The Mississippi Delta Community College Trojans’ bats were hot but couldn’t produce enough runs to topple the Scooba Lions. MDCC dropped a doubleheader on the road to East Mississippi, 7-1 and 11-4, on Tuesday, putting the overall record at 4-16 and 0-6 in the MACCC. Head Coach Aubrey Gillentine has seen some bright spots and knows the hard work the team is putting in will eventually pay off.
“This obviously hasn’t been the start that we wanted to have in conference play,” Coach Gillentine said. “This league is very competitive from top to bottom, and we haven’t been doing the little things it takes to win right now. Although the wins haven’t been showing up, I appreciate our guys not giving up and staying in the fight. It’s a long season, and all we can do is keep showing up and competing every day. The results will follow.”
In Game 2, East Mississippi got on the board in the first when Caidan Bullard doubled, scoring one run and then added one run in the third after Mississippi Delta committed an error.
The Trojans cut the lead to 4-3 in the top of the fifth after Preston Anderson was struck by a pitch, driving in a run, Dowe McGowan drew a walk, scoring one run, and Elijah Johnson singled, scoring two runs.
East Mississippi broke open scoring in the fifth with five runs on three hits to take the lead, 8-4. A double by Bullard drove in two runs. Garrett Pound earned the win for East Mississippi, allowing one hit and no runs over one and one-third innings, striking out two and walking one. Reed Holman led things off on the mound for Mississippi Delta. The southpaw surrendered four hits and six runs (four earned) over four and one-third innings, striking out three and walking three. Trace Tongke stepped on the bump first for East Mississippi. The left-handed pitcher gave up three hits and one run over four innings, striking out four and walking two.
Johnson led Mississippi Delta with two runs batted in. The right-handed hitter went 1-for-3 on the day. Leadoff hitter Trent Wood had three hits in three at bats. The Trojans stole three bases in the game.
Bullard provided a pop in the middle of the lineup and led East Mississippi with four runs batted in. The right-handed hitter went 3-for-3 on the day. Logan Flaskamp collected two hits for East Mississippi in three at bats. East Mississippi worked the count all day, piling up seven walks.
In Game 1, the Trojans lost despite out hitting the Lions. Mississippi Delta fell 7-1 to East Mississippi despite out-hitting them six to four. Braysier Cox led Mississippi Delta with two hits.
East Mississippi got on the board in the bottom of the first inning after Miles Mitchell tripled down the right field line, Mississippi Delta committed an error, and Logan Flaskamp hit a sacrifice fly, each scoring one run.
East Mississippi added one run in the second. Mississippi Delta committed an error, making the score 4-0. Conner Lewis earned the win for East Mississippi. The pitcher surrendered three hits and zero runs over four innings, striking out five and walking two. Brody Roberts took the loss for the Trojans. The righty went five innings, giving up seven runs (three earned) on three hits, striking out three and walking three. Stephen Eakes stepped on the hill first for East Mississippi. The left-handed pitcher allowed zero hits and zero runs over one and one-third innings, striking out none and walking one.
DJ Temple led Mississippi Delta with one run batted in.
Flaskamp led East Mississippi with two runs batted in from the number seven spot in the lineup. The infielder went 1-for-3 on the day. Flaskamp, Samuel McClinton, Mitchell, and Colin Boyd each collected one hit for East Mississippi CC. Mitchell stole two bases. The Lions accumulated six stolen bases for the game.
The Trojans aim to break their eight-game losing streak when they travel to Jones College this weekend for a Saturday doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.
On Wednesday, March 25, the Trojans will host Coahoma Community College for a doubleheader starting at noon. They’ll host Hinds Community College on Saturday, March 28, beginning at noon.
In the overall MACCC standings, Pearl River is in first with a 23-7 overall and 5-1 MACCC record. East Mississippi holds the number two spot with a 4-1 MACCC but a 10-18 overall record. Hinds, Copiah-Lincoln and Itawamba are all tied for third with 3-1 MACCC records, while East Central is in fourth at 4-2, followed by Jones and Holmes, each with 2-2 MACCC records. The rest of the league falls in line with Meridian (2-3), Mississippi Gulf Coast (2-4), Southwest (1-4), Coahoma (0-4) and MDCC (0-5).
To keep up with all MDCC athletics, check out MDCCTrojans.com
