March 11, 2022
The No. 5 East Central Community College Baseball team made the trip to Scooba on Friday, March 11, to take on the East Mississippi Lions to open MACCC play for the 2022 season. The Warriors rallied from a five-run deficit in the opener to take a 14-10 win, but the Lions got the best of the Warriors in the nightcap, 9-3. The loss snapped an eight-game win streak and moved the Warriors to 14-3 overall and to 1-1 on the year. East Miss goes to 6-8, 1-1.
ECCC's Trey Lewis and Clayton Cook picked up hits in both games to extend their hitting streaks. Lewis' grew to a team-high 13, while Cook's moved nine. J.T. Vance reached base in the first game, extending his reached base streak to 16, but had it snapped in the nightcap.
Game One | W, 14-10
The Warriors trailed early in the conference opener as the Lions plated three runs in the bottom of the first and added one in both the second and third to grow a 5-0 lead.
ECCC's bats finally woke up in the top of the fourth as the Warriors not only bit into the Lion lead but took a one-run advantage as the Warriors drove in the six runs. Coleten Smith and Kade Turnage led things off with a double and single. Smith scored on a Leighton Jenkins sac-fly before Cook drove in Turnage and Conner Hicks with a double later in the frame. Lewis followed and keep the momentum going with a two-run homer to left to tie the game at 5-all. Vance drove in Eli Collins later in the frame to put ECCC on top, 6-5.
The lead was short-lived as EMCC led off the bottom of the inning with a solo homer.
ECCC hit right back in the top of the fifth with a solo homer from Ty McCollough. That lead grew to 10-6 later in the inning as Collins cleared out some loaded bases with a double to left.
The high-scoring matchup kept on in the sixth as Hicks ripped a sac-fly, but the Lions got the run right back with yet another solo homer.
ECCC's final runs came in the top of the ninth with an RBI single from Vance and RBI double from Austin Lee. EMCC got some runs back in the bottom of the ninth, but it was not enough as the Warriors hung on to a 14-10 win.
ECCC got 17 hits in the slugfest, while the Lions racked up 15. Lewis led the Warriors as he went 4-for-4 from the dish. Cook was next with three hits, while Vance and Smith posted two each. Collins' three-run double allowed the freshman to lead the way with three RBIs.
Gage Tufnell got the start on the mound for the Warriors and went three innings, surrendering seven hits, five runs – all earned – one walk and two strikeouts. Luke Odom, Cade Hall, and Ervin Simmons all threw in relief with Odom getting the win.
Game Two | L, 9-3
It was a pitcher's duel for most of the second game as both teams struggled to get run across the plates, a stark contrast to the first game. The Lions plated a run in the bottom of the third on a fielder's choice, but that was all the scoring until the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Lions poured in eight runs as EMCC had seven singles, drew a walk, and capitalized on a fielding error. The big frame pushed the Lion lead to 9-0 going into the seventh.
The Warriors battled back in the top of the seventh with Austin Green leading off with a walk. Smith, Cook, and Lewis posted three straight singles with Lewis' plating Green. Collins and Vance drove in a pair of runs on two ground outs, but that was all she wrote for the Warriors in game two.
Grant Edwards got the start for the Warriors on the bump and picked up the loss. The freshman went five and one third innings surrendering seven hits, five runs – all earned – no walks, and struck out two. Dagan Martin and Cole Wilkerson both threw in relief.
EMCC outhit the Warriors 10 to eight on the night. Cook, Lewis, and Ramie Harrison all posted multiple hits, while Lewis, Collins, and Vance all had RBIs.
Up Next
The Warriors continue MACCC action Tuesday, March 15, when they host Southwest in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. at the Clark-Gay Complex on campus.
