April 5, 2018
Lady Warrior Mackenzie Johnson safely avoids the tag while sliding into third base in game one under the watchful eye of Head Coach Kristin Chaney. (EC Photo)
The No. 8 ranked East Central Community College Lady Warriors needed extra innings and an error to get a walk-off win in the nightcap and a softball sweep over the Copiah-Lincoln Community College Lady Wolves, Wednesday, April 4, at the ECCC Softball Park in Decatur.
East Central overcame a three-run deficit in game one for an 8-3 win. The Lady Warriors lost a 7-1 lead in game two and took advantage of a Co-Lin error in the bottom of the eighth to get an 8-7 win.
The Lady Warriors are now 25-7 overall on the season and 12-6 in MACJC play, which puts East Central in fourth place in the 15-team league. The Co-Lin Lady Wolves are 17-15 overall and 8-10 in league play.
In game one, Co-Lin grabbed a 3-0 lead after the top of the second inning before East Central tied the score 3-3 in the bottom of the frame. Ali Gartman of Loyd Star High School doubled and later scored on a Co-Lin error. The Lady Warriors scored two more runs on a fielder’s choice and an RBI single by Marlee Parkes out of Nanih Waiya.
East Central extended the lead to 4-3 in the fourth with a bases loaded walk. The Lady Warriors went up 7-3 in the fifth on RBI singles from Mackenzie Johnson of Nanih Waiya and Shelby Walters of Northwest Rankin and another bases loaded walk. The final run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double off the bat of freshman Macy Brabham of Brookhaven.
Brabham and Parkes each had two hits in the game, and Brabham, Walters, and Kayla Beckham of Neshoba Central had two RBI each.
Kaitlyn Oswalt of Heritage Academy in Columbus got the win giving up only five hits and two earned runs over the seven innings.
In game two, East Central took a 7-1 lead into the top of the seventh inning only to see Co-Lin tie the game and send it to extra innings.
The Lady Warriors scored four runs in the bottom of the first thanks in part to two Co-Lin errors and an RBI single from Tagen Remmel of Clinton. The Lady Warriors added another run in the fifth on an RBI single from Madalyn McMahon of Neshoba Central and two more in the sixth on an error and another McMahon single.
Co-Lin would tie the game at 7-7 in the top of the seventh. The Lady Wolves opened the inning with five straight singles and would add another hit and take advantage of an East Central error to knot the score.
The speedy McMahon opened the bottom of the eighth for East Central with a walk, and two outs later would score all the way from first base on an error by the Co-Lin catcher for the walk-off 8-7 win.
Oswalt would also get the win in game two, pitching the final two innings in relief. It was her 13th win of the season.
The Lady Warriors will host Northeast Mississippi Community College at the Softball Park in Decatur on Saturday, April 7, for games at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., before making the trip to Raymond Tuesday, April 10, to face Hinds Community College at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Most home softball games can be heard on WKOZ Cruisin 98.3 or via audio stream and live stream video at www.eccc.edu/eccc-media.
