TUSCALOOSA — In their final scheduled non-conference action of the 2022 baseball season, the Lions of East Mississippi Community College dropped an 8-4 nine-inning decision at Shelton State on Monday afternoon.

In a contest that saw four lead changes through the first half of the game, the home-standing Bucs got on the board first by plating a run in the bottom of the first on Zeke Bishop’s sacrifice fly off EMCC starting pitcher Kylan Stepter.

After the Lions took advantage of two Graham Duncan walks in the top of the second by scoring a pair of two-out runs on a wild pitch and Ethan Medlin’s RBI double, the Bucs got the runs back an inning later when Davis Allen doubled home two runs with two outs to put the home team back on top.

The visitors answered right back with two more runs of their own in the top of the fourth inning to regain the lead at 4-3. EMCC loaded the bases to start the inning and manufactured the runs when Medlin was hit by a pitch and Blayze Berry followed with a run-scoring fielder’s choice.

With the Lions opting to split up their pitching duties each inning throughout the contest, Shelton State benefitted from three walks and a pair of hit batsmen by EMCC pitching to produce four runs in the bottom of the fifth. The big blow in the inning was Jalen Parker’s bases-clearing double to make it a 7-4 contest.

While the Bucs added an insurance run an inning later on Allen’s sacrifice fly, Shelton State relievers Jack Hoppenjans, Carson Mitchell and Javon Christian combined to hold EMCC scoreless over the game’s last five innings. The Lions did have their chances to cut into the deficit, but they left the bases loaded in the sixth and ninth innings.

Medlin paced EMCC’s offense with a 3-for-4 outing at the plate with a double, a pair of singles and two runs batted in. He reached base four times in his five plate appearances.

After beginning conference play by splitting a home doubleheader against East Central (14-10 L & 9-3 W) last Friday (March 11) in Scooba, head coach Brett Kimbrel’s 6-9 EMCC Lions are scheduled to resume MACCC action by playing host to Copiah-Lincoln in a Saturday (March 19) doubleheader. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Gerald Poole Field on the Scooba campus.