February 15, 2020
Lady Warrior sophomore catcher Anna McNeer scores ahead of the throw in action against Coastal Alabama-North. (EC Photo)
Rain pushed back the start of the 2020 softball season by a couple of days, but the No. 15 East Central Community College Lady Warriors took advantage of the nice weather to pick up a season-opening sweep over Coastal Alabama-North on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Softball Park on the Decatur campus.
The Lady Warriors, under first-year head coach Leigh White, won the run-rule opener 10-0 in five innings. East Central won the nightcap 4-2.
East Central opens the season 2-0, while the visitors from Monroeville, Ala., are 3-5.
Sophomore Braelyn Boykin (Mize) pitched a one-hitter in the circle as East Central pounded out 10 hits. Sophomore center fielder Parker Breland (Union) hit a two-run homer on the first pitch she saw of the 2020 season in the bottom of the second and sophomore catcher Anna McNeer (Canton Academy) had a two-run shot in the bottom of the fourth. McNeer also doubled in two runs to giver her four RBI in the win.
Freshman second baseman Landree Amis (Newton County) collected hits in her first two collegiate at-bats. She also stole two bases and scored two runs. Breland also doubled in the game, and sophomore left fielder Olivia Houston (Northwest Rankin) had two hits.
A three-run double by freshman third baseman Zharia Richardson (Harrison Central) in the bottom of the third proved to be the difference in game two. Freshman right fielder Savannah Jones (Leake Academy) singled in East Central’s other run.
Sophomore Brooklyn King (George County) got the win in the circle. She threw the first six innings and Boykin pitched the seventh.
The Lady Warriors will play two games in the Northeast Community College TigerFest on Sunday, Feb. 16, in Ellisville. East Central will face East Central College (Mo.) at 1:45 p.m. and Southwest Tennessee at 5 p.m.
East Central will next play five games over two days in the Rush Invitational in Meridian Feb. 21-22. The Lady Warriors will face No. 13 Trinity Valley (Texas) at 9 a.m. and San Jacinto College-South (Texas) at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, and then Parkland College (Ill.) at 9 a.m., No. 2 LSU-Eunice (La.) at 11 a.m., and Bishop State (Ala.) at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22.
The next home action is not until March 6 when Coahoma visits for an MACJC conference doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. at the Softball Park on campus.
Most all home games can be heard on WKOZ “Cruisin” 98.3 or watched via live stream video at www.eccc.edu/eccc-media.
Landree Amis singles in her second at-bat against Coastal Alabama-North. The freshman out of Newton County collected hits in her first two collegiate at-bats. (EC Photo)
