February 28, 2021
Freshman first baseman Austin Lee connects on a solo home run to tie game one 1-1 in early inning action. (EC Photo)
The scorekeepers were busy at the Clark/Gay Baseball Complex on the campus of East Central Community College on Saturday, Feb. 27, as the Warriors cruised to two wins over East Mississippi, 9-3 and 14-2. The wins even out the Warriors' record at 5-5 and move the team to 2-0 in MACCC play. EMCC falls to 7-3, 0-2.
Game One | W, 9-3
A big third inning boost lifted the Warriors to a game one win as the team put a five on the board in the bottom of the frame. The game was knotted at 1-1 after an EMCC homer in the first and a responding solo bomb from ECCC's Austin Lee (Madison) in the second. The big inning came from a base-clearing triple from Amani Larry (Bossier City, La.). Kade Turnage (Picayune) pushed one across with a sac-fly, and a double from Ty McCollough (Greenville) really blew the game open as two more runs crossed the plate making it 6-1.
A two-run homer from EMCC's Austin Beech in the fifth kept the Lions in the contest, but the Warriors' offense could not be stopped as J.T. Vance (Union) scored one on a groundout in response.
A Jesse Boydstun (Louisville) sac-fly and Larry scoring on a passed ball in the eighth fished out the high-scoring affair.
Gage Tufnell (Hurley) was the winning pitcher for ECCC as he got the start on the mound. The righty went six and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out four. Gates Pee (Clinton) and Brian Johnson (Ridgeland) entered the game out of the bullpen and helped close it out with two strong outings.
Two hits from McCollough and Roper Ball (Noxapater) led the way at the plate for the Warriors. Larry joined McCollough with two RBIs each.
Game Two | W, 14-2
A groundout RBI put the Lions on top in the top of the first, but the ECCC Warriors picked up right where they left off with a whopping six-run first inning. A pair of singles from Larry and Ball put runners on the bags and they both scored on a couple of Lion errors. Eli Harrison (Little Rock) pushed in two more with an RBI single before McCollough drove in another two with a double.
A Larry RBI double in the second grew the lead to 7-1 before the Warriors' bats exploded again in the third with RBIs from Ball, Larry, Boydstun. The four-spot pushed the ECCC lead to 11-1 going into the fourth.
The Lions got one back in the top of the fourth, but another three RBIs, this time from Harrison, McCollough, and Clayton Cook (Mize), grew the lead to 14-2.
Hayden West (Decatur) led the Warriors to victory on the mound. The righty went three and a third innings, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out five. Walker Johnson (Mantee) threw one and two-thirds innings in relief out of the bullpen.
McCollough, Cook, and Larry all finished with three hits in the shortened game while Harison and McCollough's three RBIs were team-best.
Up Next
ECCC is back in front of the home crowd on Tuesday, March, as the Pearl River Wildcats travel to the Clark/Gay Baseball Complex. The doubleheader is set for 3 and 6 p.m. and fans can watch the action live at www.eccclive.com/gold or on WKOZ Cruisin 98.3 FM.
