2005

Diamond Warriors Capture Title ScoTT Coumy PLAYERS MAKE CONTRIBUTIONS GULFPORT-Josh Miller got even better after two days of rest. The East Central Community College pitcher went eight strong innings in an 11·1 win over Mississippi Delta Community College in the Region XXIII Baseball Tournament championship game on Sunday. Miller threw a complete game in the Warriors' tournament opening victory against host-team Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on Thursday, "It doesn't get any better than this," said Miller. who gave up one runon three hits with six strikeouts on Sunday. "It was a pretty day, and the odds were in our favor. We let the defense play, and we let our bats do the talking. " ECCC, which has– n't lost since the opening game of a doubleheader against Meridian Community College on April 19, didn't lose a game at Ken Curly Farris Field in capturing its first L--3..---o~ region title. "I'm very proud Hams about the way our guys responded," said ECCC head coach Jake Yarborough, whose team improved to 29-21. "Toward the end of the year, we talked about the only way to get into the playoff is to play well. As soon as we got in the playoffs, they took off." By TONY KRAUSZ THE MERIDIAN STAR

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Corey Coward, who produced the game-winning hit againstMDCC on Saturday in the semis, opened the scoring with a 2-run double in the first inning. The shot to left-center field brought home Van Wilson and Marcus Davis for a 2..0 lead after the first inning of play. The Warriors added two more runs to their lead in the bottom of the second inning. Wllson hit a sac– rifice fly to bring home a run, and Chris Pierce Petal scored on a passed ball for a 4-0 lead. ECCC third baseman James Harris of Morton brought in anoth– er run with a 2-out single that scored Davis for a 5-0 lead in the third inning. Warriors left fielder Will Pearson drove in another run with a single in the sixth inning, and Pierce fol– lowed with a 2-run single for an 8-0 lead. MDCC scored one

run in the top of the eight inning off on RBI triple into the right-field corner. ECCC responded with three runs in the bottom of the eighth for a H>·run lead. The Warriors scored on a wild pitch, a fielder's choice and an error in the eighth.

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"We hit the ball hard, and we got hits a lot of the time when runner s were in scoring position," said Yarborough, who was named the Region XXIII Coach of the Year. "We executed well." Warrior closer Kevin Hatch struck out two batters and induced a game-ending line drive to Pierce at shortstop. Harris went 3-for-4 with two sin– gles a double and an RBI, and Pe~n went 2-for-4 with two sin Please see WARRIORS, 9A

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ECCC took advantage of a tired MDCC squad early in Sunday's title game. The Warriors scored two runs in the first inning, two in the second and one in the third to take a 5-0 lead.