A dominant outing on the mound by sophomore right-hander Tanner Knight helped the East Central Community College Warriors win the nightcap 4-0 and split a baseball doubleheader with the No. 12 Northeast Tigers in non-conference action Friday, Feb. 28, at the Clark-Gay Baseball Complex in Decatur.
Northeast won the opener 14-9. East Central is now 5-5 on the season. Northeast is 10-2.
The Louisiana Tech signee Knight (Eupora) held Northeast scoreless over six and two third innings in game two, giving up just three hits and striking out eight batters. Freshman right-hander Grant Johnson (Hernando) recorded the final out in the top of the seventh with a strikeout with two runners on base.
The Warriors scored all four of their runs in the bottom of the first. Freshman shortstop Amani Larry (Bossier City, La., Parkway) and sophomore right fielder Jesse Boydstun (Winston Academy) doubled in runs and freshman designated hitter Stephen Wolf (Madison, St. Joseph Catholic) singled in a run and later scored on an error.
Northeast used a four-run second and a five-run fifth for the error-filled win in game one. The Tigers committed five errors and East Central had three miscues. Northeast collected 14 hits to nine for the Warriors.
Freshman left fielder Clayton Cook (Mize) led East Central with three hits. Ball led off the game with a solo home run for one of his two hits. Wolf and sophomore center fielder Dakota Kennedy (Choctaw Central) also had two hits each.
Northeast pushed out to a 7-1 lead in the top of the third. East Central put two on the board in the bottom of the frame and three more in the bottom of the fourth to close the gap to 7-5 before the Tigers' big fifth inning gave Northeast a seven-run cushion.
Next up for the Warriors is Coastal Alabama-South on Saturday, Feb. 29, at the Clark-Gay Baseball Complex. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Warriors will play a couple of games in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, March 3. East Central will play host Baton Rouge in a nine-inning game at 1 p.m. and then Kellogg Community College (Mich.) in a seven-inning game at 4 p.m.
On Saturday, March 7, the Warriors return home to play Southeastern Community College (Iowa) in a nine-inning game at 1 p.m. and then Jones College in a nine-inning game at 7 p.m., both at the Clark-Gay Baseball Complex in Decatur. Southeastern and Jones will be a seven-inning contest at 4 p.m.