March 30, 2019
East Central first baseman Will Ross stretches for the throw to nab the runner at first in game one against East Mississippi. (EC Photo)
The East Central Community College Warriors won the opener 7-5, but then were no-hit in the nightcap in an MACJC baseball doubleheader split with the visiting East Mississippi Community College Lions Friday, March 29, at the Clark-Gay Baseball Complex in Decatur.
East Central is now 12-12 overall on the season and 5-5 in MACJC play. EMCC is 4-17 overall and 1-7 in the conference.
The two teams also split a non-conference doubleheader back on March 8 in Scooba.
East Central moved out to a 7-0 lead after five innings in game one. The Warriors scored two runs in the bottom of the first on a fielder’s choice ground out by Ken Scott (Clarkdale) that scored Al Dumas (Eupora), who opened the inning hit by a pitch, and an RBI single off the bat of sophomore catcher Alex Hay (Lewisburg).
The Warriors scored three more times in the bottom of the second on four doubles. Sophomore outfielder Ryan Cupit (West Monroe, La.) doubled and scored on a double by sophomore shortstop Jay Johnston (Lake). The freshman center fielder Dumas doubled in Johnston, and sophomore second baseman Anderson Shelley (Greenville, Washington School) doubled in Dumas.
The Warriors added a single run in the bottom of the third on a double by sophomore first baseman Will Ross (Hernando) and another in the fourth on a double by the sophomore right fielder Scott.
East Mississippi did the rest of the scoring in game one, closing the gap to 7-5 in the top of the ninth. Freshman right-hander Will Newell (Florence) came to the mound and got the final out on a called strike three with runners on second and third.
Six of East Central’s hits in the opener were doubles. Ross and Johnston had three hits each.
Sophomore right-hander Thomas Boothe (Fairhope, Ala., Bayside Academy) got the win. Booth threw five and a third innings and gave up two runs on four hits and struck out eight batters.
EMCC’s Jaxen Forrester threw a seven-inning no hitter in the nightcap, as only five East Central players reached base, including two walks, two errors and a dropped third strike.
Next week the Warriors will host No. 2 ranked Jones College in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 2, and then Northeast at 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 6.
Most East Central home baseball games can be heard on WKOZ “Cruisin” 98.3 or watched via live stream video at www.eccc.edu/eccc-media.
