March 23, 2021
The East Central Community College baseball team has been on a tear through the MACCC with big sweeps over Mississippi Delta and Gulf Coast and a pair of splits with Itawamba and Co-Lin.
The impressive play has launched the Warriors to the No. 1 spot in the MACCC with a 13-3 conference record and caught national attention as the team has moved to No. 16 in the latest NJCAA poll. During the winning streak ECCC head coach Neal Holliman also picked up his 400th career win as the Warriors' skipper.
The Warriors run-ruled the Wolves of Co-Lin March 22 in Wesson in the first contest of the doubleheader with three runs through the first three frames. Branson Sharpley (Taylorsville) got the scoring started with an RBI single before he was driven home on a hit from Clayton Cook (Mize). An error on a Jesse Boydstun (Louisville) groundball scored another in the third making it 3-0.
The Warriors' big frame came in the fourth when the team plated nine runs. RBI singles from Trey Lewis (Silas, Ala.), Cook, Roper Ball (Noxapater), and Boydstun all scored runs. A sacrifice fly from Austin Lee (Madison) and pair of homers from Kade Turnage (Picayune) and Lewis capped off the explosive inning. Great pitching and a timely double-play closed out the game for the Warriors and secured the five-inning victory.
Gage Tufnell (Hurley) earned the victory on the mound for ECCC. The righthander surrendered zero runs on two hits over three innings, striking out two. Ball threw two innings in relief as well. Tanner Watts took the loss for Co-Lin on the bump after he went three innings, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out three, and walking one.
Lewis's three hits and three RBIs were team-highs for the Warriors in the win.
The Warriors saw game two slip away early as three Co-Lin runs were plated in the bottom of the second inning. A run on a passed ball got one back in the third, but Co-Lin added one in the third and fourth frames. Boydstun hammered in a run in the top of the fifth for the Warriors' only other score in the contest.
Hayden West (Decatur) took the loss on the bump for the Warriors, while Walker Johnson (Mantee), Miles Miller (Toomsuba), and Gates Pee (Clinton) all threw in relief.
The Warriors are back in Decatur on Friday, March 26, at 3 and 6 p.m. as the Northeast Tigers come to town. Fans can watch a live stream of the game on the Black channel at eccclive.com/black.
