EMCC Lions to host baseball playoff series

Blayze Berry’s complete-game pitching effort and four home runs by the Lions in the nightcap lifted EMCC to a home double­header split with Hinds during Friday’s MACCC baseball action played at Gerald Poole Field. EMCC bounced back with a 7-4 win in game two after the visiting Eagles claimed a 14-5 victory in the opener to close out regular-sea­son conference play.

Having finished the MACCC regular season with a 20-8 conference record, head coach Brett Kimbrel’s 25-16 EMCC Lions will host an NJCAA Region 23 best-of-three playoff series, May 5-7, against East Central Com­munity College. With sin­gle nine-inning games set for Thursday, Friday and Saturday (if necessary), game times on the Scooba campus will be 2 p.m.

After dropping Friday’s opener to Hinds, 14-5, the Lions rebounded to score all seven of their runs in the second game on home runs. Berry finished the game with nine strike­outs.

He did not allow a walk and scattered seven hits over seven innings to im­prove to 5-1 on the year with the complete-game win. At the plate, the Her­itage Academy product went 2-for-3 with his pair of home runs driving in four runs. Berry finished the day going 5-for-8 dur­ing the twin bill with five total RBIs, three homers and four runs scored.