Lady Eagles, Lady Lions split division opener

By By Robby Atkinson / staff writer
March 31, 2004
The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles and East Mississippi Community College Lady Lions took to the softball diamond on Tuesday at Northeast Park to open MACJC South Division play.
The Lady Eagles pounded out 16 hits and scored seven runs in the sixth inning to roll to an 11-3 win over East Mississippi in game one, but the Lady Lions bounced back in game two to take a 7-6 win.
Both teams return to action on Saturday, as East Mississippi travels to Raymond for a doubleheader against Hinds, and MCC will be participating in the Central Alabama Tournament.
EMCC 7
MCC 6
East Mississippi took a 7-3 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning and held off a late surge by the Lady Eagles to take the one-run win.
East Mississippi took the early with a pair of runs in the first inning for a 2-0 lead.. Kristi Smith and Shay Jackson both had RBI singles in the inning to give the Lady Lions.
The Lady Eagles battled back to cut the lead to 2-1 with an unusual run in the bottom of the second inning. Kirby Shelby smashed a triple off the fence in left field, and Shelby scored on a throwing error.
East Mississippi answered the run by MCC with five runs on five hits in the fourth inning to extend its lead to 7-1.
Kristi Tomlinson led of the fourth with a single and scored on a single by Allison Morgan for a 3-1 advantage. Libby Denney followed with an RBI single, and catcher Paula Hummer added a two-run single to build the lead to 6-1. Kristi Smith added the final run of the inning on an RBI ground out.
MCC fought back with one run in the fourth inning on a single by Nikki McClasky, and the Lady Eagles added another run in the fifth inning on a wild pitch to make the score 7-3.
MCC took its last stab at a comeback in the final inning, but the effort fell just one run short.
Jessica Lawrence and Raleigh Odom added RBI singles in the final inning to account for two of the three runs in the seventh.
MCC 11
EMCC 3
MCC used a seven-run sixth inning to cruise to an eight-run win in the opening game over the Lady Lions. Lawrence had the biggest day at the plate in game one with a 3-for-4 performance, including a home run.
East Mississippi took a brief 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI single by Charley Speed.
MCC fought back to take a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning on a throwing error by EMCC and an RBI single from J.J. Huggins.
MCC scored one run in the fourth and fifth innings to go along with the seven runs in the sixth inning to roll to the win.
Odom had an RBI single in the fifth inning, and Katie Barnett scored on a throwing error in the fourth inning.
Katie Barnett had a two-run single in the sixth, and Courtney Gray had a one-run double. Lawrence added a two-run home run in the sixth to lead MCC to the win over the Lady Lions.
East Mississippi added two runs in the fifth inning with one run scoring on a triple by Jackson.