April 21, 2021
The runs poured across the plate in Summit, Tuesday, April 20, as the Warriors of East Central Community College swept a pair of MACCC contests from the Southwest Bears, 11-3, 15-2. The wins move ECCC to 22-14 on the year and to 17-9 in MACCC play, which puts the Warriors in fourth place in the MACCC standings. Southwest falls to 6-28, 5-21 on the year.
Game One | W, 11-3
The Warriors ran away with an 11-3 victory in game one as Clayton Cook (Mize) led the offense with four RBIs on three hits. ECCC scored early and often as one run came across in both the first and second innings as Stephen Wolf (Madison) and Cook both drove home runners on RBI singles.
Another pair of runs came across in the third off RBIs from Eli Harrison (Little Rock) and Trey Lewis (Silas, Ala.). The Bears were able to scratch two across in the bottom of the frame making it 4-2 in ECCC's favor through three complete.
Cook was back at it in the fourth with an RBI double. The freshman crossed the plate later in the frame on a double steal pushing the lead to 6-2.
Southwest got their final run in the bottom of the fourth, but ECCC never let off the gas as three more runs were driven in, in the fifth. Lewis drew a bases-loaded walk in the sixth to push the lead to 10-3 before Harrison drove in the final run in the eighth putting the run-rule in effect.
Harrison joined Cook in a stellar day at the dish with three RBIs on two hits, while Kade Turnage (Picayune) and Amani Larry (Bossier City, La.) both posted multiple hits in the contest.
Jeremy Martin (Slidell, La.) got the start on the bump for ECCC and went three and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out five. Brian Johnson (Ridgeland) threw in relief and surrendered zero runs on one hit over one and one-third innings, striking out one and walking one, while Roper Ball (Noxapater) had a strong outing allowing no runs on one hit and striking out five.
Game Two | W, 15-2
The nightcap was another ECCC scoring onslaught as the Warriors plated six runs in the top of the first to continue the hot-bat play from game one. The runs came from a string of solid at-bats from Ball, Jesse Boydstun (Louisville), Conner Hicks (Stringer), Branson Sharpley (Taylorsville), and Cook.
The excitement continued in the second as Larry led things off with a towering homer to left on the first pitch of the frame. Another round of RBIs from Sharpley, Cook, and Boydstun in the third quickly pushed the ECCC lead to 11-0.
In the fourth, the Bears got two runs home, cutting the lead to nine, 11-2, but the Warriors were able to put the run-rule back into play in the top of the sixth as an RBI double from Lewis, followed by a pair of RBI singles from Coleton Smith (Gulfport) and Austin Lee (Madison) grew the Warrior advantage to 15-2. A groundout and a pair of strikeouts from Walker Johnson (Mantee) shut the door on the Bears in the bottom of the sixth, securing the win.
Cook's three hits at the plate once again led the Warriors offensively, while Boydstun finished the game with a team-best three RBIs. Larry and Lewis also both finished with a pair of hits each.
Ervin Simmons (Greenville) got the start on the mound and went three innings, allowing zero runs on one hit. Gates Pee (Clinton), Jacob Holifield (Semmes, Ala.), Trevor Waddell(Madison), and Johnson all put in work in relief out of the bullpen, combining for six strikeouts.
Up Next
The Warriors look to close out the regular season this Sunday, April 25, against the Coahoma Tigers at the Clark/Gay Baseball Complex in Decatur. The games will also serve as sophomore day. Games are scheduled for 2 and 5 p.m. and can be seen live at www.eccclive.com/gold. These games were originally set for Saturday, but have been pushed back due to inclement weather.
