Lions take win at Region 23

By By Tony Krausz/assistant sports editor
May 10, 2003
East Mississippi Community College accomplished something on the baseball diamond that the squad hadn't done in 17 years on Thursday.
The Lions (19-26) notched a victory in the Region 23 Baseball Tournament at Scaggs Field to end a winless drought in the tourney dating back to 1986, when the team won four games to take the title.
EMCC picked up its first win in the tournament in a little over a decade and a half in quick fashion, defeating the Southwest Mississippi Community College Bears 8-0 in seven innings.
Lions sophomore right-hander Ryan Clay picked up the complete-game win over the Bears (19-20).
The West Lauderdale graduate scattered eight hits over seven innings of work, with six strike outs and one walk.
The shortened game was just what the Lions needed on the sun-soaked, hot spring day.
EMCC lost its opening round game against Delgado Community College 9-5 in nine innings on Thursday, and the team was ready to get a quick win to be rested for today's match up.
EMCC complimented the strong performance the team received from Clay, with equally strong work on defense.
The Lions ended the opening inning with a double play started by third baseman Drew Powell who tossed a grounder to second baseman Dusty Snider who finished the play with a perfect throw to first baseman Lance Martin.
EMCC's first baseman flashed some fancy leather of his own in the second inning. Martin snagged a sharp ground ball to his right, with his backhand, to record the third out of the inning.
Martin's play came with runners on first and third and kept Southwest off the scoreboard early in the game.
Clay got into the defensive act himself in the sixth and seventh innings snatching two line-drive hits back to the mound for outs.
The Lions combined timely hitting and aggressive work on the base path to notch the shut-out win.
EMCC left fielder Josh Snider tallied the teams first run of the game in the opening inning, after smacking a one-out single, stealing second base and advancing to third on an errand throw from Southwest catcher Jarrett England.
Powell drove Josh Snider home with a ground ball to third base for a 1-0 lead.
The Lions continued to press on the base path and take advantage of the Bears' errors in the second inning.
EMCC tallied two runs on three hits and two errors, and the team stole two bases to build an early 3-0 lead after two innings.
Designated hitter Trey Barney, who reached base four times in the game on an error, two walks and a hit by a pitch, scored the first run of the second off a single from right fielder John Iverson. Barney moved around the base path by stealing second and advancing to third on an error.
EMCC shortstop David Nanney scored the other run in the second, after reaching base on a walk, off of a single from Josh Snider.
EMCC tallied two runs in the fourth inning off an RBI single from center fielder Wade Whitaker and a sacrifice fly by Josh Snider.
The Lions pushed their lead to 6-0 in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Martin.
EMCC wrapped up the game in the seventh inning scoring two runs on one hit.
Dusty Snider and Barney both drew lead-off walks, and Iverson drove in the first run with one out on a single to right-center field.
Josh Snider ended the game, following a bases loading walk to Whitaker, with a high fly ball to right field that allowed Barney to score for the eighth run of the game.
Southwest's Michael Dumiller took the loss allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits in 3 1/3 innings of work, with five strike outs and three walks.
Whitaker, Josh Snider, catcher Justin McMullan and Iverson each notched two hits for EMCC in the win, and the quartet combined for five RBIs.
Southwest center fielder Aaron Arteaga went 3-for-3 in the loss, and first baseman J.T. Hall went 2-for-3.