SENATOBIA – Playing their fourth of an eventual five consecutive doubleheaders away from home, the road-weary Lady Lions of East Mississippi Community College dropped a pair of MACJC North Division softball decisions, 5-2 and 3-1, to Northwest Mississippi Community College Tuesday afternoon.

Having last played in Scooba three weeks ago (March 6), EMCC, now 10-19 overall and 4-8 in division play, will head to Goodman to take on Holmes Community College in a Friday afternoon doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.  

In Tuesday’s opener against Northwest, the home-standing Lady Rangers reached EMCC starting pitcher Shelby Sheppard for a pair of first-inning runs and another tally in the second to take an early 3-0 lead.  Northwest moved ahead 4-0 with another run in the fourth off Sheppard, before the former Kemper Academy product was replaced in the circle by Stevie Wilson.

After stranding runners on second and third in both the third and fifth innings, the Lady Lions finally reached Northwest starter Casey Baddley for two runs in the top of the sixth inning.  Sophomore Stormy Lewis, of Quitman, belted her team-leading third home run of the season to put the visitors on the scoreboard.  Later in the inning with two outs, pinch-hitter Shelby Whitt singled home Logan Bozeman, who had followed Lewis’ blast with a single.   

The Lady Rangers added an insurance run in their half of the sixth to account for the 5-2 outcome in game one and snap EMCC’s four-game winning streak in division play.

Following a nine-hit team effort in the opener, the Lady Lions couldn’t generate anything consistent on offense in the nightcap off Northwest’s Emily Hatcher.  Meanwhile, the Lady Rangers again plated two runs in the opening frame to jump out on top 2-0 via an RBI double by Linsey Hebert, who later scored on a passed ball.

Wilson, EMCC’s game two starter in the circle, settled down after the initial inning and worked her way out of jams in the third and fourth innings.  The Lady Rangers, who out-hit the visitors, 11-6, in the nightcap, went in front 3-0 with a solo tally in the fifth inning.

Limited to just three singles through the first five innings, EMCC cut the deficit to 3-1 in the sixth when New Hope’s Haley Tutor capped a 4-for-6 day at the plate with a two-out RBI single that scored Paige Sheppard, who had doubled to left field.

Northwest Mississippi improved to 17-7-1 overall and 8-4 in division play with the doubleheader sweep over EMCC.