MCC Baseball Splits Set With Alabama Southern

From School Reports

The Meridian Community College Eagles returned to Scaggs Field Tuesday afternoon to continue its 14-game home stand against Alabama Southern Community College. The Eagles split the doubleheader (4-1, 2-6) with Alabama Southern on the baseball diamond to move its overall record for the 2013 season to 6-6.

MCC will return to action this weekend to host the annual Rush Invitational Tournament at Scaggs Field. The tournament this year will also celebrate 75 years of Meridian Community College. MCC will play Hinds Community College and Kaskaskia Community College this weekend in the two-day event. The Eagles will play Hinds Saturday afternoon in a doubleheader at 2 p.m. and tangle with Kaskaskia Sunday in a twin bill at 2 p.m.

MCC 4

Alabama Southern 1

Former Quitman standout Jace Belcher secured his first pitching of the season to lead MCC to the three-run victory in the opening game of the doubleheader. Belcher pitched six innings and allowed one run, while collecting five strikeouts.

Alabama Southern took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI double by Austin Hiklin, but the Eagles answered in a big way in the bottom of the sixth inning. Paul Angel connected on a solo home run to begin the bottom portion of the sixth inning, which was his second home run of the season to tie the game at 1-1. Charles Morton followed with a double to left field and later came around to score on an RBI single by Garrett Larosa to give MCC a 2-1 lead.

Mac Seibert followed with a two-run home run to give MCC a 4-1 lead heading into the seventh inning.

Belcher returned to mound and faced one batter in the top of the seventh inning, and handed the ball to the MCC bullpen. Blake Barrow was able to close the game out for his first save of the season and the victory.

Kevin Hall and Paul Angel had a pair of base hits in the victory, while Tanner Vandevere added a base hit.


Alabama Southern 6

MCC 2

The visiting Eagles were able to bounce back and take a four-run win over MCC to salvage a road split. MCC only managed four hits in the contest, while Alabama Southern finished the game with eight hits.

Larosa had an RBI double in the loss, while Johnathan Youngblood added an RBI groundout in the final inning of the game.

Former Lamar standout Whitt Haggard (0-1) suffered the pitching loss out of the bullpen for the Eagles.