East Central Community College’s Wyall Ball forces out East Mississippi Community College’s Armani Lewis at second base as he looks to turn the double play Saturday afternoon in Decatur.

DECATUR — Jacob Edwards hit a leadoff home run off East Mississippi Community College flame thrower Vijay Miller to start the first game of a double header at the Clark-Gay baseball complex on the East Central Community College campus. 

Wyatt Ball ended the exciting contest with a walkoff single just inside the first base line that scored Ty Alderman to give the Warriors a 9-8 conference victory. The Warriors would later get the sweep with a 10-4 win in Game 2.

“It was an inside fastball, and I got it in the sweet spot,” Edwards said of his leadoff home run. “The big thing, though, was getting these wins, since we’ve been on a losing streak. It felt really good to get these wins.”

The Warriors, ranked 13th in the national junior college poll, rode the bats of Edwards and Billy Cameron and a number of pitchers as ECCC coach Neil Holliman played the game within the game and went to his bullpen often. 

“Conference wins are always big, and it was important for us to win the first game, since the last week or so has been hard, even the simple things,” Holliman said. “I was proud of the effort the guys gave tonight, and I know we’re going to get better,”

Edwards gave ECCC the lead, but Miller settled down and held the Warriors in check, striking out the side in the second inning

The EMCC bats got going in the third inning and they plated Corley Reynolds, who reached on an error and scored on Orion Bailey’s sacrifice bunt. 

The Warriors answer when Edwards ripped a double that scored Hunter Bennett, who was earlier hit by a pitch. 

The Lions erupted for four runs in the fifth inning as Marcus Raygan reached on an error and scored on a double by Mile Farnell, who then scored on a double by Whitt Davis to make it a 5-5 contest. 

EMCC took an 8-6 lead and held it going into the ninth inning setting up Ball’s game winner. 

Elders went 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on four hits, with only one being an earned run, while walking one and striking out three. 

Morris got the win, giving up one hit and striking out one Lion batter. 

Edwards had three hits in four at-bats, scored three runs and had two RBI. Cameron had two hits in three at-bats, scored three runs and drove in a run. 

Reynolds led EMCC with two hits in four at-bats, scoring three runs. Bailey had one hit in two at-bats, scored a run and drove in two. 

The second game was all ECCC as the the Warriors scored three runs in the first, two in the second and three in the third. EMCC got it to 8-2, but the Warriors added two in the sixth and held on to take the 10-4 victory.

ECCC is now 22-10 on the year, 15-11 in MACJC play.