DECATUR, Miss. — East Central Community College split a home doubleheader with Itawamba Community College on Saturday, April 18, winning a high-scoring opener 12-10 before falling 8-5 in the nightcap after the bullpen unraveled late.
Game 1: Warriors 12, Indians 10
Four home runs and 19 hits powered East Central to a 12-10 victory over Itawamba in the opener.
Kayden Peoples led the way with three RBIs, and Will Williams went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs as East Central built enough of a cushion to hold off a persistent Itawamba squad that never quit. Davin Lowery homered and drove in one, Briceton Johnson added a two-run shot, and Williams launched a solo blast to give the Warriors four home runs on the afternoon.
Pablo Roque went 3-for-4 with an RBI, Mason Hickman finished 3-for-5, and Lowery was 3-for-5 with a stolen base. Ryan Nelson added two hits and an RBI at shortstop, and DeMarkez West contributed two hits and an RBI while swiping a bag.
Itawamba countered with 17 hits of its own. Tyler Pickens went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored, and Daniel Whitfield finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs. Tre Gunn hit a home run and drove in two, Madden Butler homered and knocked in one, and Will Caviness also went deep and scored three times. Brody Thompson added three hits and an RBI.
Landry Winter (3-0) earned the win, allowing two earned runs in three innings while striking out three. Landon Willis and Luke Williams bridged the gap before Andrew Nielsen and Landon Moore each ran into trouble in the late innings. Ryder White got the final out and recorded his first save of the season.
Houston Green took the loss for Itawamba, surrendering three runs in 1 1/3 innings to open the game.
Game 2: Itawamba 8, Warriors 5
East Central held a 5-3 lead heading into the sixth before the bullpen faltered and Itawamba rallied for five runs to claim the nightcap.
Landon Moore (0-2) took the loss after allowing four runs on one hit and three walks in just one-third of an inning, and Cade Morrow issued a bases-loaded walk without recording an out to force in an additional run. The inning proved to be the difference.
Davin Lowery homered and scored twice to pace the East Central offense, and Will Williams went 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Pablo Roque drove in one, Jacob Wooten plated a run on a sacrifice, and Ryan Nelson finished 2-for-3 with a stolen base. Briceton Johnson added a double.
Brant Melancon started for East Central and held Itawamba in check for 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out five. Ryder White followed with a perfect inning, fanning three, before the late-inning trouble began.
For Itawamba, Will Caviness went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, and Tre Gunn doubled and drove in two. Madden Butler also had two hits and an RBI in the win. Solomon Smith was sharp for the Indians, allowing just two earned runs over six innings with four strikeouts before Andrew Williams closed it out.