EMCC Lions maintain .500 season conference mark with baseball doubleheader split at Coahoma

CLARKSDALE – The Lions of East Mississippi Community College maintained their .500 season record in conference play by collecting a road doubleheader split at Coahoma during Tuesday's MACCC baseball action played at the Eddie C. Smith Sportsplex. EMCC claimed the opening game with a 14-3 run-rule victory, though the home-standing Tigers earned the split with an 11-5 win in the nightcap.

In the opener off Coahoma starting pitcher Bryson Ford, EMCC jumped out to an early 9-0 lead after three innings before the Tigers could get on the scoreboard. After the Lions went ahead 3-0 on Braxton Whiteside's two-run homer in the first inning and a run-scoring double by Jack Willis a frame later, the visitors sent 10 batters to the plate during their six-run third inning.

The Tigers managed to reach EMCC starting pitcher Jax Joyner for solo runs in the third and fourth innings, but that was the only scoring allowed by the freshman right-hander over his seven innings of work. The Clarkdale High School product scattered six hits, while striking out three and not allowing a walk, to raise his season record to 4-3.

The Lions plated another run in the fifth to make it a 10-2 contest before reaching the run-rule margin on Miles Mitchell's grand slam in the eighth inning. Coahoma added a solo score in the home half of the eighth to account for the 14-3 final.

EMCC featured five players with multiple hits in the first contest, led by Mitchell, Willis and Hunter Russell with three hits each. Whiteside and Logan Flaskamp added a pair of hits apiece during the Lions' 14-hit team effort in the opener.

The nightcap was a different story for the visitors, as the Lions were limited to just three singles by Coahoma's Conner Timbs. Three EMCC pitchers also combined to allow eight bases on balls with six of those base runners coming around to score.

The Tigers took an early 3-0 lead off EMCC starting pitcher Trace Tingle with a run in the first frame and two more scores an inning later. Coahoma's first three runs in the second game were scored after having reached base via walks.

Coahoma's two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning were answered by EMCC the next frame to make it a 5-2 ballgame. After loading the bases off Timbs to begin the fifth inning, the Lions manufactured their initial runs with Willis getting hit by a pitch followed by Mitchell's sacrifice fly.

The Tigers nearly reached the run-rule margin with six more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning while batting through the order. With three more walks allowed by EMCC pitching coming around to score, Coahoma's featured hits in the frame were John Wyatt Massey's two-RBI single and a bases-clearing double by Anderson Walker to increase the margin to 11-2.

The Lions were able to get three of those runs back in the seventh inning when Caidan Bullard's two-out, bases-loaded single to centerfield was then misplayed to allow the bases to clear.

Head coach Brett Kimbrel's East Mississippi Lions (16-27, 10-10 MACCC) will travel to Raymond to take on the Hinds Eagles on Saturday (April 18) before returning to Scooba to play host to Northeast Mississippi and Mississippi Gulf Coast on Wednesday (April 22) and Saturday (April 25) of next week, respectively.