MCC gets hard-earned split

By Jeff Edwards/assistant sports editor

The Meridian Community College Eagles were able to salvage a split of their Sunday doubleheader against Alabama Southern Community College, but had to hang on for dear life to do so.

The Eagles came out flat in the first game in dropping a 7-0 decision, and almost blew an 8-0 lead in Game 2 before holding on for a 9-6 victory. MCC’s record stands at 3-1 with the split while Alabama Southern is 5-4.

“Alabama Southern is a good, physical team who knows how to pitch,” MCC coach Chris Rose said. “Our offensive approach in the first game was not perfect and carried over from the second game yesterday (a 2-0 win over Lurleen B. Wallace). We made an adjustment in the second game and hit the ball well.

“Coach (Joe) Caruso has done an excellent job with hitting. If the players continue to buy into his approach, they are going to be tough outs.”

After collecting only four hits in the shutout loss in the first game, the Eagles came out on fire in Game 2, scoring five runs in the first three innings.

MCC jumped out with two runs in the first inning on a Michael Guerrero RBI groundout and a Tyler Moore double.

Moore struck again in the third inning, belting a two-run homer over the right-center field wall to give the Eagles a four-run lead. After an error by Alabama Southern first baseman Nick Avila kept the inning alive, Drew Snider made them pay with a two-out double that scored Jarrod Parks.

MCC kept piling on the runs in the fourth inning, as Guerrero pounded a three-run blast well up on the hill beyond the left-field wall, making the score 8-0 and the game looking like a laugher.

However, Alabama Southern would start to climb back into the game in the top of the fifth inning. ASCC scored twice in the inning off of tiring starter Kedrick Martin.

Josh Pitts plated the first run with a single and Ricky Moulton grounded into a 6-4-3 double play that plated another run.

Martin allowed two runs on five hits in five innings of work to pick up his first win of the season.

With the score 8-2, Chase Porch replaced Martin in the sixth and quickly found trouble.

After the first two ASCC batters reached base, Josh Dannelly stroked a single into left that plated the first run of the inning. A Chris Murrill single plated another run before Pitts drove in two more runs with yet another single that put runners at first and second with one out.

However, ASCC ran itself out of the inning when they attempted a double-steal a couple of pitches later.

MCC catcher David Woods gunned down Murrill at third base for the second out and Moulton then grounded to short for out number three to keep the score at 8-6.

“That play was huge for us,” Rose said. “He (Woods) has a tremendous arm and I’m proud of the way he played. He handled the pitching staff well and kept their running game in check.”

MCC scored a run in the bottom of the sixth on an Adam Haygood single before Porch came back out and pitched around a one-out double in the top of the seventh to nail down the win.

“I recruited Chase and I know what he can do,” Rose said. “It was his first outing out there and he got some jitters. Once he settled down, I knew he would get the job done.”

While the MCC bats were hot in Game 2 of the twinbill, the first game was a different story.

Jonathan Stephens baffled the Eagle hitters the entire game, going the distance in a four-hit shutout. The ASCC sophomore righty struck out eight and walked only one.

ASCC got on the board in the third inning, taking advantage of two MCC walks and a throwing error to score two runs.

Alabama Southern added to its lead in the fifth inning, scoring one on a bases loaded walk and the other two on a Kevin Orso single up the middle.

ASCC scored on a double play in the sixth and closed out the scoring with an Orso double in the seventh.

Jordan Brown was saddled with the loss for MCC, allowing three earned runs in 4 2/3 of an inning.