MCC wins Miss-Lou title, Allen gets 400th win

By Jamie Wachter / Sports Editor
The Meridian Star


MERIDIAN — It took longer than he wanted, but Hilary Allen's milestone win came at an ideal time Friday.

Meridian Community College rallied from a halftime hole in the championship game of the Miss-Lou Conference women's tournament at Graham Gymnasium, downing Baton Rouge 73-69 and handing Allen his 400th win.

"What a heck of a night to do that on, especially here," Allen said as MCC now prepares for Tuesday's NJCAA Region 23 opener against Gulf Coast. "I knew coming into the year that it was going to take 25 to get to 400, and I was kind of hoping it would be before the tournament, but it wasn't.

"A lot of tribute to a lot of players over the years. I've been coaching since 1984 and have had a lot of players during that time, but I've got a good group this year. They work hard and play hard for me."

Getting that milestone win against the Bears wasn't easy though. Baton Rouge used a 10-0 run midway through the first half to take a 36-29 lead on a Rhondalon Popularis bucket with 3:46 left until the break. After the Eagles (25-5) tied it on a Chasity Kearny three-point play two minutes later, the Bears closed the half on a 5-0 run. BRCC wouldn't relinquish that lead until six minutes were left in the game.

"I think it's a mindset for the whole: we just never give up," Allen said. "We never give up during conditioning. We never give up during preseason practice. And we've had games this year where we've been behind, but we never give up.

"That's something I won't let the kids do, so when it comes time to win a ballgame late we can do that, and we did here tonight."

A quick pair of Kia Morris baskets and two Kearney free throws pulled MCC within 43-42 early in the second half, but Baton Rouge answered. The Bears continued to respond every time the Eagles pulled within a bucket.

However, after Chassity Smith's 3-pointer gave BRCC a 56-50 lead with 11:34 to go, the Eagles went on a 10-2 run to grab their first lead of the half. Norianna Haynes, a former Northeast Lauderdale star, sparked the run with a bucket to open it and a 3 to bring the Eagles within one. Then after sophomore point guard Bianca Powell tied it by hitting one of two free throws, Kearney hit two to put MCC up 60-58. The freshman post had 25 points and 13 rebounds to lead MCC and earn tournament MVP honors

"Chasity has played really well down the stretch," Allen said. "No doubt about it. A double-double with a lot of points, but she's also been getting a lot of offensive rebounds, and some big defensive rebounds.

"She had another big time (game) tonight."

The Eagles would stretch the lead to 64-59 on two more Kearney free throws with 5:10 left, but BRCC wasn't done. The Bears would tie it on a Popularis 3 with three minutes left. The Bears would knot it two more times before MCC pulled away in the final two minutes. Deanna Bolton gave MCC the lead for good with two free throws at the 1:22 mark, and then Arnissa Galloway scored on a putback with 13 seconds left to seal it.

Galloway finished with eight points and seven rebounds, while Powell added nine points and Haynes finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds. Baton Rouge, which fell to 14-11, was led by Dominque Shelmire's 20 points and seven rebounds, Popularis' 13 and Smith's 12

Softall results

This past weekend the Meridian Community College softball team played host to the Rush Tournament at the Northeast Softball Complex.

10 teams from around the country participated in the two day event.

The Lady Eagles went 1-3 over the weekend, losing games to LSU-Eunice (14-6), Central Alabama (15-1) and Northeast Mississippi (8-5).

MCC picked up a win in their final contest versus L.B. Wallace, 6-5.

The Lady Eagles then traveled to Ellisville, MS on Tuesday to face in-state opponent Jones County Junior College.

MCC dropped both games on the road, 12-3, 8-0.

The Lady Eagles (3-9) play at Hinds Community College on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Miss-Lou Confrence Title to be Settled Thursday in Meridian

The Meridian Community College women’s basketball team looks to add another title to their collection on Thursday night when they host Baton Rouge Community College for the Miss-Lou Conference Championship game.

The Lady Eagles are 24-5 on the season and have defeated Baton Rouge two out of three times this year, with the only loss coming last week when MCC had already clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.

Tip-off at the Graham Gymnasium is slated for 6 p.m.

This Week in MCC Sports

Baseball Friday @ Northwest Florida 1:00 pm Niceville, FL
Saturday @ Northwest Florida 1:00 pm Niceville, FL

Basketball Thursday vs. Baton Rouge 6:00 pm MERIDIAN

Softball Saturday @ Hinds 1:00 pm Raymond, MS

Tennis Friday @ Faulkner St 1:00 pm Bay Minette, AL
Saturday vs. NE Mississippi 12:00 pm MERIDIAN (Northeast Tennis Center)

Eagles drop close one at home

By Robby Atkinson / Special to The Star
The Meridian Star

MERIDIAN — The Meridian Community College Eagles contiuned its early season struggles as Jefferson College scored two runs in the top of the eighth inning to complete the weekend sweep of the Eagles by a final score of 9-8. The loss is the sixth straight for MCC and three of the loses to Jefferson College came by one run each.

"Our mistakes contiune to hurt us," said MCC head coach Chris Curry. "We got swept by a great team this weekend and hopefully we can fix a few of our mistakes and rebound with some big games on the schedule this week."

Jefferson (4-0) struck first in the game with a run in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead over Meridian. Drew Levi provided the early spark for the Vikings with an RBI single to left field that gave Jefferson College the early edge over MCC. The Eagles responded in the bottom of the second inning with a pair of runs to take its first lead of the game by a score of 2-1. The Eagles scored both of its runs in the bottom of the second inning on a throwing error by Jefferson College.

The Vikings took the brief lead away from MCC with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning to make the score 3-2. Fred Ford drove both runs in for the visiting Vikings on a two-run single to left field to give Jefferson College a one-run lead.

The Eagles kept the game tight in the bottom of the third with another run to tie the game at 3-3. Hunter Trawick drove the third run of the game in for the Eagles on a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Kenny Roberts who reached on a double to get the inning started for MCC. The Eagles took the lead once again in the bottom of the fourth inning on a lone run to make the score 4-3. Former Clarkdale standout Kasey Hinton continued his hot hitting as the freshman second baseman drove the run in on an RBI single to left field for the Eagles.

Jefferson College would not go away as the Vikings drove in three more runs in the top of the fifth inning to take the lead once again by a score of 6-4. Two of the runs scored on a two-run home run by Levi and the third run scored in the inning on an RBI single by Casey Goss. MCC tied the game in the bottom portion of the fifth inning to make the score 6-6. The Eagles scored both of its runs in the inning on another wild throw in the infield by the Vikings to tie the game for the second time.

The Eagles took another brief lead in the bottom of the sixth inning to make the score 7-6 in favor of Meridian. MCC scored its one run in the sixth inning on a dropped fly ball by the Vikings that plated a runner from second base. Jefferson College contiuned to put pressure on Meridian with another run in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game once again at 7-7. Goss drove in his second run of the contest on an RBI single to tie the game for the third time.

Jefferson put the game away for good with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning to make the score 9-7. Kyle Leslie drove both runs in for the Vikings on a single to left field to give Jefferson the lead for good. MCC scored one final run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a single by Trawick to make the final score 9-8.

MCC ended the game with 13 hits and was led by Johnny Tolson with a game-high four hits and Dustin James added a pair of hits in the loss for the Eagles.

Meridian (8-7) returns to action Tuesday against Bossier Parish Community College. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Scaggs Field.

The Power to Surprise

Unheralded Kia Morris keys MCC women into Miss-Lou final

By Jamie Wachter / Sports Editor
The Meridian Star

MERIDIAN — With Meridian Community College's lead down to seven with seven minutes to play, the MCC women's basketball team needed someone to make a play.

Enter unheralded defensive stopper Kia Morris. Moments after finding Chasity Kearney for a run-stopping bucket, Morris got a steal and layup and the Eagles continued on to a 76-65 win against Delgado in the first round of the Miss-Lou Conference tournament Monday at Graham Gymnasium. The Eagles (24-5) now host Baton Rouge at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the tournament championship game.

“She does a great job of going out and getting after people,” MCC coach Hilary Allen said of Morris. “We center around her. She goes out and gets the ball, and then everybody else just finds someone to guard.

“That's a key factor for the rest of the team. They know they don't have that on-ball responsibility. They know that's Kia's.”

MCC, which opened the game on a 12-0 run and added a 12-2 run late in the first half to lead 43-27 at the break, watched as the Dolphins fought back. The lead, which reached 56-38 with just less than 15 minutes to play on a Bianca Powell floater, was sliced to 56-46 just three minutes later as Dakwanda Sevalia hit three straight buckets for Delgado.

Then with 7:30 left, Claudia Tasker drained a 3-pointer - her lone basket - to trim the Eagle advantage to 62-55.

Morris then fed Kearney - who had a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds - to stop the momentum. She then got a steal near midcourt and finished with a layup that pushed the lead back to double digits. Delgado wouldn't get within nine the rest of the way.

Powell, the lone sophomore starter for MCC, was also instrumental in closing out the win. Following Morris' steal and score, Powell followed suit. She then answered a Shaquinta James 3 with a score and then made a key missed 3. With the shot clock about to expire and in the backcourt retrieving a deflected pass, the Eagles' point guard's halfcourt heave caught iron allowing Arnissa Galloway the opportunity for a putback. Galloway finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, as she scored MCC's final six points.

One of those late baskets came off a Powell pass, as the sophomore dished out nine assists to go along with nine points in running MCC's up-tempo attack.

“Bianca Powell, I think made some real nice plays the last three or four minutes,” Allen added. “She made some good penetration passes down to the block, and took care of and handled the ball, doing the things we needed down the stretch.”

Before the late heroics, the Eagles soared early. MCC hit five of its first six shots and scored on the first five possessions to grab a 12-0 lead. Kearney scored twice in the spurt and Powell and former Northeast Lauderdale star Norianna Haynes each drained 3s. Haynes scored 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

However, Delgado would answer. The Dolphins responded to the 12-0 hole with a 10-point run of their own as Kayla Jackson poured in six points in the streak. As the two teams traded blows, MCC led 20-17 with 10 minutes left before starting to pull away. After a pair of Eagle scores, Delgado's Cache' Jones hit a 3 - her lone basket - to make it 25-20 before Meridian went on a 12-2 run to take control. Morris had five of her eight points in the run.

“We hit a bunch of shots and the kids came out fired up,” Allen said. “But Delgado's not going to quit. It was do or die time for them and they gave maximum effort.”

James led Delgado (5-19) with 14 points, while Sevalia added 12 as nine Dolphins scored.

Eagles post top five showing, Jake Stirling named All Tournament Team

Meridian Community College freshman, Jake Stirling, was named All Tournament team after shooting 4-under par

(Fairhope, AL) - The Meridian Community College Eagles made a 15 shot improvement from their first round score to post a 296 in the final round of the Faulkner State Spring Invitational played at Rock Creek Golf Club.

The Eagles maintained their position on the team leader board with another top five showing, fourth place.

Wallace State won the event with a 589. Central Alabama claimed second with a 595, while Brevard inched out the Eagles for third place with a 602. MCC came in fourth with a 607, Mississippi Gulf Coast was in fifth with a 614, while Faulkner State and Spring Hill tied for sixth with 621. The University of Mobile posted a 629 to place in eighth while the University of New Orleans rounded out the field in ninth place with a 642.

Leading the way for the Eagles was freshman Jake Stirling who placed second in the individual standings with a 4-under par showing (71-69). Stirling was named to his fourth all tournament team this season.

Sophomore Adam Monsen shot 75-76, freshman Easton Key had rounds of 83-73, freshman Alex Grannon posted 82-78, and sophomore Brandt Garon rounded out MCC's scoring with 84-78.

“The opening day was extremely tough with 25 mph winds,” said head coach Sean Covich.

“Real proud of everyone to battle back and play a lot better the second day. Jake played a great event, he was so close to making birdies on the final two holes.. but he will get another medalist title soon.”

“Once we get all five guys playing well at the right time, we will be hard to beat.”

The Eagles return to action March 7-8 at the Mississippi-Louisiana College Invitational played at Black Bear Golf Club in Delhi, LA.

Third ranked Eagles open Spring Season at Rock Creek

MCC to play in Faulkner State Invite

Fairhope, Ala. - The 3rd-ranked Meridian Community College men's golf team travels to Fairhope, Ala., for the 2011 Faulkner State Spring Invitational held Monday through Tuesday at the par-72 Rock Creek Golf Club.

Meridian, Miss. native, Easton Key, a freshman from Lamar, will lead the Eagles in the No. 1 position for the spring season opener. Key was named all tournament team three times in the fall and also shot the school record low score of 65 (-7).

Sophomore Brandt Garon will play in the No. 2 position for MCC. The Baton Rouge, La. native continued his stellar career in the fall earning medalist honors at the Wallace State Fall Invitational and the NJCAA District IV Preview. The defending national champion has won four tournament titles during his two-year MCC career.

Freshman Jake Stirling will also be in the Eagles line-up this week. The Victoria, Australia native, who won one medalist tile along with three all tournament team honors this past fall, will play in the No. 3 spot for MCC.

Garon (71.9), Stirling (72.4) and Key (72.4) led the NJCAA Region 23 in scoring average this fall. As a team, the Eagles per round fall average of 289.4 was nearly four strokes lower than their average last season where MCC claimed national championship runner-up.

Sophomore Adam Monsen returns to Rock Creek seeking to defend his medalist title. Last season Monsen, then a freshman for MCC, won the tournament in a playoff over Central Alabama’s Barrett Milam. The San Antonio, Texas native will play in the No. 4 spot for MCC.

Freshman Alex Grannon, from Kiln, Miss. rounds out the Eagles line-up in the No. 5 spot. This week marks Grannon’s third consecutive start for the Eagles.

"We're ready to get the season back up and running," said fifth year MCC head golf coach Sean Covich.

"The guys are ready to get started and put some solid rounds together. There is some good competition here."

Competing in the Faulkner State Spring Invitational are four of the top-10 NJCAA Division I men’s golf teams: No. 2 Brevard (FL) Community College, No. 3 MCC, No. 6 Central Alabama Community College and No. 9 Wallace State (AL) Community College. Also playing is host-school Faulkner State Community College, former MACJC-rival Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is scheduled to compete along with two university teams- the University of Mobile and the University of New Orleans.

Six individuals ranked in the top-25 participating include No. 1 Paul Harris of Central Alabama, No. 3 Brandt Garon of MCC, No. 12 Jared Burlesson of Faulkner State, No. t13 Easton Key of MCC, No. t13 Jake Stirling MCC, and No. 15 Deane Rikard of Wallace State.

Last season MCC claimed a top 5 finish at Rock Creek in the 2010 Faulkner State Spring Invitational.

Action gets underway at 8 am on Monday. The 36-hole event concludes on Tuesday afternoon.

MCC Eagles fall to Vikings

By Robby Atkinson / Special to The Star

MERIDIAN — The Meridian Community College Eagles were riding a seven-game winning streak at one point in the early weeks of the season, but the Eagles have slipped in the other direction.

MCC battled back from an 8-1 deficit, but the Eagles couldn't completely seal the deal as Jefferson College took a 10-9 victory at Scaggs Field on Friday afternoon. The one-run setback now puts Meridian on a three-game losing streak heading into a doubleheader today at 2 p.m. against the Vikings.

"I don't believe in moral victories, but I am very pleased with the way our team battled today," said MCC coach Chris Curry. "We fought through a lot of adversity the whole week and I just liked the way our guys didn't give up."

The Vikings scored the first run of the game in the top of the first inning as Casey Goss led the game off by drawing a walk and later scored on a wild pitch. MCC answered in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at 1. Freshman pitcher Nolan Thomas helped his cause by driving in a run on a single to right field.

Jefferson College would put the game out of reach in the top of the second inning with seven runs to take its largest lead at 8-1. Brenden Neel had a two-run double and Fred Ford added a three-run home run to spark the Vikings.

MCC fought back from the seven-run deficit to score four runs in the bottom of the second inning, with two runs scoring on an error, while the other two runs scored on a wild pitch and bases-loaded walk.

Jefferson (1-0) added two more runs to answer MCC in the top of the fourth to make the score 10-5. The Vikings scored both runs on ground outs by Kyle Leslie and Nathan Geile before MCC kept the pressure on with another pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Former West Lauderdale standout Darren Farmer kept his bat hot by driving both runs in on a two-run home run over the wall in center.

The Eagles scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to draw even closer at 10-9. Johnny Tolson had an RBI single in the inning and Dustin James, a former West standout, added an RBI on a single. Both teams would fail to score in the next three innings, but MCC had one final chance heading into the bottom of the ninth. Brain Donohoe got the rally started with a one-out double to left and Clarkdale product Kasey Hinton followed with a single to put a pair of runners at the corners.

Farmer reached on a walk moments later to load the bases with one out. Jefferson was able to collect the final two outs, though, and secure win. The Eagles collected 13 hits in the game and was led by Hinton with three hits, including a double. Farmer and Tolson each added two hits apiece in the loss for the Eagles.

Baseball, Golf, Tennis all in action this weekend

Spring sports are in full bloom this weekend at Meridian Community College as the baseball, golf, softball, and tennis are all in action.

After dropping a road game on Tuesday at Shelton State, the MCC baseball team returns to Scaggs Field where they will take on Jefferson College.

The Eagles will play Friday at 2 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon.

The tennis teams return to action at Northeast Tennis Center on Saturday for a double-header versus two in-state schools.

MCC will face Millsaps College at 10 a.m. then take on Northeast Mississippi at 3:00 p.m. Millsaps and NE Mississippi will pay each ether in between Meridian matches at 12:30 p.m.

The MCC golf team, currently ranked #3 in the nation, will scrimmage against Mississippi State University on Friday in Starkville. Following their battle with the Bulldogs, the Eagle Linksters will head to the Faulkner State Spring Invitational at Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope, AL where MCC sophomore Adam Monsen will look to defend his medalist title from 2010. The 36-hole event will start Monday and conclude on Tuesday.

Softball drops a pair to Pensacola

The Meridian Community College softball team dropped a home doubleheader yesterday against Pensacola State College to run their record to 2-4.

“We knew coming in they would bring a team in that would put pressure on us by putting the ball in play from the hitting aspect of the game. We would have to communicate and defend. We didn’t a good job of that on yesterday. Also offensively we made too many mistakes (both mental and physical) to compete at this level,” said Lady Eagle head coach Robert Eakins.

“The things we made mistakes on are the things we reinforce and practice on daily.”

Pensacola defeated the Lady Eagles 8-0 in game one.

Mallory Lowe took the loss on the mound to drop her record to 1-1. The Lady Eagles collected 6 hits but they were stranded out over the 7-inning contest. For MCC Marlena Clayton went 2-for-3 with two singles. Whitnee Jenkins, Nakkia Moore, Briana Gosselin, Taquita Collier, and Heather Reed also reached base with singles.

Game two saw the Lady Eagles put the ball in play better offensively but still lost the contest 10-4.

“We made extremely too many offensive mistakes to run us of a chance to win. We stranded on in every inning except the 7th. Doesn’t matter who play performances like that just not going to allow you to win,” added Eakins.

The Lady Eagles collected 7 hits in the contest as PSC committed 6 errors and walked 4 batters. Clayton, who went 2-for-4, again had 2 singles, with Brooke Dew, Iyeshia Thomas, Nakkia Moore, Erin Adcock, and Heather Reed adding singles for MCC. Erin Adcock (1-2) took the loss on the mound.

“It is unfortunate that we were not able to gain a split in the nightcap, but as I told them before the game the next 6 games would go a long way into building some game character for them. Hopefully we will learn from it and not make those mistakes again,” said Eakins.

The Lady Eagles now prepare to host the annual Rush Invitational Tournament this Friday and Saturday at the Northeast Softball Complex. MCC is slated to play two games each day. Friday MCC will play Region 23 foe- LSU-Eunice at 10:15 a.m., and then the Lady Eagles challenge Central Alabama at 2:45 p.m. On Saturday, MCC faces in-state rival Northeast Mississippi at 9:30 a.m. and then wraps up their action vs. L.B. Wallace at 2:00 p.m.

MCC women fall in Baton Rouge

The Meridian Community College women saw their perfect Miss-Lou Conference standing come to an end Wednesday night as the Eagles fell 88-67 to Baton Rouge Community College on the road.

Bianca Powell and Chasity Kearney led MCC with 16 points apiece.

Meridian will be back in action when it travels to Shreveport on Friday.

Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.

The Meridian men fell to Baton Rouge 72-68 in the nightcap and will travel to Shreveport for a 3 p.m. tip.

MCC Golf to face Mississippi State

(MERIDIAN) - Following their successful outing with the University of Mississippi last Saturday, the Meridian Community College golf team has been invited to play yet another Southeastern Conference golf team- the Mississippi State University Bulldogs.

The Eagles and the Bulldogs will tangle on Friday at either Old Waverly Golf Club or the MSU Golf Course (depending on weather conditions).

MCC/MSU will pair together in groups of four for their scrimmage match, MCC will play 8 golfers while MSU start 12 in the scrimmage.

Both MCC head coach, Sean Covich, and MSU head coach, Clay Homan, will use this match as the final round of their team qualifiers for their spring season opening events.

Following the MCC/MSU event, the Bulldogs will travel to Mobile, AL for the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate hosted by the University of South Alabama on Feb. 21-22.

The Eagles also travel to the Alabama Gulf Coast on Feb. 21-22 when they play in the Faulkner State Spring Invitational at Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope, AL.

Tennis falls to William Carey, Dominates ECCC

The Meridian Community College men’s and women’s tennis teams both stand at 1-1 on the season after dropping matches to William Carey University on Friday and then winning both matches against East Central Community College on Tuesday.

Meridian vs. William Carey from Friday:

Women’s Singles
Players Winner Score
Monica Rekkedal vs. Vuzen William Carey 7-5, 3-6, 10-7
Savannah Zachry vs. Pesic William Carey 6-1, 6-1
Indi Mire vs. Khaviova William Carey 6-4, 6-2
Kaley Allen vs. Ksluza William Carey 6-1, 6-0
Shelley Munn vs. Oliveira William Carey 2-8
Cecilly Monsour vs. Roberts William Carey 8-0

Women’s Doubles
Players Winner Score
Zachry and Mire vs. Vuzen and Kaluza William Carey 8-2
Rekkedal and Munn vs. Pesic and Oliveira William Carey 8-3
Kaley Allen and Cecilly Monsour vs. Khabiova and Johnson William Carey 8-3
Leslie Martin and Elizabeth Case vs. Roberts and Clark William Carey 8-1

Men’s Singles
Players Winner Score
Matic Leskovar vs. Claassee William Carey 6-0, 6-0
Simon Bardell vs. Hiddasa William Carey 7-5, 6-4
Andres Yepez vs. Ivahov William Carey 6-4, 6-2
Zach Marroy vs. Kardell William Carey 8-6
Will Huntington vs. Georgia William Carey 6-4, 6-3

Men’s Doubles
Players Winner Score
Leskovar and Bardell vs. Claassee and Hiddasa William Carey 8-6
Yepez and Marroy vs. Ivahov and Kardell Meridian 8-6
Huntington and Webb vs. Georgia and Loel William Carey 8-1

In action against ECCC the women’s team brought only two players, so the match was already decided.

Meridian’s seven and eight players Leslie Martin and Elizabeth Case played against ECCC’s number one and four players Cassie Munn and Lori Martin and lost 8-6. Meridian’s Kaley Allen defeated Cassie Munn 7-6 (3), 6-1 and Cecilly Monsour defeated Martin 6-1, 6-0.

Meridian vs. ECCC men from Tuesday:

Men’s Singles
Player Winner Score
Leskovar defeated Zach White Meridian 6-0, 6-0
Simon Bardell defeated Jason Loris Meridian 6-2, 6-1
Zach Marroy defeated Matt Griffin Meridian 6-1, 6-0
Will Huntington defeated Danny Smith Meridian 6-0, 6-4
Trey Webb defeated Walt Stinson Meridian 6-1, 6-1
Chris Kolb defeated Josh Blackburn Meridian 7-5, 6-3

Men’s Doubles
Player Winner Score
Bardell and Huntington defeated Loris and Richie Ferguson Meridian 8-2
Webb and Marroy defeated White and Griffin Meridian 8-0
Leskovar and Kolb defeated Stinson and Smith Meridian 8-3

Meridian will return to action Saturday when they host Millsaps and Northeast Community College at Northeast Park beginning
At 10:00 a.m.

Eagles fall at Shelton State

Shelton State 5
Meridian 4

A costly error in the bottom of the ninth inning sent the Meridian Community College baseball team to its second straight loss Tuesday afternoon on the road at Shelton State.

The Eagles entered the ninth tied up at four with Shelton State. However, Shelton was able to get a runner in scoring position and an errant throw on a steal attempt from the catcher over the third baseman's head led to the winning run.

MCC, now 8-3, got three singles from former West Lauderdale standout Darren Farmer, while Meridian High product Kenny Roberts had a double and Nolan Thomas had an RBI single.

Meridian will kickoff a four-game series with No. 24 Jefferson College beginning Friday at Scaggs Field.

Lady Eagles set to Host Rush Tournament

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles are set to once again host the annual MCC/RUSH Invitational Tourney on Friday and Saturday at Northeast Park in Meridian, MS.

Ten teams will be participating this weekend and include: Bevill State Community College, Central Alabama Community College, Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Heartland Community College, L B Wallace Community College, LSU-Eunice Community College, Meridian Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, Northeast Mississippi Community College, and Shelton State Community College.

Friday action gets underway at 10:15 am on Field #1 as Central Alabama takes on Co-Lin. MCC will face Region 23 rival- LSU-Eunice at the same time on Field #2.

L.B. Wallace will play Northeast Mississippi on Field #1 at 12:30 p.m., while Bevill State and MS Gulf Coast play on Field #2 and LSU-Eunice plays Shelton State on Field #3.

Action continues at 2:45 p.m. when Central Alabama plays Meridian on Field #1. Bevill State and Co-Lin tangle on Field #2 while MS Gulf Coast and Shelton State play on Field #3.

In the nightcap, central Alabama plays LSU-Eunice on Field #1 at 5 p.m. Co-Lin and L.B. Wallace play on Field #2 while Northeast Mississippi and Shelton State play on Field #3.

Saturday, action gets underway at 9:30 am as Meridian will face Northeast Mississippi on Field #1. Bevill State takes on Heartland on Field #2 and Central Alabama plays MS Gulf Coast on Field #3.

Bevill State and Shelton State begin 11:45 a.m. action on Field #1, while Central Alabama faces Northeast Mississippi on Field #2 and L.B. Wallace takes on MS Gulf Coast on Field #3.

At 2:00 p.m. Heartland will face Shelton State on Field #1. L.B. Wallace will face the Lady Eagles on Field #2, while Bevill State and MS Gulf Coast square off on Field #3.

The tournament will conclude at 4 p.m. on Saturday as L.B. Wallace plays Shelton State on Field #1 and Heartland takes on Northeast Mississippi on Field #3.

MCC Rush Tournament Schedule
Friday - February 18
10:15 a.m.
Central Alabama vs. Copiah Lincoln (Field 1)
LSU – Eunice vs. Meridian (Field 3)
12:30 p.m.
L B Wallace vs. Northeast MS (Field 1)
Bevill State vs. MS. Gulf Coast (Field 2)
LSU - Eunice vs. Shelton State (Field 3)
2:45 p.m.
Central Alabama vs. Meridian (Field 1)
Bevill State vs. Co-Lin (Field 2)
MS Gulf Coast vs. Shelton State (Field 3)
5:00 p.m.
Central Alabama vs. LSU - Eunice (Field 1)
Copiah Lincoln vs. L B Wallace (Field 2)
Northeast MS vs. Shelton State (Field 3)

Saturday - February 19
9:30 a.m.
Meridian vs. Northeast MS (Field 1)
Bevill State vs. Heartland (Field 2)
Central Alabama vs. MS. Gulf Coast (Field 3)
11:45 a.m.
Bevill State vs. Shelton State (Field 1)
Central Alabama vs. Northeast MS (Field 2)
L B Wallace vs. MS Gulf Coast (Field 3)
2:00 p.m.
Heartland vs. Shelton State (Field 1)
L B Wallace vs. Meridian (Field 2)
Bevill State vs. MS Gulf Coast (Field 3)
4:00 p.m.
L B Wallace vs. Shelton State (Field 1)
Heartland vs. Northeast MS (Field 3)

Softball Splits with Jeff Davis

The Meridian Community College softball team earned split a doubleheader at home Tuesday to keep their record at .500.

After losing the first game of the doubleheader 4-0 to Jeff Davis the Lady Eagles bounced back in the nightcap to win 7-6. MCC evened their record at 2-2 on the season.

Although the score doesn’t indicate it, the first game was a pitcher duel. There were 7 hits in the contest (Jeff Davis 4 and Meridian 3). The only problem was Jeff Davis collected 2 hits in the 2nd and 5th innings and lady Eagles committed 5 errors during those frame to allow Jeff Davis to score 4 runs, which was more than enough to secure the victory. Alyssa Daniels (0-1) was the loser in the contest. Stormy Lewis (2-3, double) and Iyeshia Thomas (1-3) had MCC 3 hits in the contest.

In game 2 the Lady Eagles bats did not warm up to well, collecting only 6 hits, but MCC did take advantage of 7 walks with some timely hitting they scored 7 runs to win the nightcap. MCC opened the bottom of the first with consecutive walks by Whitnee Jenkins and Brooke Dew. Iyeshia Thomas scored both runs on a double to right center. Taquita Collier, running for Thomas, later scored on a fielder choice of the bat of Erin Adcock. Jeff Davis pushed across a run in the top of the 3rd to make the score 3-1. Thomas stretched the lead to 5-1 in the 5th with a 2 run homer, that scored Jenkins who had singled earlier. The Lady Eagles could not close out the game as Jeff Davis scored 5 runs in the top of the 7th to go ahead 6-5. However MCC staged some heroics of their own in the bottom of the inning to win the game 7-6. Jenkins open with a walk; reached 2nd on a sacrifice by, and later took 3rd on a wild pitch. Marlena Clayton reached on a walk before Thomas delivered a game tying RBI on a fielder choice hit in the hole at shortstop. Stormy Lewis loaded the bases with a 2 out walk. Erin Adcock then stepped up to deliver the game winning RBI with a single to right to score Clayton from 3rd. Adcock picked up the win on the mound to even her record at 1-1.

“We are young and we are trying to develop some confidence with them so hopefully this will help.,” said MCC head coach Robert Eakins. “It was tough lost in the first game, but to bounce back in the second game to win it with some timely hit hopefully will help them stay focused. We though about changing pitcher but we wanted them to gut it out and they did. This will give them some confidence as we go through a 6 tough game stretch.”

MCC (2-2) returns to action today at 1 p.m. when they host Pensacola Community College at Tommy McDonald Field.

Basketball on the road Wednesday and Friday

Both Meridian Community College basketball teams will hit the road today for Miss-Lou Conference action.

The Lady Eagles travel to Baton Rouge, along with the men, to face BRCC.

Women tip off at 5 pm while the men play at 7 pm.

Friday, both teams will have a make-up game against conference foe- Southern Shreveport at 1 pm and 3 pm.

Both MCC teams are in first place in the conference standings. The Lady Eagles have clinched first place and will host the first round of the conference tournament on Monday at 6 pm. If the Lady Eagles win round one, they will host the championship game on Wednesday night at 6 pm.

Meanwhile, the men hold a half-game lead with two games to play, should the men hold on to first place- MCC will be the host for both the men’s and women’s Miss-Lou Conference Tournament round one games Monday at 6 pm and 8 pm.

This Week in MCC Sports (updated)

Today
Baseball @ Shelton State 2:00 pm Tuscaloosa, AL
Softball vs. Jeff Davis 3:00 pm Tommy McDonald Field
Tennis vs. East Central 2:00 pm Northeast Tennis Complex

Wednesday
Basketball @ Baton Rouge 5:00/7:00 pm Baton Rouge, LA
Softball vs. Pensacola 1:00 pm Tommy McDonald Field

Friday
Baseball vs. Jefferson College 2:00 pm Scaggs Field
Basketball @ Shreveport 1:00/3:00 pm Shreveport, LA
Golf @ Mississippi State^ 1:00 pm West Point, MS
Softball vs. LSU-Eunice* 10:15 am Northeast Softball Complex
Softball vs. Central Alabama* 2:45 pm Northeast Softball Complex

Saturday
Baseball vs. Jefferson College 2:00 pm Scaggs Field
Softball vs. NE Mississippi* 9:30 am Northeast Softball Complex
Softball vs. L.B. Wallace* 2:00 pm Northeast Softball Complex
Tennis vs. Millsaps 10:00 am Northeast Tennis Complex
Tennis vs. NE Mississippi 3:00 pm Northeast Tennis Complex

Sunday
Baseball vs. Jefferson College 12:00 pm Scaggs Field

^-Scrimmage
*-Rush Invitational Tournament

This Week in MCC Sports

Tuesday
Baseball @ Shelton State 2 pm Tuscaloosa, AL
Softball vs. Jeff Davis 3 pm Tommy McDonald Field
Tennis vs. East Central 2 pm Northeast Tennis Complex

Wednesday
Basketball @ Baton Rouge 5/7 pm Baton Rouge, LA
Softball vs. Pensacola 1 pm Tommy McDonald Field

Friday
Baseball vs. Jefferson College 2 pm Scaggs Field
Basketball (possible make up game @ Shreveport)
Golf @ Mississippi State 1 pm West Point, MS
Softball Rush Tournament TBA Northeast Softball Complex

Saturday
Baseball vs. Jefferson College 2 pm Scaggs Field
Softball Rush Tournament TBA Northeast Softball Complex
Tennis vs. Millsaps 10 am Northeast Tennis Complex
Tennis vs. NE Mississippi 3 pm Northeast Tennis Complex

Rush Tournament Recap

Sunday:
Wabash 13, MCC 9

The Meridian Community College Eagles saw its seven game winning streak vanish Sunday afternoon in the final round of the 2011 Rush Invitational Tournament at Scaggs Field. Wabash Valley scored seven late runs to roll to a 13-9 victory over MCC and avoid a sweep at the hand of the Eagles.

"I just felt like that our mistakes finally caught up to us," said MCC head coach Chris Curry. "We just were not mentally prepared to play today and it cost us."

MCC (8-2) led for much of the early stages of the game, but four errors by the Meridian defense would prove to be a huge difference late in the game. The Eagles did take a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning on a three-run double by former Clarkdale standout Kasey Hinton. The double that scored three runs in the inning came with two outs by Hinton.

Wabash Valley (2-2) struck back for a run in the top of the third inning to trim the MCC lead to 3-1. Steve Hodgins reached on an error by second baseman Kenny Roberts and later scored on a double steal to make the score 3-1. The Warriors continued to pour the pressure on Meridian with two more runs in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game at 3-3. One run scored on a wild pitch by MCC starting pitcher Wes Stokes and the second run came across to score on an RBI single by BJ Willis.

Wabash took its first lead of the game in the top of the sixth inning with three runs to make the score 6-3. One run scored on a MCC error and the second run scored on a fielder's choice. The third run of the top of the sixth inning scored on an RBI single by Hodgins. Meridian came roaring back in the bottom portion of the sixth with another spark from Darren Farmer to give MCC a 7-6 lead. The former West Lauderdale product blasted a grand slam home run over the wall in left field to give the Eagles the brief one-run edge.

Wabash Valley answered with three runs in the seventh inning and four more in the eighth inning to move on to the victory. Cha Pizarro smashed a two-run homer in the seventh for Wabash and Chris Glynn added an RBI single in the four-run eighth inning for the Warriors.

MCC did manage two runs in the final inning, but the Eagles fell by a final score of 13-9. Jamey Cutts and Brian Donohoe each had an RBI single in the ninth inning for Meridian.

The Eagles ended the game with 15 hits and was led by Farmer with a team high three hits and four RBI. Hinton and Roberts each added two hits apiece in the setback for the Eagles.

Meridian returns to action Tuesday afternoon on the road at Shelton State. The game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Saturday:
MCC 7, Wabash 4
MCC 5, ECCC 3

Meridian Community College headed into the second day of the 2011 Rush Invitational Tournament looking to continue its impressive winning streak and the Eagles survived a huge scare. East Central provided plenty of drama in the second game of the day, but MCC was able to hold on for a 5-3 victory to extend its winning streak to seven games.

ECCC took a 2-1 lead over Meridian heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Eagles used two home runs to take the lead for good. Freshman right fielder Wade Wass and former West Lauderdale standout Darren Farmer provided the offensive spark in the inning for Meridian.

"We give a lot of credit to East Central for playing such a hard game today," said MCC head coach Chris Curry. "I am proud of how we battled back late in the game after trailing and we need to play a little better defensively."

MCC struck with the first run of the game with a home run from Brian Donohoe in the bottom of the third inning to give the Eagles the 1-0 lead. ECCC answered right back with a long ball of its own to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning. Vince Kortbawi brought the first run across the plate on the solo home run over the wall for the Warriors.

East Central (2-2) would eventually take the lead in the top of the seventh thanks to a throwing error by MCC. Tyler Brant reached base on a walk for the Warriors and later scored in the inning on a throwing error by the Eagles to give ECCC a brief 2-1 lead. MCC snatched the lead away from East Central with the pair of home runs to make the score 5-2. Wass smashed a solo home run over the scoreboard in right field and Farmer added a three-run shot later in the inning to give Meridian the three-run lead.

ECCC added a run in the final inning on an RBI single by Jeremy May, but the Warriors would fall to the Eagles by a final of 5-3.

MCC (8-1) ended the game with nine hits and was led by Kenny Roberts with two hits and Donohoe collected a pair of hits in the victory. Kortbawi led the way for ECCC with a pair of hits and Darmall Moore also collected a pair of hits in the loss for the Warriors.

Former Enterprise standout Steven Taylor (1-1) picked up the pitching win in relief for Meridian and Tyler Dalton (0-1) was saddled with the pitching loss in relief for East Central. The Warriors also lost its final game of the day to Wabash Valley by a final score of 9-7.

Meridian returns to action today in the final round of the Rush Invitational Tournament against Wabash Valley at 1 p.m. at Scaggs Field.

The Eagles picked up its second win over Wabash Valley in the tournament despite making some costly errors early in the game. The Warriors scored four runs in the top of the second inning on four errors by the Eagles, but MCC was able to rebound for the three-run victory.

MCC scored first in the game with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 2-0 lead over Wabash Valley. One run scored on an RBI single by Nolan Thomas and the second run scored on a throwing error by Wabash Valley. The Warriors scored all of its runs in the top of the second inning and took its only lead of the game 4-2. Three of the runs scored on a missed fly ball with the bases loaded by Meridian and fourth run scored on an infield error by the Eagles.

MCC came right back after the miscues and scored a pair of runs to tie the game at 4-4 in the bottom of the second inning. One run scored on an RBI single by Johnny Tolson and Roberts knocked in the second run on a single for the Eagles. Meridian added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run home run by Wass and Roberts drove the final run of the game in with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. MCC ended the game with eight hits and Tolson led the charge with two hits for Meridian. Chase Jordan (1-0) picked up the pitching win for Meridian by tossing four scoreless innings in relief.


Friday:
MCC 9, Wabash 5

The Meridian Community College Eagles opened the first day of the 2011 Rush Tournament by extending its winning streak to five games with a 9-5 victory over Wabash Valley Community College at Scaggs Field on Friday afternoon. The Eagles scored six early runs and held off a late charge by the Warriors to improve their record to 6-1 for the 2011 season.

The Eagles got the scoring started with two runs in the bottom of the first inning by way of the long ball. Former Meridian High standout Kenny Roberts belted a two-run home run over the wall in right field to give Meridian the 2-0 lead over Wabash. MCC moved its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the second inning in part to a costly fielding error by the Warriors. Both runs came across the plate in the inning on a throwing error by the Wabash Valley infield to give Meridian a four-run lead.

The Eagles continued to pour on the runs in the third inning to increase its lead to 6-0 over Wabash Valley. Nolan Thomas got the inning started for the Eagles with a single and later scored on a two-run home run by Wade Wass to give MCC its largest lead of the game.

Wabash Valley (0-1) started to chip away at the MCC lead with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning to make the score 6-2 in favor of the Eagles. Korey Hall drove in one of the runs for Wabash Valley on a double and the second run came across on a throwing error by MCC. The Warriors continued to mount its comeback with one run in the sixth and seventh inning to trim the lead to 6-4. Wabash Valley started the sixth inning with a single from Shane Crain and Marcos Drekes later reached on a walk to give the Warriors a pair of base runners. Steve Hodgins would reach on a walk to load the bases for Wabash moments later and Wabash eventually would score its only run of the inning.

Edmanuel Rivera belted a line drive back to the pitchers mound that would plate a run for Wabash and make the score 6-3. MCC relief pitcher Michael Manley would battle out of the bases loaded jam and hold the damage to just one run in the top of the sixth inning. Wabash scored its other run in the seventh inning an RBI double by Shane Crain.

MCC would put the game out of reach in the bottom of the seventh with three runs to make the score 9-4. Thomas drove in one of the runs on a sacrifice fly to center and the other two runs scored on bases loaded walks. The Warriors added its final run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Rivera and MCC would hold on for the 9-5 victory over Wabash. The Eagles ended the game with seven hits as Roberts led the way with two hits and a pair of RBI's.

Former West Lauderdale standout Dustin McWilliams (1-0) was credited with the pitching for MCC and Alex Gordon took the pitching loss for the Warriors. Meridian returns to action today at 11 a.m. against East Central and will also take on Wabash Valley at 2 p.m.

Eagles defeat Delgado

Meridian Community College men’s basketball team received a lot of good news on Saturday. The Eagles learned that Delgado Community College, their opponent for the day, had to forfeit a previous win over MCC then word came that Southern-Shreveport lost their game which meant a win by Meridian on Saturday would propel the Eagles into first place of the Miss-Lou Conference standings.

Behind a strong performance from sophomore Emmanuel Donald, who scored 17 points, the Eagles recorded a 93-83 home victory over Delgado. MCC led 45-22 at halftime.

Deangelo Priar, Emery Kelly, and Edrico McGregor each scored 13 points for the Eagles, as Travis Fredimon added 11 points for MCC.

Renard Smith scored a game-high of 27 points for Delgado.

With the victory MCC improves to 17-9 (5-2). The Eagles will travel to Baton Rouge on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m.

Lady Eagles take care of Delgado

(MERIDIAN) - The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles remained unbeaten in Miss-Lou Conference play with a 76-60 defeat over visiting Delgado Community College on Saturday in the Graham Gymnasium.

MCC got out to a big lead that they never relinquished, as the Lady Eagles jumped out to a 23-4 lead early in the first half.

Delgado tried to make it close at times, but the Lady Eagles were too much as MCC led at half 46-27.

Leading the way for MCC in scoring was freshman Chasity Kearney who scored 14 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Also earning a double-double was freshman Arnissa Galloway who scored 13 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Freshman Norianna Haynes had 12 points with 3 assists and 3 steals. Sophomore Bianaca Powell had 9 points and 10 assists.

Leading the way for Delgado was freshman Shaquinta James who scored a game-high 20 points.

With the win the Lady Eagles improved to 22-4 and 7-0 in conference play. MCC’s women have not lost a game since Jan. 8.

Softball shuffles schedule

The Meridian Community College softball game set for Friday vs., Pensacola Junior College has been changed. The Lady Eagles will now host Pensacola next Wednesday at 1 p.m.

The updated schedule makes for a busy week for the Lady Eagles (1-1) who will now host home games on back to back days Tuesday and Wednesday then the annual Rush Tournament at Northeast Park on Friday and Saturday.

MCC Softball next week..
Day, Date Time Opponent Site
Tuesday, Feb 15 3 pm vs Jefferson Davis Tommy McDonald Field
Wednesday, Feb 16 1 pm vs Pensacola Tommy McDonald Field
Friday, Feb 18 TBA Rush Tournament NE Park
Saturday, Feb 19 TBA Rush Tournament NE Park

Softball, Tennis in action Friday

Meridian Community College tennis teams, under the direction of Coach Wanda McPhail, will get their 2011 season started with a home match on Friday at 3 p.m.

The Eagles and Lady Eagles will host William Carey University at the Northeast Tennis Complex in Meridian.

Meanwhile, the Lady Eagles softball team, 1-1 on the season, will host Pensacola Junior College Friday at Tommy McDonald field at noon for a double-header.

Eagles prep to host Rush Tournament

Meridian Community College first year head baseball coach Chris Curry and his Eagles are set to host the Rush Tournament this weekend at Scaggs Field.

The tournament gets started Friday afternoon and wraps up on Sunday. Three teams are participating as five games will be played over three days.

MCC gets things underway at 2 p.m. on Friday as they host Wabash Valley College, who was ranked #21 in the NJCAA pre-season poll. The Warriors posted a 50-12 record last year as they were ranked #6 in the final poll.

Saturday will see a triple-header as the Eagles face Wabash Valley at 11 a.m. then MCC will face nearby rival, East Central Community College, at 1 p.m. The night-cap will feature ECCC and Wabash Valley at 4 p.m.

The Rush Tournament gets wrapped up Sunday as MCC will take on Wabash Valley for a final time at 1 p.m.

The Eagles enter the Rush Tournament with a 5-1 record.


Rush Tournament hosted by MCC

Friday-2 p.m. MCC vs Wabash Valley

Saturday-11 a.m. MCC vs Wabash Valley
1 p.m. MCC vs East Central
4 p.m. East Central vs Wabash Valley

Sunday-1 p.m. MCC vs Wabash valley

MCC men defeat New Horizon

The Meridian Community College Eagles were led by freshman Edrico McGregor who scored a game-high 21 points in MCC’s 94-65 win over New Horizon.

Sophomore Emmanuel Donald also scored in double-digits for the Eagles with 14 points.

The win is the second over New Horizon this season, as the Eagles also defeated them 108-75 back in November.

MCC, who improved to 15-10 on the season, will be in action as well this Saturday as Delgado Community College visits the Graham Gymnasium. The Lady Eagles take on the Lady Dolphins at 2 pm, while the Eagles take on Delgado at 4 pm.

Eagles defeat Shelton State

By Robby Atkinson
Special to the Star

The Meridian Community College Eagles continued its early season success with a 10-2 victory over Shelton State Tuesday afternoon at Scaggs Field. The Eagles used a five-run fifth inning and a solid pitching performance from former West Lauderdale standout Wes Stokes to notch its fourth straight victory.

"I think that we played a very clean game all around today," said MCC head coach Chris Curry. "We made some excellent plays in the field and our bats are starting to heat up as well. "It was a great win for this group and I am proud of our team in the way they continue to work hard everyday."

MCC (5-1) fell into a quick hole early, as Shelton State scored an early run in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead over the Eagles. Brandon Roberts led the game off for the Buccaneers with a single and later scored on a wild pitch by Stokes to give Shelton State the early lead.

Meridian rebounded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning to take the lead over Shelton State 2-1. The first run of the inning scored on an RBI single by Ben Kingsley that scored Johnny Tolson who reached earlier in the inning on a single to tie the game at 1-1. Nolan Thomas drove in the second run of the game moments later for the Eagles with an RBI single to give MCC the lead at 2-1.

The Eagles extended its lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with a run to make the score 3-1. Thomas led the inning off with a walk and Hunter Trawick followed with a single to put a pair of runners on base for MCC. Freshman catcher Brian Donohoe would drive in the run for Meridian later in the inning on an RBI ground out to second base to give the Eagles a two-run lead over Shelton State.

MCC would put the game out of each with five runs in the fifth inning to make the score 8-1. Former Meridian High standout Kenny Roberts drove a pair of runs in for the Eagles on a double in the fifth inning, while Thomas added an RBI single in the big inning for the Eagles. Donohoe added an RBI single in the fifth inning and Farmer collected an RBI on a bases loaded walk for MCC.

Shelton State (1-3) added its only other run of the game in the top of the seventh inning to cut the Meridian lead to 8-2. Blake Barber reached on a two-out single for the Buccaneers and later scored on a bases loaded wild pitch by Meridian.

MCC scored its final two run of the game in the seventh inning to move on to the 10-2 victory over Shelton State. One run scored on a double play and the second run came on an RBI double by Tolson.

Meridian ended the game with 14 hits and Tolson led the Eagles with three hits, while Farmer and Donohoe each had two hits apiece in the victory. Wes Stokes (2-0) earned the pitching win for MCC by working five innings and collected eight strikeouts.

Meridian returns to action this weekend in the annual Rush Invitational Tournament at Scaggs Field. The Eagles will take part in the three-day tournament along with Wabash Valley Community College and East Central Community College. Meridian will play its first game of the Rush Invitational against Wabash Valley a 2 p.m.

MCC Softball splits with Bishop State

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles opened their 2011 season at home with a split against Bishop State on Tuesday.

Despite MCC collecting 10 hits in game one, the Lady Eagles committed six errors on defense allowing Bishop State to win the game 7-4.

Freshman pitcher Erin Adcock, a former Clarkdale standout, was the hard luck loser. Adcock pitched seven innings, giving up seven hits, seven runs (one earned), one walk with five strikeouts.

Leading hitters for MCC were: Brooke Dew (3-3, one run scored), Whitnee Jenkins (3-3, a triple and two runs scored), Iyesha Thomas (2-3, two RBI), with Marlena Clayton and Briana Gosselin each adding singles.

Game two saw the Lady Eagles continue to play well on offense, collecting nine hits, as they were able to gain a split on the day with a 4-2 victory.

MCC was able to pick up the victory with a three run fifth inning. Trailing 2-1, they collected four hits in scoring the three runs. Thomas and Clayton opened the inning with singles. Nakkia Moore hit into a fielder choice sacrifice before Stormy Lewis laced a two run single down the right field line to score Clayton and Moore. Erin Adcock closed the scoring by delivering a single to right to score Katie Patrick running for Lewis. Mallory Lowe picked up the win as she pitched seven innings, giving up eight hits, two runs (both earned), four walks with five strikeouts.

Leading hitters were: Stormy Lewis (3-3, two RBIs), Marlena Clayton (2-4, one run), with Whitnee Jenkins, Iyesha Thomas, Erin Adcock, and Briana Gosselin each collecting singles.

“Overall we did better on offense than expected but we have to work to improve our defensive game. Hopefully when the weather break we can work to improve that, we have only been on the field for about 6 practices,” said Robert Eakins.

“Our pitching performances were very good. I am very disappointed in our first game. We cannot get that kind of performance on the mound on the mound from Adcock (one earned run) and we don’t support her on the defensive end. We will take this performance, learn from it, and move on as prepare for next opponent in Pensacola.”

MCC will host Pensacola Junior College on Friday at 12 pm for a double-header at Tommy McDonald Field.

MCC basketball reschedules games

Meridian Community College's basketball games scheduled for Wednesday at Southern-Shreveport have been cancelled. A make-up date for the Miss-Lou Conference games has yet to be determined.

Meanwhile, MCC men will play Wednesday at 2:00 pm versus New Horizon at the Graham Gymnasium.

Both the Eagles and Lady Eagles return to Miss-Lou action Saturday when they host Delgado Community College.

MCC Lady Eagle soccer inks NW Rankin seniors

The Meridian Community College Lady Eagle soccer program inked two of the state’s elite soccer prospects earlier this week. Northwest Rankin High School seniors Claire Bolen and Kari Zendejas made their intentions official in a ceremony Monday afternoon in Brandon. Over 100 family and friends gathered to congratulate these ladies in their signing with Meridian Community College.

MCC Baseball and Softball host today

The Meridian Community College baseball and softball teams will host two out of state opponents this afternoon.

First the Lady Eagles softball team will open their 2011 campaign at Tommy McDonald Field for a 1 p.m. match up against Bishop State.

At 2 p.m. the Eagles put their 4-1 record on the line against Shelton State at Scaggs Field.

MCC splits at Jones County

ELLISVILLE- The Meridian Community College women’s basketball team continued its winning ways behind a pair of double-doubles Monday, defeating host Jones County Junior College 87-78.

Freshman Chasity Kearney led the 21-4 Eagles with 29 points and 15 rebounds, while fellow freshman Arnissa Galloway added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Former Northeast Lauderdale star Norianna Haynes, another freshman, contributed 24 points for MCC, which puts its 6-0 Miss-Lou Conference mark on the line Wednesday at Shreveport.

In the men’s game, the host Bobcats outscored Meridian 113-110. The Eagles fell to 14-10 heading into Wednesday’s conference game.

Garon, Stirling shine for Eagles vs. Ole Miss

The Meridian Community College golf team played a scrimmage match versus the University of Mississippi at nearby Dancing Rabbit Golf Club on Saturday afternoon.

MCC sophomore, 2010 NJCAA National Champion, Brandt Garon continued his stellar career with the day’s lowest score, a 1-under par 71. Eagle freshman Jake Stirling carded a 1-over par 73. All SEC Freshman Joe David led the Rebels with a 3-over par 75.

MCC will begin their 2011 Spring season at the Faulkner State Invitational at Rock Creek Golf Club in Fairhope, AL on February 21-22.

See below for full results from Saturday’s scrimmage:

MCC Eagles Ole Miss Rebels
Brandt Garon 71 (-1) Joe David 75 (+3)
Jake Stirling 73 (+1) Billy Brozovich 77 (+5)
Alex Grannon 78 (+6) Chad Bounds 79 (+7)
Adam Monsen 78 (+6) Zach Primavera 79 (+7)
Oscar Mariscal 79 (+7) Chris Mullhaupt 80 (+8)
Clemens Dvorak 81 (+9) Kyle Kmiecik 83 (+11)
Easton Key 84 (+12) Thomas Watkins 83 (+11)
Bo Reed 88 (+16)

MCC sweeps Baton Rouge

The Meridian Community College women kept their Miss Lou Conference record perfect Saturday by taking down Baton Rouge CC at A.E. Wood Coliseum on the Mississippi College campus.

MCC defeated BRCC 73-65.

The Lady Eagles (20-4, 6-0) got a game-high 28 points and 17 rebounds from Chasity Kearney.

The MCC men picked up another with a 94-81 victory over BRCC.

With the win the Eagles improve to 14-9 (3-3).

Meridian will be back in action Monday night when they make the short drive down I-59 to battle with former MACJC South Division rival- Jones County Junior College.

Tip off for the women’s game in Ellisville is slated for 5 p.m. while the men will start at 7 p.m.

Baseball sweeps Faulkner State

Meridian Community College head baseball coach Chris Curry had found memories of playing at Scaggs Field when he was a catcher for the Eagles in the mid-90’s. Now, thanks to the Eagles sweep of Faulkner State in his home-opener as the head coach for MCC, Coach Curry continues to look upon Scaggs Field as “home sweet home.”

MCC improved to 4-1 on the season with two wins over the visiting Sun Chiefs on Sunday, a double header originally slated to be played Saturday but was forced to “Super Bowl” Sunday because of weather.

The Eagles won game one by a score of 5-4.

Former Meridian High standout, Kenny Roberts and freshman Nolan Thomas each homered for the Eagles in game one.

Game two was a little easier for the Eagles as they outscored the Sun Chiefs by six runs, winning 8-2.

Thomas homered in game two also for MCC.

The Eagles (4-1) return to action tomorrow when Shelton State Community College travels to Scaggs Field for a 2 p.m. ballgame.

Games moved

Meridian Community College has rescheduled two athletic events due to recent weather.

MCC’s home opener in baseball, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been changed to Sunday. The Eagles will play Faulkner State Community College in a double-header at Scaggs Field at 1 pm on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in softball the Lady Eagles were scheduled to start their 2011 season at home on Saturday against Bishop State Community College. That contest has been moved to Tuesday at Tommy McDonald Field starting at 1 p.m.

MHS standout inks with MCC baseball

Meridian High School senior, Luke Stanley, signed to play baseball for Meridian Community College on Tuesday morning at a ceremony held at MHS. Stanley is a catcher three year starting catcher for the Wildcats where he also played quarterback for the MHS football team.

“Along with his skills behind the plate, he brings all the intangibles that we look for in a catcher. Luke is another hard-nosed player who understands what it means to be an Eagle,” said Curry.

Luke was joined by his mother-Carol Stanley, his brother-Luke Stanley, MHS baseball coach- Chuck Butler, MCC baseball head coach- Chris Curry, and MCC assistant baseball coach- Dillon Sudduth.

MCC signees

Meridian Community College baseball added another local standout to their recruiting class. Clarkdale senior Hunter Graham who is a left handed pitcher for the Bulldogs inked with the Eagles on Thursday afternoon. Pictured are (standing L-R) MCC head coach- Chris Curry, Clarkdale head coach- Scott Gibson, MCC assistant coach- Dillon Sudduth, (sitting L-R) mother-Melissa Graham, brother- Hayes Graham, signee- Hunter Graham, and father- Darren Graham.

Meridian Community College golf signed Sumrall High School standout, Bryce Monroe on Wednesday. Monroe, the golf team captain, won the 2010 MHSAA 3A District 8 Championship as a junior at Timberton Golf Club. Pictured are (standing L-R) grandmother- Judy McDonald, mother- Holly Monroe, MCC golf coach-Sean Covich, father- Steve Monroe, and sister- Maggie Monroe.

Meridian slides past Delgado

from staff reports
The Meridian Star

MERIDIAN — The Meridian Community College Lady Eagles improved to 19-4 on the season and 5-0 in conference play with a low scoring 58-53 victory against host Delgado Community College in New Orleans Wednesday night.

Freshman Chasity Kearney scored 21 points and pulled 11 rebounds to lead the Lady Eagles.

"Chasity Kearney played outstanding scoring a double-double," said Meridian head women's basketball coach Hilary Allen. "This was a big conference road win for us".

Meridian men 85
Delgado 88

In the men's game, the Eagles fell to 13-9 with a 88-85 loss to Delgado.

Both teams return to action Saturday when MCC plays Baton Rouge Community College in Clinton, MS for a neutral site meeting. The Miss-Lou conference games will take place on the campus of Mississippi College in the A.E. Wood Coliseum. The women play at 5 p.m. while the men play at 7 p.m..


Schedule Change: Baseball

Meridian Community College baseball home opener against Faulkner State, originally scheduled for Saturday, has been changed. The Eagles will now play a doubleheader versus Faulkner State on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Fans can go to www.meridiancc.edu/baseball for more scheduling information.