March 5, 2010

NORTHEAST BASEBALL PICKS UP SWEEP IN RAYMOND

BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Northeast Mississippi Community College’s baseball team scored a major sweep of national powers at the Wes Cliburn Memorial Tournament in Raymond on Thursday, March 4.

Northeast (6-4) knocked off host Hinds Community College 6-1 and then turned around and defeated Panola, Texas 4-0.

Northeast got a great pitching performance from Brad Luna (New Albany) and Brandon Farley (Cookeville, Tenn.) as the duo combined for 14 innings against the Eagles and Ponies.

Luna fanned one and walked one in seven strong against the Eagles as Northeast scored its second win of the year against Hinds.

Earlier in the year, Northeast used a nine-run inning to knock off Hinds in the season opener on Feb. 16 as the Tigers came away with a 10-7 win against the Eagles.

Luna limited Hinds to just seven hits as the Tigers exploded for 15 knocks against the Eagle pitching staff.

Jordan Gurley (Corinth) led the offensive charge for Northeast banging out four hits in the opening game of the Wes Cliburn Memorial Tournament for the Tigers. Gurley, a freshman, completed the day perfect at the dish going seven-for-seven.

Northeast jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth before the host could respond but the Tigers answered Hinds one run in the fourth with a three-spot in the fifth in taking a 5-1 advantage on the Eagles.

Ty Shirley (New Hope) answered the call for the Tigers at the plate pounding out three hits in the 15-hit cause and Michael Collie (Houston, Tenn.) and Ben Wallis (Ripley) each had a pair of base knocks in the 6-1 win for the Tigers.

In the nightcap, Northeast blanked the nationally-ranked Ponies behind a seven-inning performance from Farley.

Panola, who entered the day ranked as the 19th-best team in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) March 10 baseball poll, were held to just five hits courtesy of Farley’s right arm.

Farley fanned nine Ponies against one walk in earning his first win of the year. The Northeast sophomore had been the hard-luck loser in two games earlier in the season.

Panola and Northeast carried a pitching duel into the fifth inning as Farley faced off with Panola’s Cade Lynch.

Northeast able to break through in the home half of the fifth with the Tigers plated two on the game’s only error. Northeast added two more insurance runs in the sixth as Gurley connected on an RBI single and Nathan White (Pontotoc) scored one on a sacrifice fly.

Northeast looks to continue its four-game win streak when the Tigers travel to Little Rock, Ark., to battle Arkansas Baptist on Sunday, March 7 in a doubleheader set for 1 p.m.

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