EMCC Lions earn back-to-back baseball doubleheader splits with Snead State

SCOOBA – East Mississippi Community College earned back-to-back baseball doubleheader splits with Snead State this past weekend by claiming a pair of close first-game wins (6-5 & 6-4) while dropping both nightcap contests (13-8 & 16-7) to the Parsons.

During Saturday's doubleheader at Gerald Poole Field on the Scooba campus, the home-standing Lions claimed the opening game 6-5 in a scheduled seven-inning contest that went three extra frames. After the teams traded leads during the first three innings, EMCC went ahead 5-3 after six innings only to have Snead State knot the score at 5-5 on Bryce Persell's two-run homer in the seventh inning.

Following the first two scoreless extra frames, EMCC third-year sophomore Miles Mitchell reached base to begin the home half of the 10^th inning on an infield single and then took second on a throwing error. He later moved to third base on an infield groundout and then raced home on a two-out wild pitch with Ty Wiggins at the plate.

Meanwhile, on the mound in relief for the Lions, sophomore right-hander Evan Hilliard kept the visitors scoreless and hitless through the three extra innings to pick up the victory for EMCC. He struck out four and walked a pair while facing just 10 batters.

The Lions' leading hitters during Saturday's opening game in Scooba were Matthan Weaver and Caidan Bullard with two hits apiece.

Bullard came back in the nightcap to stake EMCC to an early 5-1 lead with a second-inning grand slam. After the Parsons tied the score at 5-5 with two runs each in the third and fourth frames, the Lions countered with a pair of runs in the home half of the fourth and added another tally a frame later to move ahead 8-5 through five innings.

As the Lions reached further into their bullpen with another rescheduled doubleheader to be played the following day in Boaz, Ala., the Parsons took advantage of five walks and three hit batsmen from EMCC relievers to push across four runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. A grand slam by Justin Trometer closed out the scoring in the nightcap as Snead State earned the weekend's initial split.

Pushed back three days due to last Thursday's continued cold weather in Boaz, Sunday's rematch twin bill between EMCC and Snead State also featured a close opening game won by the Lions followed by a sizeable victory by the Parsons to earn a second doubleheader split in as many days.

The opening contest at Snead State, also scheduled for seven innings, featured five combined solo home runs to give the Lions a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning. Solo homers by EMCC's Mitchell in the first inning and three frames later by fellow third-year sophomore Colin Boyd gave the visitors a 2-0 advantage.

After the Parsons evened the score in the fifth on solo shots by Daniel Despaine and Caid Finn, EMCC's Bullard continued his hot hitting with a two-out solo blast in the sixth to put the Lions back in front by a run.

The game's last five combined runs were all scored without the aid of any more home runs. After Snead State claimed its first lead (4-3) of the contest by plating two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Bullard came up big again for the Lions in the top of the seventh. Following Mitchell's game-tying sacrifice fly, Bullard stroked a two-out, two-run single to make it a 6-4 contest and cap his 3-for-4 effort at the plate.

On the mound for EMCC, Jones College transfer Garrett Pound picked up the victory by getting the final out of the sixth inning and then keeping Snead State off the board the following frame.

Sunday's second game in Boaz began with the Lions scoring four times in the first inning with the aid of four walks. The Parsons answered with two runs in the home half of the opening frame and then sent 13 batters to the plate during an eight-run second inning to grab an early 10-4 advantage.

Snead State continued to build its lead over EMCC with consecutive three-run frames during the fourth and fifth innings en route to the nine-run nightcap victory and another doubleheader split with the Lions.

Head coach Brett Kimbrel's 2-4 EMCC Lions now venture to the Sunshine State for Friday and Saturday (Feb. 13-14) games versus host Chipola (Fla.) College and Wallace Community College-Dothan on both days.