The East Central Community College Lady Warriors opened 2019 MACJC conference play a big way, outscoring the Coahoma Lady Tigers 27-1 in a softball doubleheader sweep Thursday, March 7, at the Eddie C. Smith Sportsplex on the Coahoma campus in Clarksdale.
East Central won the opener 16-1 in five innings and then took the second game 11-0, also in five innings
The Lady Warriors are now 7-5 overall and 2-0 in MACJC play, while Coahoma falls to 0-8 and 0-2.
In the opener, the Lady Warriors scored in every inning but the fifth. Freshman second baseman MaKenzie Barnett (Neshoba Central) swung the big bat for East Central with a single, triple, and home run to knock in seven runs. Freshman catcher Anna McNeer (Canton Academy) had a single and a double and drove in two runs. She also scored four runs. Freshman center fielder Parker Breland (Union) drove in two runs with a single in the top of the second.
Freshman Jesalyn Jarrette (Baskin, La., Franklin Academy) picked up the win in the circle in game one. She threw all five innings and gave up just one run on four hits and struck out four batters.
East Central scored all 11 of its runs in game two on just six hits. Coahoma pitchers walked six batters, and the Lady Tigers committed five errors.
The Lady Warriors put the game away early, scoring five runs in the top of the first inning and another four runs in the top of the second. East Central took advantage of a bases-loaded walk, a sacrifice fly, and a bases-clearing error by Coahoma to go ahead 5-0 in the first. McNeer doubled in a run in the top of the second, and freshman third baseman Kailee Swindle (Hattiesburg, Presbyterian Christian) cleared the bases with a double and East Central led 9-0 after two innings. East Central's final two runs came on a McNeer sacrifice fly in the third and a bases-loaded hit batter in the fourth.
Both McNeer and freshman shortstop Hannah Dufault (Hurley, East Central) had two hits in the win. Swindle had three RBI, and McNeer had two runs batted in to give her 20 on the season. Freshman left fielder Olivia Houston (Northwest Rankin) stole two bases.
A pair of East Central pitchers combined for the shutout in the circle. Freshman Braelyn Boykin (Mize) got the win, pitching the first three innings in game two and giving up two hits and striking out three. Freshman Brooklyn King (George County) pitched the final two innings and gave up just one hit.
The Lady Warriors are scheduled to play their home opener on Tuesday, March 12, when Bevill State (Ala.) visits the Softball Park in Decatur for a doubleheader. First pitch is 3 p.m. East Central will then take several days off before hosting No. 1 ranked Jones College at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 20.