By By Ryan Satcher/staff writer
Feb. 23, 2002
The game itself may not have been beautiful, but the results were pretty for the Lions of East Mississippi Community College.
The Lions stunned host Meridian Community College in junior college baseball action at Scaggs Field in the second game of the Rush Classic as they took a 6-1 victory over the Eagles.
In a game with 11 total errors, the Lions allowed only one unearned run and took advantage of MCC errors to take the victory.
The Lions took an early lead in the first inning as they plated two runs in the top of the inning. With two outs, Josh Perry drew a walk and Ben Mason followed with an infield hit. Then MCC made it's first error of the game to allow Perry to score and make the score 1-0. Ashley Chism continued the scoring by driving in Mason with an infield hit and East Mississippi took the 2-0 lead without getting a hit out of the infield.
The Eagles threatened in their half of the inning as Nathan Sanders walked and Tyler Scarbrough singled to give the host a runner in scoring position with only one out. Lion pitcher Nick Dimino got out of the jam by getting a flyout and striking out an MCC hitter.
Sanders once again got into scoring position when he walked and stole a base in the third inning. Dimino got another strikeout to get out of the inning without giving up a run.
The Lions played small ball to make the score 3-0 in the fourth inning. Chism reached base on the fourth error of the game for MCC and moved to second on a hit by Chad Carlson. Andrew Lilly moved the runners over with a bunt and Todd Harcrow knocked in Chism with a sacrifice fly to left field. A groundout got the Eagles out of the inning with a runner left at third base.
The Eagles got on the board in their half of the fourth inning to cut the lead to two runs. Walt Bounds got on base to start the inning when a Lion fielder made an error. Adam Smith singled to give the Eagles runners at first and second with no outs. A sacrifice bunt by Trave Hopkins gave MCC two runners in scoring position with only one out.
Dimino struck out the next batter and looked to be getting out of the inning when he got the next batter to ground to first. The toss by the first baseman went over Dimino's head at first base and Bounds was able to score. The catcher for the Lions, Carlson backed up the play and got the overthrow. He hustled and slid to block the plate and tag out Smith to end the inning and keep the score 3-1.
In the fifth inning the Eagles once again threatened to score when they loaded the bases with two outs. Dimino once again came up with a huge strikeout and got the Lions out of the inning.
The Lions scored two runs in the seventh inning. Wade Whitaker singled to start the inning and Perry doubled to score him from first base. Perry moved to third on a groundball and Matt Vaughn came in to pinch run. The move worked out beautifully as the speedier Vaughn was able to score when the next batter, Harbour hit a shallow fly to center.
The Eagles threatened again when Brad McKee started the seventh inning with a double, but reliever Clint Richards settled down and got out of the inning without giving up a run.
The Lions added another run in the eighth when Carlson singled and moved to second on an error. After a walk, Josh Snider came through with a perfect hit-and-run single to score Carlson and give the Lions a 6-1 lead. Ryan Clay closed out the game for East Mississippi and helped the Lions improve to 3-4 on the season and get their first victory over Meridian in a few years.
The Eagles fall to 3-7 on the year. MCC will play Jones Junior College at 3 p.m. today and the Lions will play East Central in the 12 p.m. game at Scaggs Field on the second day of the Rush Classic.