May 21, 2021
The No. 15 East Central Community College Warriors plated eight runs in the final three innings to come from behind and defeat the No. 2 LSU Eunice Bengals, 9-8, on Friday afternoon in Poplarville. With the win, the Warriors force a winner-take-all game set for Saturday, May 22 at 3 p.m. The winner earns Region XXIII Champion honors, but more importantly, pick up a bid to the NJCAA DII Baseball World Series in Enid, Okla.
The Warriors played as the visitors on Friday and trailed 1-0 after the first inning as the Bengals plated a run on a groundout. ECCC was quick to put a run on the board as the bases were loaded in the second after two errors and a walk. R.J. Fletcher (St. Martin) scored Conner Hicks (Stringer) with a groundout, but that was all the Warriors could manage.
An error and another RBI groundout allowed the Bengals to recapture the lead in the bottom of the second, 3-1. The next three innings were a pitching duel as Jacob Holifield (Semmes, Ala.) shutdown the Bengals' bats including a three strikeout fifth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bengals added one run, but the Warriors were just getting started. Eli Harrison (Little Rock) and Fletcher reached base via a walk and single to lead off the frame. Branson Sharpley (Taylorsville) got the big inning going with a base-clearing triple. Clayton Cook (Mize) quickly drove him in with a single before Amani Larry (Bossier City, La.) scored Cook on a ground out. The four-run inning put ECCC on top, 5-4.
The Bengals tied the game once again in the seventh at 5-5, but the energy from the Warrior dugout and faithful fans in attendance fueled another massive inning when it was needed most. Harrison and Fletcher roped a pair of singles before Jesse Boydstun (Louisville) loaded the bags after drawing a walk early in the inning. Cook brought home two Warrior runs with a rip down the leftfield line. Roper Ball (Noxapater) added another with an RBI single, and Larry followed suit with yet another RBI single giving ECCC a 9-5 advantage going into the bottom of the eighth.
LSU Eunice showed a lot of fight in the bottom of the eighth and plated three runs, but the Warriors got out of the frame on a strikeout-throwout as Walker Johnson (Mantee) fanned a batter before Fletcher threw a dart to third to get the stealing Bengal.
Neither team plated a run in the ninth with ECCC forcing a pair of groundouts and a fly out to keep the season alive.
Holifield got the start on the mound for the Warriors and went six innings, allowing five runs (three earned), four hits, walking two, and striking out five. Gates Pee (Clinton) threw in relief and picked up the win after his one-inning, hitless outing. Ervin Simmons (Greenville), Brian Johnson (Ridgeland), and Walker Johnson all threw in the final two frames.
At the plate, the Warriors were led by three hits from Ball and two hits from Cook, Fletcher, and Larry. Cook drove in three runs, while both Ball and Sharpley plated two.
Up Next
The Warriors will face the LSU Eunice Bengals tomorrow, Saturday, May 22 at 3 p.m. With both teams having one loss in the tournament, it will be a winner-take-all contest. Fans can watch the game live at www.prccmedia.com/gold.
