Two sides of the record coin at Rush Classic

By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
Feb. 25, 2003
The East Central Community College and Jones County Junior College baseball teams entered the Rush Classic baseball tournament at Scaggs Field with two very different goals.
The ECCC Warriors were looking to keep their perfect record in tack, and the JCJC Bobcats were searching for their first win of the season.
The Warriors were able to keep their lose column blank, but the Bobcats left the three-day tournament with a goose egg still hung in their win column.
ECCC swept its three games by a combined score of 33-17.
The Warriors are now 7-0 for the season, with the sweep in the tournament.
JCJC lost all three of its contest by a combined score of 27-16.
The Bobcats are now 0-5 for the season, but JCJC head coach Bobby Glaze said his team was moving in the right direction over the tourney.
Opening day symmetry
Both games on opening days ended with the same score.
East Mississippi Community College opened the three-day event with a 10-9 win over JCJC, and ECCC recorded a 10-9 victory over Meridian Community College in the second game on Saturday.
Meridian natives stand tall on the mound
MCC sophomore pitcher Todd Doolittle flirted with a perfect game in the Eagles contest against EMCC on the tournament's second day, Sunday.
The West Lauderdale grad didn't allow a hit or issue a walk through five innings in MCC's 6-2 win.
Doolittle picked up the victory for his second win of the season allowing just one run on one hit in six innings of work. He also notched eight strike outs.
EMCC sophomore pitcher Andrew Lilly also put on an impressive performance on the mound on day two of the Classic.
The Southeast Lauderdale graduate didn't factor into the decision, but he allowed two runs on four hits in five innings of work, with five strike outs.
EMCC sophomore relief pitcher Will Matlock turned in a solid appearance on the rubber in the first game of the tournament.
The Meridian native picked up the win pitching in 1 1/3 innings against JCJC, giving up no runs on one hit with three strike outs.
Score board palindrome
The top line of the Scaggs Field score board read the same backward or forward for a brief moment on the tournament's second day.
In the EMCC/MCC contest, Lions center fielder Wade Whitaker put all dueces up on the board.
Whitaker, who wears No. 22, faced a 2-2 count with two outs in the fifth inning.
The score board's top line read 22 (for Whitaker's number) 2 (balls) 2 (strikes) 2 (outs) for a perfect palindrome 22 2 2 2.