the desired initial results, as the home-standing Lady Lions were swept, 5-3 in eight innings and 5-1, by Holmes Community College during Thursday’s division-opening doubleheader played at the EMCC Softball Field.
In the opener, EMCC took a 3-1 lead into the seventh inning by scoring a pair of runs in the third inning and adding an unearned tally in the fifth. However, the visiting Lady Bulldogs fought back to force an extra inning by scoring two runs with two outs on back-to-back RBI singles by Kaitlyn Doles and Kayla Blakely in the seventh. That pattern continued in the extra frame when Victoria Hunt’s two-out, bloop double to left-center field off starting pitcher Stevie Wilson plated the go-ahead runs. Holmes starting pitcher Kelsey Marter, of Grenada, then retired the Lady Lions in order in the eighth to pick up her first of two complete-game victories on the afternoon. Leading the Lady Lions at the plate in the opener were sophomores Stormy Lewis and Alyssa Farr with a pair of hits and an RBI apiece. Former Clarkdale product Amber Spann also lined a run-scoring double over the third base bag during EMCC’s two-run third inning in the opener. Spann followed with a 2-for-4 outing in game two, including scoring the Lady Lions’ lone run of the game. After scattering seven hits while striking out seven in game one, Holmes’ Marter continued to keep the Lady Lion hitters off stride in the nightcap. The freshman right-hander limited EMCC to a solo run on two hits in the first inning before finding her rhythm again. The Lady Lions could not produce another multiple-hit inning for the remainder of the second contest. EMCC actually out-hit Holmes, 8-7, in game two, but defensive miscues by the home team in the fourth and seventh innings added three more insurance runs for the Lady Bulldogs. The visitors grabbed the lead in the nightcap with a pair of runs in the third inning off Lady Lion starting pitcher Misty Richard. Richard, a freshman from West Lauderdale, struck out 10 but also issued five walks in 6.2 innings of work. Both Richard and Wilson fell to 2-4 on the year with their losses in the circle. Head coach Kate Neely’s EMCC Lady Lions, now 5-12 overall and 0-2 to start division play, will attempt to bounce back with a scheduled Saturday doubleheader at Northeast Mississippi Community College. First pitch is slated for noon in Booneville. EMCC’s next home action is set for Tuesday (March 6) with division rival Itawamba Community College coming to town for a 2 p.m. doubleheader at the EMCC Softball Field on the Scooba campus. |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 02 March 2012 ) |
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