2016 Combined

V1-p!r Li ~ LL~ o EC sweeps Co-Lin • In MACJC? 1 lo I The East Central

Community College soft ball team swept Copiah Lincoln Community College in an MACJC best-of-three playoffseries Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23, on the Decatur campus to advance to next weekend's state tournament. The Lady Diamond Warriors took game one 7 6 on Friday with a walk off single in the bottom of the seventh inning by Caitlyn Aldous of Petal High School. East Central took game two on Saturday 9-4. In a close game one, Co-Lin jumped out to an early lead in the top of the first on Brittany Barbay's grand slam to lead 4-0. East Central respond ed with three runs in the Hecond and fourth to take the lead, 6-4. The Lady Wolves then scored two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the ballgame. Aldous' bases loaded walk-off single secured the game one win for East Central in the bottom of the seventh, Sophomore outfielders Aldous and Katlyn Duke of Neshoba Central High School each racked up two RBI. Kilbourne (La.) High School's Lacey Hill picked up the game one win, striking four while in the circle over seven innings. In game two on Saturday, ECCC played as the visiting team scoring seven runs in the first two innings to take an early lead they would never sur render. Chloe Thaggard, a product of Leake

East Central's Mahalia Gibson topped Copiah-Lincoln in the swats a home r un during recent MACJC playoffs to advance to the action for the Lady Warriors. ECCC state tournament this weekend.

Academy, picked up the win with three strikeouts over the seven innings. ECCC scored three runs in the first inning on an RBI single by Duke and a two-run triple by Sii.Jnmer Lavender of Canton Academy. East Central added four runs in the top of the second, aided by an RBI single by Maegen Ellis out of Oak Hill Academy in West Point and a two-run dou ble by Duke. The Lady Diamond Warriors are now 42-7 on the season, while Co-Lin ends its season 29-14. East Central will now play in the four-team MACJC State Tournamen' ,\pril 29-~la)' 1 at JoneE" ''oul'lty .Junior College io J::..l 1<;ville. Braekets and timeB for

the State Tuurnament will be announced at a later date. Behind the home run power of Mahalia Gibson, the Lady Diamond Warriors swept a road doubleheader from Southwest Mississippi Community College Tuesday, April 19, in Summit, a sweep that gave them the opportuni ty to host Co-Lin. East Central complet ed regular season play with a 39-7 record. The Lady Diamond Warriors carry an eight-game win ning streak into the post season. Gibson, a sophomore from Oak Grove High School, continued her hot hitting with a home run in game one against Southwest and two in the

nightcap. She has hit 17 home runs on the season. East Central won the opener 5-2. Gibson hit a two-run round-tripper in the top of the third to break a scoreless tie. Caitlyn Aldous out of Petal High School had a two-run single in the fifth for the Lady Diamond Warriors. In game two, won by East Central 11-8, Gibson again got the Lady Diamond Warriors on the board first with a two-run home run in the top of the first inning. ECCC went on to claim an 11-8 in the game. Chloe Thaggard, a product of Leake Academy, earned the pitching win. Hill came on to record the final out with two runners on base.

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