MCC Baseball Opens Season With Sweep

From School Reports

The 2016 Meridian Community College baseball season opened on Saturday at Scaggs Field and the Eagles wasted no time in collecting its first two victories of the year. MCC notched a pair of victories (13-1, 14-4) over visiting Bishop State Community College in the frigid temperatures in front of a great crowd on opening day of the season.

MCC will look to carry its early season momentum into its next scheduled games which will come next Thursday (February 11) on the road at Wallace-Selma Community College. The doubleheader at Wallace-Selma is scheduled for 3 p.m. and then MCC will return home next weekend to open play in the 2016 Rush Invitational Tournament at Scaggs Field. MCC is slated to play Jefferson College (MO) next Saturday in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. to open the tournament, while Jefferson will take on Jones County Junior College Sunday afternoon in a doubleheader slated for noon to conclude the tournament.

MCC scored early and often in Game One of its doubleheader on Saturday against Bishop State to take a 13-1 victory. Sophomore shortstop Jaylon Keys, a Southern Miss signee, smashed a pair of home runs to lead the way offensively in Game One. Keys led off the bottom of the third inning with a solo homer and later added a two-run shot in the bottom of the fourth. Sophomore Eason Weeks also joined Weeks with a three-run home run which ended the game in the fifth inning due to the run rule.

Keys finished Game One by going 4-for-4 with three RBI’s, while Weeks was 3-for-4 with five RBI’s for the Eagles. Former West Lauderdale star Daniel Hill finished Game One with a pair of base hits and four RBI’s. Former Neshoba Central star Austin Harrison picked up the pitching win in Game One for MCC by working four innings and collecting four strikeouts.

MCC continued its hit parade in Game Two and came away with another run rule victory to complete the sweep of Bishop State. Sophomore Matt Berler led MCC at the plate in Game Two with a pair of triples and four RBI’s. Baylor Obert drove in three runs on a double, while Weeks had another solid game with three hits for the Eagles. Freshman Blake Fields had a two-run single in the win and Nate Romans also collected his first RBI as an Eagle with a single.

Former West Lauderdale star Ryan Lane notched the pitching win in Game Two for MCC by working four innings, allowing one hit, and collecting five strikeouts.