EMCC Softball Sweeps SMCC to Clinch Postseason For First Time in Eight Years

Monday was a huge day for the East Mississippi Lions Softball team when they pulled off a doubleheader sweep over Southwest Mississippi at the EMCC Softball Field to claim the program’s first postseason playoff appearance in eight years.

The Lions ended the regular season with an 11-17 record in MACCC play, tying Southwest and Hinds in the standings. With the sweep, EMCC clinched the 10th seed, which is the final spot in the NJCAA Region 23 Softball Tournament.

Game One

EMCC displayed masterful defense on the way to a 4-0 win in game one of the doubleheader. The Lions began the scoring in the third inning with a pair of two-out runs against Southwest’s starting pitcher Corin Talbot. Three frames later, Rachel Rommel tallied an RBI single followed by a sacrifice fly from Karen Wisher to add two more runs to the board. Pitching wise for the Lions, Gail Wisher threw for eight strikeouts over just seven innings.

Game Two

Game two was slightly more competitive offensively than the first, with two ties through the first four frames until the Lions scored three in the fifth inning and another in the sixth. In the first inning, Sasha King notched an RBI single. After Southwest tied the game at 1-1 with a run of their own in the third frame, EMCC knocked in another run on an RBI single from Savannah Fralix.

The Southwest Lady Bears tied the game for a second time when Lauryn Roebuck batted in an RBI single of her own with two outs in the fourth inning. The fifth inning was when EMCC made a statement, knocking in three runs. An inning later, Karen Wisher recorded her second double of the game and Victoria Irby brought her home with an RBI single before eventually closing out the win 6-2.

Postseason Outlook

As the 10th seed in the R23 Softball Tournament, EMCC will face seventh seed Mississippi Gulf Coast in a play-in game on Saturday, May 3 at Jones College in Ellisville. The winner of the game will advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament to take on the second-seeded and nationally seventh ranked Jones on Sunday, May 4. EMCC enters the postseason with a 15-25 overall record that includes the most conference wins in a single season for the Lions since 2018 with 11.

Author administrator Kellen Walker