The East Central Community College Warrior baseball team clinched the MACCC (Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference) championship on Friday, April 28th, after splitting a pair of home games against the East Mississippi Community College Lions on Sophomore Day, to wrap up conference play. 

The Warriors needed just one victory to secure sole possession of the title and accomplished the feat in the opening game with a resounding 10-3 win. Despite losing the nightcap, the Warriors finished the season with a conference record of 23-5, one game ahead of the Meridian Community College Eagles, who finished 22-6. 

This championship is the Warriors' first since 2016 when they won the title in the then-titled MACJC State Tournament. The playoff structure changed the following season to eliminate the tournament and name the champion based on regular season results. 

The Warriors have earned a bye into the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament, set to be played on the campus of LSU Eunice in Eunice, La. starting May 15. The MACCC schools that finished between second and ninth place will play against each other in a best-of-three play-in series beginning next week to round out the six-team field. 

On Friday, the Warriors started strong with Ramie Harrison launching a two-run bomb in the bottom of the first inning to put them ahead. In the bottom of the second, Reid Hall, Hayze West, and Kelby Jordan hit three straight doubles before Eli Collins hit a two-run homer to add more to the score. Later in the frame, Cade Hall ripped an RBI groundout, to end the scoring burst that put the Warriors ahead 7-1 by the end of the second inning. 

Brady McGee extended the Warriors' advantage to 8-1 in the bottom of the fifth with a solo, leadoff homer, before West drove in another run in the bottom of the seventh to stretch the lead to 9-1. ECCC's final run came in the bottom of the eighth when Cade Hall was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. 

David Burton came in to close out the game from the mound in the top of the ninth and fanned one Lion, grounded out another, and got the final out to fly out to left. 

Brendon Miner started and earned the win on the mound, pitching six and two-thirds innings, allowing one run on three hits, and striking out seven. Andrew Yuratich and Carson Ellis also put in some work in relief out of the bullpen. 

In the second game, despite scoring three runs in the bottom of the first, the Lions of East Miss claimed a 7-4 victory by scoring one run in the second, three in the fourth, one in the fifth, and two in the sixth innings.