May 3, 2018
The East Central Community College Warriors could not get the bats going against Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Wednesday, May 2, as the Bulldogs swept an MACJC doubleheader at Ken “Curly” Farris Field in Perkinston.
East Central managed just two hits in a 9-1 eight-inning loss to Gulf Coast in the opener and five hits in the 5-2 nightcap loss.
With the losses, East Central is now 29-15 overall on the season and 16-10 in MACJC league play. The Gulf Coast Bulldogs improved to 31-13 overall and 15-11 in the league.
Despite being swept, the Warriors are ensured of a trip to the playoffs for the ninth straight year. The team with the best MACJC record at the conclusion of the regular season is crowned state champion. The next eight teams face off in best-of-three playoff series May 10-11 to determine which four teams compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 23 Tournament May 16-20 at LSU-Eunice in Eunice, La.
East Central still has a chance to host a first-round playoff series depending on the outcome of the final regular season MACJC games this weekend. The Warriors host Northwest Mississippi Community College in games scheduled Saturday, May 5, at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. in the Clark-Gay Baseball Complex in Decatur.
In the opener at Gulf Coast, the Warriors managed just two hits and five base runners off Bulldog left-hander Josh Lewis, who went the distance. East Central’s lone score came off a double from Hunter Harper of Enterprise in the top of the second. A couple of two-run homers by Gulf Coast in the bottom of the first put the Warriors in an early hole.
In game two, East Central took a 1-0 lead with a solo home run in the second inning off the bat of freshman Ken Scott of Clarkdale, his sixth of the season. But Gulf Coast had another four-run inning in the third, including a three-run home run, to move in front to stay 4-1. The Warriors’ other run came off a double from freshman Will Ross of Hernando in the fifth.
