EMCC Softball Takes Off

A strong complete-game performance from Gail Wisher and timely two-out hitting helped propel East Mississippi Community College’s softball team to a 4-2 victory over 11th-ranked Northeast Mississippi in the second game of Wednesday’s MACCC doubleheader at the EMCC Softball Field. The visiting Tigers won the first game 17-8 in run-rule fashion.

Despite the high-scoring loss in the opener, the Lions bounced back to hand Northeast only its second defeat of the season, ending the Tigers’ 10-game win streak. In the first game, EMCC had tied for the most hits allowed (12) and scored the third-most runs (8) against Northeast’s pitching staff this season. However, in the nightcap, the Lions tightened up defensively, limiting the Tigers to just two runs on seven hits, matching Northeast’s lowest scoring output of the year.

Early in the second game, EMCC’s clutch hitting came to the forefront, with Savannah Fralix’s two-out single in the first inning driving in Gail Wisher. In the second, Karen Wisher added another two-out RBI single after Brianna Byrd and Madison Newburn led off the inning with singles.

The Tigers briefly led 2-1 in the top of the second after Adin Shelton’s leadoff home run and back-to-back doubles by Amyah Hill and Sydney Bean. However, after the game was tied at 2-2, Gail Wisher took control in the circle, holding Northeast scoreless for the remainder of the game, including stranding the bases loaded in the third and sixth innings.

Wisher also contributed offensively in the fifth inning when she singled home Karen Wisher after her sister’s one-out double. Fralix followed with another key RBI single, adding an insurance run to give the Lions a 4-2 lead that would stand as the final score.

Wisher (4-7) pitched a complete game, scattering seven hits, recording nine strikeouts (a season high), and allowing only one walk. Offensively, Fralix, Newburn, and Karen Wisher all had two hits to lead EMCC’s 9-7 advantage in hits for the game.

In the first game, the Lions fell behind early as Northeast scored 12 runs before EMCC could score its first. The Tigers opened with four runs in the first and added six more in the second off pitchers Newburn and Fralix.

Despite the large deficit, the Lions rallied with five runs in the third, aided by RBI singles from Gail Wisher, Fralix, Rachel Rommel, and Byrd. However, the Tigers continued to build on their lead with runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Despite a valiant effort, EMCC was unable to keep the margin within the eight-run rule.

Sophomore Victoria Irby had a standout performance in the opener, going 3-for-3 with a leadoff home run in the fourth and a two-run single in the fifth, leading EMCC’s 12-hit attack.

The Lions (6-14, 2-6 MACCC) will continue their conference schedule with a doubleheader at Hinds on Saturday, March 22, followed by a twin bill at Coahoma on Tuesday, March 25.

Author administrator Corinne Ellington