February 29, 2020
The No. 16 ranked East Central Community College Lady Warriors came out swinging at the Hinds Community College Softball Tournament Feb. 29, exploding for 38 runs on 36 hits to defeat Marion Military Institute and No. 6 LSU-Eunice in play at Quarry Park in Brandon.
East Central used a 17-run fourth inning to beat Marion Military 19-1 in the opener. The Lady Warriors then beat No. 6 LSU-Eunice 19-5 in the second game of the day. East Central had 15 hits, including three home runs, in the win over Marion and 21 hits and seven home runs in the victory over LSU-Eunice.
The Lady Warriors are now 8-4 on the season. Marion Military falls to 10-8 and LSU-Eunice is 11-8.
East Central got some revenge in the five-inning run-rule win over Marion Military, having lost three times already this season to the Lady Tigers from Marion, Ala.
The Lady Warriors led 2-1 heading to the pivotal fourth inning thanks in part to a solo home run off the bat of sophomore catcher Anna McNeer (Canton Academy) in the first inning.
In the fourth, McNeer homered again, this time with two runners on base. Sophomore third baseman Hannah Dufault (Hurley, East Central) added a two-run blast. The Lady Warriors also had three doubles and seven singles in the 17-run inning.
McNeer and freshman second baseman Landree Amis (Newton County) each had three hits in the win. McNeer drove in four runs and Amis three. Dufault, sophomore designated hitter Annabell Watkins (Leake Academy), sophomore shortstop Kaylee Webb (Ruston, La.), and sophomore left fielder Olivia Houston (Northwest Rankin) had two hits and two RBI each.
Freshman Gracey Baucom (Purvis) and sophomores Braelyn Boykin (Mize) and Brooklyn King (George County) held Marion to just two hits on the afternoon.
The Lady Warriors scored in every inning in the big win over the LSU-Eunice Bengals. Seven runs crossed the plate in the top of the third as Dufault and freshman first baseman Zharia Richardson (Harrison Central) led off with back-to-back home runs. Houston had a three-run home run and McNeer another solo blast later in the inning. Amis also had an RBI single in the third.
Watkins had a solo home run in the second, Richardson had her second of the game to lead off the fourth, and Houston hit her second of the game to start the fifth inning. Webb knocked in a couple of runs with a triple in the fifth.
In game two, Houston had four hits and five RBI. Dufault, Richardson, and Watkins all had three hits. Sophomore center fielder Parker Breland, freshman right fielder Sidney Rone (Ethel), and Amis each had two hits.
King and Boykin combined to hold LSU-Eunice to seven hits.
East Central will play its first home games in three weeks when Coahoma visits Decatur for an MACJC doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 6. No. 18 Lansing will visit the Softball Park on campus Sunday, March 8, for two games that start at 2 p.m.
