March 23, 2009

NEMCC BASEBALL, SOFTBALL PASS TEST,SURVIVE THURSDAY TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS

 BOONEVILLE, Miss. – Northeast Mississippi Community College’s baseball and softball team survived their trials and tribulations and passed the test on Thursday.

Northeast came away with four wins in the span of five hours as the baseball team swept Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College and the softball team pulled off its first sweep of the year knocking off perennial power Three Rivers (Mo.) Community College.

Northeast softball team brought out the brooms when the Lady Tigers rallied for five runs in the fifth inning in their first game against Three Rivers setting the stage for the sweep.

Northeast saw four straight base runners reach after a lead-off strike out with back-to-back hits by Heather Sparks and Samantha Yarber leading the way.

After Yarber’s one-out, bases-loaded single, Keith laced a two-out double to left field that cleared the bases and set Northeast up for the win.

Amy Blakeney came on in relief of Nicole Singleton for her first save of the year.

Meanwhile on the baseball diamond, East Union product Zane Treadaway was busy holding Ellsworth to just three hits as the Tigers walked away with a 4-0 win in the first game.

While Treadaway was shutting down the Panthers, Nick McGregor and Jake Mills provided the offensive pop for the Tigers. McGregor, a University of North Alabama signee, had two of the Tigers eight hits in the game while Mills contributed to the cause with a double.

Northeast’s softball team completed the sweep of Three Rivers when Tishomingo County-product Emily Barnes connected on a Chelsea Claypole offering in the fifth to stake the Lady Tigers to a 2-0 lead.

Blakeney, who picked up a save in the opener, registered her second save in as many games when she came on in relief of Heather Young and shut the door on the Lady Raiders.

Northeast’s baseball team made sure that the Booneville-based college was a perfect four-for-four on the day when it wrapped up its sweep of Ellsworth with a 6-3 decision in the nightcap.

Nick Mentel, who has had a hand in both Tiger no-hitters on the year, went deep into the seventh before giving way to Lee Paine for his first save of the year.

Mentel held the Panthers scoreless through six before loading the bases in the seventh but with Paine’s help, Northeast held Ellsworth to just four hits in the game while pounding out an even dozen on its side of the board.

Larry Roscoe, Kyle Emison and Neal Tice each had a pair of hits for the Tigers while Seth Kennedy laced a double for Northeast in the win.

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