East Central Community College’s baseball team registered impressive rallies in claiming a pair of wins over Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Saturday at the Clark/Gay Baseball Complex.

The Diamond Warriors overcame a late 6-1 deficit in the first game to post an 11-7 victory, and scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-5 squeaker in the nightcap to complete the sweep.

With the victories, East Central improved to 28-8 overall and 10-4 in the MACJC South Division. The Diamond Warriors are currently in second place behind Hinds Community College, which leads the division at 9-3. The two squads will battle Tuesday, April 13, beginning at 3 p.m. on the Raymond campus. 

After managing just one run in the first four innings in the opener with Gulf Coast, the EC offense got rolling by scoring four runs in the fifth inning and six runs in the sixth frame to notch the come-back victory.

Quin Stokes of Carthage and Ricardo Velez of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, each homered in the opener, and multiple hits were registered by Donnie Tabb of Neshoba Central, Andre Yates of Grenada and Charles Hill of Carthage. Tabb tripled and doubled with two RBIs; Yates had two singles and three RBIs; and Hill belted two doubles and collected two RBIs. Vincent Kortbawi, a product of Hale County High School in Moundville, Ala.; Blake Lawson of Biloxi and Darmaal Moore of Stone County contributed a single each.

Right-hander Allen Johnson was the winning pitcher in relief, allowing one run on one hit through two innings. The Leake Academy product also fanned four batters and walked three. Starter Ernie Triplett of Louisville pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed one run on two hits. The southpaw fanned one batter and walked three. Right-hander Barry Meeks of Patrician (Ala.) Academy hurled 1 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits. He also fanned two batters and walked two. Southpaws Bobby Bryan of Crossett, Ark., and Willard Bacon of Choctaw Central pitched 1/3 inning each. Bryan allowed three runs on four hits and walked a batter.     

Yates and Triplett had multiple hits to lead the EC offense in the second contest. Yates doubled and singled, and Triplett had two singles and collected an RBI. Singles each were recorded by Tabb, Kortbawi, Stokes and Velez. Kortbawi, Stokes, Velez and Richie Long of Carthage were credited with an RBI each.

Right-hander Cal Cossich of Ocean Springs got the win in relief. He hurled the final 1/3 inning and fanned one batter. Donnie Tabb, a right-hander, got the start and went 1 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs on six hits, fanned three batters and walked two. Right-hander Tyler Dalton of Winston Academy went three innings and fanned three batters. Lefty Austin Buchanan of Neshoba Central hurled two innings, allowing one run on one hit. He also walked two batters.

The Diamond Warriors are led by head coach Neal Holliman and assistants Michael Avalon and Hunter Vick.