April 16, 2021
The Warriors of East Central Community College split with the Meridian Eagles on Thursday night, April 15, in an always-challenging MACCC matchup. The Warriors could not be stopped in game one as the team ripped 18 hits and plated 15 runs in a 15-7 victory. In the nightcap, a slow start put ECCC in the hole. A valiant effort down the stretch plated four runs but it was not enough as the Eagles secured an 8-5 win. The split moves ECCC to 20-14 overall and to 15-9 in conference play which puts the Warriors in fifth place in the latest MACCC standings.
Game One | W, 15-7
A big day at the plate for the several Warriors, including a team-leading pair of doubles and a pair of singles from Amani Larry (Bossier City, La.), pushed ECCC to a win in game one.
Meridian struck first in the bottom of the first, but ECCC got two back in the third as Larry drove in one run before eventually scoring on a passed ball. The ECCC lead was short-lived as the Eagles hit back with four runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 5-2 lead.
Some solid at-bats in the fourth manufactured four runs for the Warriors and put ECCC back in front, 6-5. The runs came from three RBI singles from Branson Sharpley(Taylorsville), Trey Lewis (Silas, Ala.), and Coleton Smith (Gulfport).
That lead grew to 10-5 in the top of the fifth as RBI singles from Clayton Cook (Mize) and Larry drove in two runs each.
Meridian pushed in two more late in the game before a series of errors and a couple of RBIs from Larry and Eli Harrison (Little Rock) in the top seventh plated an additional five runs for the Warriors for the 15-7 final.
Gates Pee (Clinton) was credited with the victory on the mound for ECCC. Pee went two and a third innings, allowing two runs on three hits, striking out three, and walking zero. Brian Johnson (Ridgeland) and Miles Miller (Toomsuba) entered the game out of the bullpen and helped to close out the game in relief, while Hayden West (Decatur) got the start on the bump.
Alec Sparks took the loss for MCC. He lasted three and two-thirds innings, allowing seven hits and six runs while striking out three.
Larry's four-for-five day at the dish led the Warriors while Cook, Jesse Boydstun (Louisville), Harrison, Ty McCollough (Greenville), Sharpley, and Smith all collected two hits each. ECCC also took advantage of baserunners as the Warriors stole eight bags in the contest.
Game Two | L, 8-5
Scoring was not as frequent in game two as the game was still knotted at zero-all going into the bottom of the third inning in the seven-inning nightcap.
Sparked by a lead-off solo homer in the third, the Eagles added another three to take a 4-0 lead into the fourth before adding another two to push the lead to 6-0 heading to the fifth.
Cook drove in the Warriors' first run in the fifth on an RBI single that plated McCollough, but a two-run RBI single in the bottom of the frame grew MCC's lead to 8-1.
An error scored one for ECCC in the sixth and an RBI double from Larry along with a hard-hit single from Stephen Wolf (Madison) scored another. Boydstun pushed in the Warriors' final run on an RBI groundout, but that was all ECCC could get across.
Jacob Holifield (Semmes, Ala.) took the loss as he got the start and lasted three innings, allowing five hits and six runs while striking out four. Roper Ball (Noxapater), Walker Johnson (Mantee), and Trevor Waddell (Madison) all threw in relief.
Harrison's two hits and one RBI led the team at the plate.
Up Next
The Warriors are on the road on Tuesday, April 20 as they take on the Southwest Bears in Summit. Game times are set for 3 and 6 p.m.
