2005

sissippi Delta Community College 9-7 in 10 innings in a winners' bracket game of the Region XXIn Baseball Tournament. ECCC-which hasn't lost a game in the regional-advanced to the cham– pionship game at 1 p.m. today, need– ing to win just one game to move into the Super Regional at Fort Smith, Ark. They will play the winner of Saturday night's game between MDCC-Meridian Community Col– lege in the title game. "ft was overwhelming," said Cow– ard, who went 2-for-6 with two RBis, of the game winning hit. "We came back and got control of the game. and we got the lucky, winning hit." East Central Community College finally had to dip into its bullpen to win a game in the regional. The Warriors, whose first two starters in the tournament went the distance, used four pitchers to top the Trojans, with ECCC closer Kevin Hatch of Carthage earning the win in three innings ofrelief. "(Hatch) just did his job again for us tonight," said Wruiior head coach Jake Yarborough, whose team improved to 28-21. "When we get into a tight situation, he is the guy we go to." Hatch, who entered the game with the score tied at 7, finished the contest by picking off a runner at first base, after he fake a pickoff move to third. The Trojan runner froze between first and second base, and the War– riors put him out with a throw from the Coward to shortstop Chris Pierce. "It is a move that seems like it works for me every time that I use it," said Hatch, who improved to 4-1 for the season. The Warriors didn't appear to be in any need of the late-game heroics they used to win early in the game. Coward gave ECCC a l-0 lead in the top of the first inning with an RBI single. Warrior second baseman Joseph Cavenaugh of Decatur scored in the top of third off an error by Trojans pitcher Antonio Garth, who tried to throw home after catching a hi gh

bouncer from Coward, to give ECCC a 2-0 lead. Ken Gordon of Morton increased the Warriors' lead to 3-0 with a solo home run over the left– field wall in the top of the fourth 1 inning. ECCC designated hitter Ross Pine of Watson, La., drove in another run I with a single in the top of the fifth, and Will Pearson of Decatur brought home a run with a double that bounced off the first-base bag for a 5- 0 Warrior lead. MDCC tied the game at 5 in the bottom of the fifth, scoring off four hits and an error. Trojans first base– man Neal Henry scored his team's first run on a wild pitch, and !I MDCC's Jacob Maggard, Brandon ~ Herring. Trent Jennings and Mike~ Banchetti each drove in one run. ECCC responded with a run in the top of the sixth to take a 6-5 lead. Chris Pierce drove in Van Wtlson of Collinsville-who moved to third base on two errors by MDCC-with a single. , MDCC came back in the bottom~ of the sixth to take its first lead of the'" game (7-6), courtesy of a two-rune home run from pinch hitter Brad Aldridge.

ECCC's Marcus Davis tied the game at 7 in the top of the eighth, as Cavenaugh scored on his groundout to the shortstop. "You have to have character to . bounce back like that, and this team 1 has a lot of character," Yarborough said. "I told them a few weeks ago that this is a special group, and they can do a lot of good things is they play together."

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