EMCC Lions battle No. 3 Pearl River to the wire before dropping baseball twin bill in Poplarville

POPLARVILLE – Visiting East Mississippi Community College nearly overcame an early offensive onslaught by third-ranked Pearl River to take the Wildcats down to the wire in both contests of Saturday's MACCC baseball doubleheader played at Dub Herring Park. PRCC claimed both wins, 11-7 and 4-3, over the Lions to maintain its first-place lead among the conference standings.

In the nine-inning opening contest, the home-standing Wildcats hit four of their six home runs in the game during the first two frames to jump out to an 8-0 lead. Homers by Gatlin Pitts, Coy Clements and Abel Thetford off EMCC starting pitcher Evan Hilliard accounted for Pearl River's four first-inning runs. A frame later, Chap Cook's two-run blast capped PRCC's second straight four-run inning.

While EMCC middle relievers Mason Ellis and Walker Seymour held the Wildcats to just one run over a five-inning span, the Lions steadily got back into the contest by scoring in five consecutive frames to pull to within two runs. Jack Willis got the visitors on the board with his first collegiate home run - a two-run shot - in the fourth inning and then followed a frame later with an RBI double.

After the Lions plated another run in the sixth inning to utilize Miles Mitchell's leadoff double, Colin Boyd's two-run blast in the seventh - his team-leading eighth home run of the year - made it a 9-6 ball game. EMCC then inched a run closer a frame later on Hunter Russell's pinch-hit RBI single that followed singles by pinch hitter Matthan Weaver and Braxton Whiteside.

That's as close as the Lions would get in the opening contest, however, as PRCC's Clements launched his league-leading 15^th home run of the year and second of the game with a man aboard to provide the final four-run margin.

With the two teams combining for 28 hits between them in the opener, Mitchell led EMCC's 13-hit team effort with a 3-for-5 outing at the plate, including a pair of doubles. Boyd, Willis and Whiteside each added two hits apiece for the Lions in the first game.

In the seven-inning nightcap, the Lions grabbed an early 2-0 lead with solo runs in the first and third innings on Caidan Bullard's two-out RBI single and Jonas Coleman's sacrifice fly, respectively.    

In the home half of the third, Colton Strange's solo home run off Bullard preceded two costly infield errors by EMCC that led to two more runs and put the Wildcats in front 3-2.

Following a pair of scoreless innings, the Lions briefly knotted the game at 3-3 on Sam McClinton Jr.'s two-out RBI single in the sixth frame. After EMCC went to the bullpen for the home half of the sixth, the Wildcats loaded the bases with no outs on two walks and a bunt single. Though EMCC reliever Jacob Nunn minimized the damage, Pearl River was able to bring home the go-ahead run on Strange's sacrifice fly.

Bullard, who scattered four hits and gave up three runs, along with adding four strikeouts and three walks, over five innings of mound duty in just his second pitching start of the season, also had two singles and a stolen base to lead EMCC's hitters in the nightcap.

Head coach Brett Kimbrel's EMCC Lions (11-20, 5-3 MACCC) will head to Senatobia to take on the Northwest Mississippi Rangers on Wednesday (March 25) in a 2 p.m. doubleheader to be played at Jim Miles Field.