1996

EMCC uses seven-run seventh inning to overcome visiting Warriors By Ricky Su llivan The Meridian Star

players build confidence." The Warriors established a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning with Jonathan Crowe's two– run homer and Willis Lalley's four shutout innings doing the most damage. But the Lions made it a 4-3 ballgame in the bottom of the sixth frame. Brian Goodman got EMCC started v.;th a solo home run to open the inning, while Mack Snell sin~led and scored on a ECCC double-play and Shane Gonzales scored off f Brodie We._.'- RBI-.:.·u.a,.:;.<..,. The W" am tbree-nm ,pun m t.'le .ap of the -.evcnth . T·::::.:ny Bo~t led off with a single and later scored on Crowe's double. After one out, Crowe and Marcus Thames, who had singled, managed to cross the plate on Cary Lambert's sacrifice-fly. But disaster struck for the Warriors' pitching staff in the bottom-half of the inning as the Lions sent 11 men to the plate and erupted for seven runs. ECCC used two different pitchers in the frame, walking four, before Craig Vowell came on and col– lected the final out. "What it boils down to is Estep just couldn't get them out and when we brought Thames in it got even worse," Clark said. "But Vowell came in and did a good \job again like he has everytime we've used him this year. Maybe its time I woke up and started throwing him a little more." Estep started the inning by walking the

first two Lion batters before getting the next two out with infield grounders. But two pitches later, Shane Gonzales parked a three-run shot over the right-center field fence to make it 7-6. "What was so big about that hit was the fact that (Gonzales) has been struggling and it would have been easy to make an out there, but he got his hands extended and drove the ball well with a perfect swing," Baldner said. Jeffrey Murphy followed with a "ingle, an t en hame• entere t e onlt'St. El\ICC pinch-hitter Jimmy Cockrell then delivered a three-run double down the left field line, 'giving the Lions a 9-7 advantage. EMCC added an insurance run when Thames made a throwing error to first, allowing Cockrell to come home. Byron Harris collected the win for the Lions, while Jay Wasdworth was credited with the save. The Lions, now 3-4, will host Merdian Communtity College today at 2 p.m., while the Warriors slipped to 3-6 and will visit Holmes Friday for a 1 p.m. contest. ecce .o1o 021 3oo - 1 11 4 EMCC 000 003 70x - 10 10 1 WP- Byron Harris (1-0). LP - Marcus Thames (0-2). 2B - Jonathan Crowe, Ray Ivy (2), ECCC. J1mmy Cockrell, EMCC. HR - Crowe, ECCC; Brian Goodman, Shane Gonzales, EMCC. Multiple hitters ...:.. Crowe, Thames, Ivy (3), ECCC; Gonzales, Jeff Murphy EMCC.

SCOOBA - To steal a phrase made famous years ago by the late, great Yogi Berra: "It ain't over til it's over." The same still holds true today, and the East Central Community College Warriors found out the hard way Tuesday when the homestanding East Mississippi Lions rallied from behind and captured a hard-fi ught 10- ; ,;ctocy mer their rival:> '"\Ve reall~· had the game put awa~ tWlce. I thought, but basically you\·e got to g~ve credit to (EMCC) for coming back," ECCC coach Jamie Clark said. "Too many times when the game is over the losing team doesn't want to give credit where credit is due, but they put the ball in play when they needed to, and when the game was on the line they made the defensive plays and we didn't." Twice the Warriors held 4-run leads (4-0 and 7-3), but both times the Lions respond– ed with rallies. The second time around in the seventh inning, the Lions exploded for seven runs to capture their first lead of the afternoon - a lead they never relinquished. ''We just stayed patient at the plate and the next thing you know we put a couple of balls in play and that got us back into it," EMCC coach Bill Baldner said. "We are a young team learning to play on the college level and comebacks like this helps your