EMCC - Athletics: Sports, News, Players, and Coaches. Go Lions! - EMCC Lady Lions improve to 9-1 in division play with 12-0 softball win at Northeast

BOONEVILLE –The Lady Lions of East Mississippi Community College improved their division-leading softball mark to 9-1 on the year with a 12-0 road victory over Northeast Mississippi in a solo game Thursday afternoon at Booneville City Park.

The seven-inning single contest concluded a previously scheduled doubleheader against the Lady Tigers that was postponed back on March 4 because of rain following a 6-4 EMCC win in the opening game.

In Thursday’s contest, the Lady Lions reached Northeast starting pitcher Kelle West with a run in the second inning on back-to-back doubles by Cassandra Cobb and Cayla Coleman. A frame later, run-producing hits from Jessie Clark and Courtney Castleberry put the visitors on top 3-0 after three innings.

That would be all of the offensive production needed for EMCC starting pitcher Amy Johnson, who got out a bases-loaded jam in the third inning en route to throwing a four-hit shutout against Northeast. With three of those four hits coming in the third, Johnson would go on to retire the Lady Tigers in order during the final three frames. Improving to 10-7 on the year, Johnson, a freshman from Starks, La., struck out two batters and allowed two walks in the complete-game triumph.

Pounding out a total of 18 hits in the contest, including nine doubles, the Lady Lions erupted for nine runs on 10 hits in the sixth inning to blow open the contest. With five doubles in the inning, EMCC sent 13 batters to the plate, including one stretch that featured six straight hits.

Individually, EMCC had six different players with multiple hits in the contest, led by Coleman’s 4-for-4 effort at the plate. The former Clarkdale High School standout also knocked in three runs and had a pair of doubles. Clark, a fellow Clarkdale product, and Mallory Pace, of Northeast Lauderdale, followed with three hits and two runs batted in apiece for the winners.

Now 13-14 overall on the season with a current five-game winning streak, head coach Kate Neely’s EMCC Lady Lions head to Senatobia to take on Northwest Mississippi CC in a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader against the Lady Rangers.