By By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
April 15, 2001
Meridian Community College used a four-run, two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to take an 8-7 Miss-Lou Conference win over Delgado Community College Saturday afternoon.
Saturday's win gave MCC a sweep of the three-game series. The Eagles improved to 29-11 overall and 7-2 in the Miss-Lou. Delgado fell to 22-16 and 4-8.
Just one MCC win in next weekend's three-game home series with Bossier Parish will clinch the Miss-Lou championship for the Eagles. Delgado's only hope of making the Region 23 Tournament, May 10-13, rests on MCC taking all three games from Bossier. Obviously, the Dolphins are now MCC's biggest fans, for three games at least.
Delgado was breezing along with a 5-2 lead and had retired the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh before the Eagles began their rally. Matt McCleskey singled and Travis Garner followed with a hard shot past Dolphin shortstop Matt Graziano. A single by Rory Thornton loaded the bases.
Antion Gray ripped a single up the middle that scored a pair of runs to pull MCC to within 5-4. Dustin Cliburn followed with a controversial double in the left-field corner that eventually led to the ejection of Delgado head coach Joe Scheuermann.
Delgado left fielder Ryan Core never indicated the ball was lodged in the fence and removed it, keeping the ball in play. Gray scored all the way from first base to put MCC up 6-5.
Delgado had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a two-out, two-run double by Core.
Carlos Velasquez added an RBI-double for Delgado in the top of the second.
The Eagles got to within 3-1 on a leadoff homer by Tyler Scarbrough in the bottom of the second.
Mike Prestenback hit a solo homer for Delgado in the top of the fifth.
Trave Hopkins led off the bottom of the fifth with a single and courtesy runner Josh Raggio scored on Thornton's sacrifice bunt.
Core doubled and scored on a single by Graziano in the sixth to put the Dolphins up 5-2.
After the seventh inning Eagle rally, MCC added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on a two-run blast to left field by Hopkins.
Curt McLellan (7-2) got the win with 3 1/3 innings of relief of starter Jason Wimberly who went 5 1/3 innings and gave up five runs and eight hits. Michael Goodson picked up a save.
Delgado starter Jared Terrebonne (4-1) took the loss, allowing six runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Scarbrough, Hopkins, and McCleskey each had two hits for MCC.
Core went 3-for-4 with three doubles to lead Delgado. Graziano went 3-for-4 with three singles. Prestenback added a pair of hits.
MCC will go to Fayette, Ala., Wednesday for a single game with Bevill State and to Tuscaloosa on Thursday for a doubleheader with Shelton State before hosting Bossier in a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.
Marty Stamper is a sports writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at mstamper@themeridianstar.com.