East Mississippi Community College used a little creativity to produce the winning run in the first game of a doubleheader with visiting Copiah-Lincoln Tuesday afternoon at Scooba.

Unfortunately, that momentum didn’t carry over until the second game was done.

EMCC pulled off a double steal in the home half of the sixth inning to win Game 1 by a 2-1 count; but then lost a 6-4 heartbreaker to Co-Lin in Game 2 of the non-division twinbill.

The split leaves the Lions 3-7 on the season, while Co-Lin improves to 10-5. The two teams will meet again Monday at Wesson. EMCC coach Bill Baldner said Saturday’s games with Wallace-Selma have been cancelled.

In Tuesday’s first game, Joe Nickels reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second, third and home — with the last one coming on a double steal — to get the winning run for the Lions.

Briggs Bishop (1-2) was the winning pitcher, striking out four and walking none for EMCC.

“That’s really important in a close game like this,” Baldner said of Briggs’ no-walk performance.

Chris Owes had the big hit for the Lions with a double.

Owes was 3-for-5 and scored in the second game, A.J. Freeman was 3-for-4, Steven Cruey was 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run.

Former Southeast Lauderdale standout Drew Harper was 2-for-3 with an RBI for EMCC, but the Lions fell when Co-Lin got a two-run, bloop single in the top of the eighth.

Jake Lee (0-1) made his first junior-college appearance on the mound and took the loss. He was the fourth EMCC pitcher, following Ricky McCrary, Walt Love and Pat Thompson.





PREP BASEBALL

Clarkdale 10

Newton 2

The Bulldogs ventured to Newton and came away with a Division 7-2A victory Tuesday night.

Clarkdale, which is now 4-5 overall but 3-1 in division play, scored four times in the third inning to go up 5-0 — and that was more than enough for winning pitcher Ryan Burns.

Burns (3-1) went the distance, striking out nine and scattering five hits for Clarkdale.

His teammates backed him with 12 hits, including two singles and a double from Kyle Wiggins. Kevin McKissack had a single and triple, Kenny Roberts and Casey Haney both singled and doubled and Brent Mabry had a double.

Clarkdale will return to action Friday, when the Bulldogs host Bay Springs.

— Rocky Higginbotham



West Lauderdale 13

Neshoba Central 0

The Knights expected a war in this battle of ranked teams from Division 4-4A, but West had its way by pounding out 15 hits against host Neshoba.

Austin Davis got the Knights started with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Cody Freeman (3-for-3) hit a grand slam homer in the sixth as West Lauderdale busted the game wide open.

Drew Snider was 3-for-3 with a triple, Tyler Vick was 2-for-3 with a double and a triple, Brock Mosley was 2-for-2, Michael Pogue added a pair of hits and Brent Gough had a triple for the Knights.

Paxton Pace (2-0) went six innings to get the win in his first action on the mound in three weeks.

He struck out seven, overcame five walks and allowed just two hits — one each to Gregory Stovall and Adam Griffin. Stovall was the losing pitcher.

West is now 8-1 overall and 1-0 in league play. The Knights visit Northeast Lauderdale Friday.

— Rocky Higginbotham



Enterprise 13

Mize 3

The Bulldogs ran their record to 5-3 overall and 3-0 in Division 7-2A with a league win over Mize Tuesday night.

Enterprise scored six times in the second inning to break a 1-1 tie, then scored six more times in the third to blow the contest open.

Jamee Taylor (1-0) limited Mize to just two hits and got the win on the mound for Enterprise.

Blake Hennington had a single and double and Zac Taylor a pair of singles to pace the Bulldogs’ nine-hit attack.

Jeremy Wilkins’ bunch is back in action Friday when the Dogs host Taylorsville in another division contest at 7 p.m.

— Rocky Higginbotham



Wayne Academy 6

Central Academy 1

The Jaguars took a District 5-A victory at Macon Tuesday night, as Wayne banged out 12 hit to top the host Vikings.

Central, which fell to 8-4, lost despite two hits apiece from Jason Sellers and Cody Boykin.

Clint Brown added a single and an RBI and Colby Moore had a double for the Vikings.

Justin Walker (3-1) was the tough-luck loser on the hill, as he went all seven innings and struck out seven.

Central returns to action Thursday at Calvary Christian School.

— Rocky Higginbotham



Enterprise 8

Northeast 2

In a late game from Monday night, the visiting Bulldogs scored eight unanswered runs to win a makeup contest with the Trojans.

Jeremy Barnacastle put Northeast on top with a two-run homer in the bottom of the first. But Enterprise tied it with two runs in the second and took command with a three-run rally in the third.

Baron Blackwell (1-0) struck out 15 batters to get the win for the Bulldogs, and he also added two of his team’s 14 hits.

Justin Lewis led Enterprise with two singles and a double, Chris Smith and Kyle Hicks both had a single and a double, and Colby Pritchett added two singles as the Dogs moved to 4-3.

Barnacastle and Justin Pritchett had two hits apiece for Northeast.

— Rocky Higginbotham



Sylva-Bay 16

Calvary 10

In another late game from Monday night, homestanding Sylva-Bay outslugged Calvary Christian School at Bay Springs.

Calvary lost despite a 4-for-4 performance from Stephen Hudson. Seventh-grader Corey Burt added a pair of hits, while Brock Hughes had one hit and one RBI.

— Rocky Higginbotham



Lake 13

Puckett 2

In a Division 6-1A contest, the Hornets pounded homestanding Puckett in a Monday night game.

Lake, which improved to 5-4 overall, scored four times in the fourth inning and five times in the fifth to turn a 4-2 contest into a blowout.

Dwayne Gammage (1-0) earned the win on the mound, limiting the Wolves to just three hits.

Offensively, the Hornets got home runs from Terrell Ricks and Zack Edwards and two hits apiece from Marcus Ricks, Terrell Ricks and Heath Street.

Jason Judge and Street both had doubles.

— Rocky Higginbotham



PREP SOFTBALL

Clarkdale 11

Union 1



In a battle of small-school powerhouses, Clarkdale scored three times in the first, fourth and fifth innings and coasted past visiting Union.

Erin Adcock (3-0) went the distance to get the win, striking out five and scattering seven singles.

At the plate, Sarah Beckman was 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a triple to lead Clarkdale, while seventh-grader Amber Spann had two hits and Chassidy Roberts added a double.

Brittany Germany was 3-for-3 to lead Union, while Amber Smith (1-2) took the loss on the hill.

The Lady Yellowjackets are now 3-2.

Clarkdale, which is 7-1 overall and 1-0 in Division 5-2A, is scheduled to go to Philadelphia Thursday and Northeast Lauderdale Friday.

— Rocky Higginbotham



Northeast 7

Ridgeland 3

The Lady Trojans jumped to a 4-0 lead and rode another solid pitching performance from Shelley Odom to victory.

Northeast, which improved to 7-2 overall and 2-0 in Division 4-4A action, scored once in the first and three times in the third to take control.

Odom (6-1) went the distance to get the win, scattering four hits and striking out six.

Offensively, Leanne Young had a single and two RBIs, Mallory Pace had a single and one RBI and Brittany Ford drove in a run for Northeast.

The Lady Trojans are at Pearl Thursday in another division game, then they host Clarkdale Friday.

— Rocky Higginbotham



West Lauderdale 10

Florence 1

The homestanding Lady Knights scored 10 unanswered runs after falling behind early and took an easy Division 4-4A win over Florence.

Brooke Lee (2-2) scattered seven hits to get the win on the mound, and she got plenty of offensive support from her teammates.

Haley Campbell was 3-for-4 with a homer and five RBIs, while Josie Matthews ripped her second homer of the year and finished with two hits, two runs and two RBIs.

Jessica Vick added two hits, four runs and an RBI and Sara Havard was 3-for-4 for West, which is now 3-3 overall and 2-0 in division play.

West goes to Ridgeland Thursday and hosts Neshoba Central Friday.

— Rocky Higginbotham



Meridian 10

Enterprise 9

The Lady Wildcats jumped to an early 9-2 lead, then held off visiting Enterprise for an exciting win at Northeast Park.

Meridian, which is now 7-3 overall, got a triple and two singles from J’Quandra Hickman. Ashley Clark added a single and double, while Meagan Patton, Tiffany Hickman, Lindsay Lang and E.T. Warren all had two singles apiece.

Enterprise, which fell to 4-3, got two hits apiece from Baleigh Volking and Morgan Swancey and doubles from Tiffany Taylor and Bayleigh Creel.

Ebonee Ball (4-2) was the winning pitcher for Meridian, while Kristin Gavin (1-3) took the loss for Enterprise.

Meridian is in action again Friday, when the Lady Wildcats host Clinton.

— Rocky Higginbotham



Central Academy 13

Russell Christian 3

In a previously-unreported game from last Friday, Central scored four times in the bottom of the third to break a 3-3 tie and never looked back.

Winning pitcher Lillian Brooke Lindsey (2-0) had three singles, two runs and two RBIs for Central, which banged out 14 hits.

Jenny Simpson had a single, double and run for Russell, while Megan Holley had two hits and one RBI.

— Rocky Higginbotham



JUCO SOFTBALL

MCC 9-9

Jones 7-13

The Lady Eagles split a pair with visiting Jones County Junior College Tuesday night at Northeast Park.

Meridian, which is now 2-10 on the season, won the opener 9-7 but dropped the second contest 13-9. Former Clarkdale standout Emily Howard earned her second win in the opener, while Dee Sowell took the loss in the nightcap.

MCC won’t see action again until March 17-18, when the Lady Eagles open play in the Okaloosa Walton Tournament in Niceville, Fla.

— Rocky Higginbotham



PREP TENNIS

West Lauderdale 5

Kosciusko 0

West Lauderdale ran its record to 3-0 on its 2006 tennis campaign, blanking Kosciusko Tuesday afternoon.

Elliott Clark won 6-1, 6-3 in boys singles for West, while Jessie Fortson was a 6-1, 6-0 winner in girls singles.

Daniel Cook and Jeff Jones rallied for a 3-6, 7-6, 6-3 win in boys doubles, while Morgan Roberts and Claire Massey were 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 winners in girls doubles.

In mixed doubles, Daniel Sosebee and Bliss Piggott won 6-1, 6-3.

West will take on Quitman Thursday at the Sammie Davidson Complex.

— Rocky Higginbotham



JUCO TENNIS

Jones 8-8

ECCC 1-1

The Jones Junior College tennis teams swept East Central Monday at Ellisville.

The women won 8-1, improving to 3-1 overall, while the men won 8-1 to remain unbeaten at 4-0.

For the women, JC’s Rebecca Benson beat Mandy Dennis, 6-0, 6-1. JC’s Keri Smith beat Shanda Blaylock, 6-1, 4-6, 10-9. JC’s Abby Staples beat April Barnett, 6-1, 6-1. JC’s Elizabeth Winslow beat Rebecca Myers, 6-0, 6-0. East Central’s Courtney Partridge beat Shelly Simmons, 6-2, 4-6, 10-9. JC’s Jaci Coaker beat Kim Cleveland, 6-4, 6-1.

In doubles, Benson/Smith beat Maggie McGill/Chelsey Brown, 8-2. Staples/Winslow beat Clancy Cleveland/Kim Cleveland, 8-1.

Simmons and Coaker beat Breanna Stinson/Molly Talbott, 8-1.

For the men, JC’s Alex Lepoutre beat Caleb Shepard, 6-1, 6-1. JC’s Ryan Brister beat Wade Brown, 6-2, 6-2. JC’s Chris Purdum beat Zack Richardson, 6-0, 6-0. JC’s Adam Axton beat Matthew Wilkerson, 6-1, 6-0. JC’s Alan Buffington beat Marcus Mays, 6-0, 6-0. JC won No. 6 singles by forfeit.

In doubles, Lepoutre and Purdum beat Brown and Richardson, 8-0.

Matt Hill and Buffington beat Shepard and Wilkerson, 8-1. JC won No. 3 doubles by forfeit.

The Bobcats return to action March 21 at Meridian Community College.

— Shawn Wansley