SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College’s softball team closed out the 2021 season with a pair of sophomore day setbacks to Hinds during Friday’s MACCC action played at the EMCC Softball Field.  The Lady Lions fell just short during an 8-6 nightcap loss after the Lady Eagles posted a 15-4 run-rule win in the opener.

EMCC bounced back in the second game by taking an early 4-1 lead.  After Hinds starting pitcher Natalie Parker helped herself by smacking a two-out solo home run in the opening frame, Rylee Bourland’s two-run homer off Parker highlighted the Lady Lions’ four-run second inning.  EMCC starting pitcher Jenna Coker and Lily Ramsey also had run-scoring hits during the inning.

The visitors manufactured solo runs in the third and fourth innings to cut the deficit to a single run, before Savannah Bryant’s three-run blast off Coker in the fifth gave Hinds a 6-4 lead.  The Lady Eagles then extended their lead to 8-4 on Parker’s two-run double a frame later.

EMCC fought back as Kamryn Moore and Allison Brown opened the bottom of the sixth with back-to-back doubles to produce a run.  An inning later, Tommesha Brown and Carrie Grace Baty began the seventh inning with consecutive singles to help push across another run before the comeback attempt was thwarted.

In the opener, Hinds jumped out to an early 7-0 advantage after the first two innings.  After plating a pair of runs in the opening frame, the Lady Eagles lengthened the lead by adding five more runs an inning later.  Brennan Newell’s three-run homer off Bourland was the big blow in the inning.

The visitors then erupted for eight runs while sending a dozen batters to the plate in the fourth inning.  With their first seven hitters all reaching base safely in the frame, the Lady Eagles had three doubles and four singles during the inning to put the opening game out of reach.

While being limited to just four hits by Hinds starting pitcher Ashley Lopez, EMCC did manage to put together a pair of two-run innings in the opener.  Ramsey’s sacrifice fly produced a run in the third inning, while Baty’s one-out double in the fifth led the way for two more tallies.

Coach Austin McNair’s EMCC Lady Lions ended the 2021 season with a 7-27 overall record and 7-21 mark in conference play.