2015

ECCC Lady Diamond Warriors fmish runner-up in MACJC State Tournament

After playing 20 innings in two games on Saturday, the No. 11 East Central Community College Lady Diamond Warriors had a tall order ahead of them as they began play on Sunday, May 3, in the finals of the Mississippi Association ofCommunity and Junior Colleges State Softball Tournament. They needed to beat No. IO Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College twice. Gulf Coast, however, had other ideas in the first game, scoring three runs in the first inning and ix more in the fifth to defeat ECCC 9-3 and win the MACJC State Softball Championshlp held at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville. State runner-up East Central is now 40-10 overall. Gulf Coast's record is 41-10. East Central had already punched its ticket to the National Junior College AthleticAssociation Region 23 Tournament. Facing an early 3-0 deficit

on Sunday, the Lady Diamond Warriors clawed back into ·the game with two runs in the sec– ond inning on a double by Karoline Holsonback of South Lamar High School (Kennedy, Ala.) and a sacrifice fly by Katlyn Duke of Neshoba Central High School. A sacri– fice fly by Holsonback in the fourth tied the game at three. From there on it was all Gulf Coast, winning by the final 9-3 margin despite only out-hitting ECCC 10-9. Caitlyn Aldous of Petal High School, Mallory Turner of West Lauqerdale High School, and Anna Katherine Nowell of Leake Academy all had two hits for East Central. Freshman pitcher Lacey Hill of Kilbourne (La.) High School took the loss, throw– ing four and a third innings and giving up seven runs on seven hits. Hill threw 21 innings during the four-game weekend. It took 20 innings over two games on Sarurday and gutsy performances by ECCC's two

freshman pitchers for the Lady Diamond Warriors to advance to Sunday. After losing a heartbreaking 13-inning 4-2 contest to Gulf Coast at 3 p.m. Sarurday, East Central was forced to immedi– ately play Jones County. Against Gulf Coast in the first game on Saturday, the Lady DiamondWarriors scored in the bottom of the second when Aldous walked and then scored on the throw after a double by Holsonback. Gulf Coast grabbed a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth with two runs. East Central would tie the score in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the seventh as Maegen Ellis of Oak Hill Academy in West Point pro– duced a one-out single, before Andi Hannaford of Magnolia Heights Academy in Senatobia delivered a two-out double to drive in Ellis and knot the game at 2-2. Neither team was able to produce a run again until the See ECCC page SB Coast, throwing nine and twq thirds innings and giving up only three hits and two runs, while striking out seven. Hill took the loss for the Lady Diamond Warriors after relieving Thaggard. .. •

Hill pitched the final three and a third innings after hav– ing thrown a seven-inning 3-0 shutout win over Pearl River the previous day of the tour– nament. Forced into tbe loser's

top of the 13th inning when Gulf Coast plated two ,runs to pull out the 4-2 win. · ECCC freshman pitcher Chloe Thaggard of Leake Academy gave a heroic effort in the Saturday loss to Gulf

ECCC Continued from page 2B

and Duke in the fifth was all

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APPEARED IN:

Warriors hit the field again East Central needed in the 2-1' Saturday evening against win. Hill returned to the

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COUNTY TIMES

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