2014 Combined

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East Central takes opener over Lions

From school reports

greeted EMCC starting pitcher Andrew Crane with a solo blast over the left-field wall. Later in the first, the defending MACJC state baseball champions picked up an unearned run when Kyle McCul louch singled home Dylan Little, who reached base on an infield single and advanced to second via an errant throw on the putout attempt before being driven home. As Crane settled in by throwing five subse quent scoreless innings of no-hit baseball fol lowing the two-run first, the Lions claimed their first lead of the game with a three-run sixth. After Chase Nyman led off the frame with a single, LeDarious Clark tied the game at 2-2 with a two-run blast lo left-center field off •

ECCC starting pitcher Kale Fultz. The homer was Clark's fourth of the year and ninth of his collegiate career. Following a two-out walk to Trent Waddell, Tyler Odom greeted reliever Conner West with a go-ahead RBI double off the left-field wall. The Lions carried their precarious 3-2 lead into the eighth with sophomore closer Conner Burton on the mound. The inning slartf'd off innocently enough for EMCC with two quick outs. McCul louch 's infield single was followed by a walk to Cody Daigle to set up Whitten's eventual game-winning double to the opposite field that plated both McCuJlouch and pinch-runner Gage Sullivan. East Mississippi

managed to get the · potential tying run to third base during each of the final two innings but could not produce the clutch hit. Odom's fly out to right field stranded Chase Reeves at third in the eighth, while Nyman got caught looking at a full count third strike thrown by Wifl Myers to end the contest with pinch-hitter Blake Key at third. Head coach Chris Rose's EMCC Lions, MACJC North Division baseball champions for the first time since 1998, fell to 31-12 overall with just their fourth home loss of the season. The East Cen tral Warriors, seeded fourth in the MACJC's South Division, improved to 21-24 with the series-opening vic tory. •

SCOOBA- Chance Whitten's two-out, two run double in the eighth inning lifted vis iting East Central Com munity College to a 4-3 victory over eighth ranked East Mississippi Community College Friday night in game one of an MACJC base ball playoff series being hdd at EMCC s Gerald Poole Field. Game 2 of the best of-three playoff series 1s c:;et for a 2 p.m. start ~ aturday with a third and deciding game, if nece sary, immediately following. Saturday's action will be video- ~treamed live on www.EMCCAthletics.co m/live. East Central got on

the scoreboard first when leadoff hitter Maxwell Harmon

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