MILLINGTON, Tenn. – The No. 8 Indians pulled away in the top of the seventh to pick up a 7-3 Game 1 win over Southwest Tennessee Community College at USA Stadium on Tuesday.
Justin Medlin (Ripley) smashed a solo home run into the wind to wake up the Indians' (12-2) bats in the bottom of the seventh. Drew Thomas (Nesbit) followed with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by LaBryant Siddell (Tupelo) before scoring when Cason Milliorn (Olive Branch) reached on a two-out error. Hunter Nabors (Montevallo, Ala.) cashed in on the error with a two-run homer to left to take a 7-3 lead.
A stunned Southwest Tennessee (4-17) squad went three up, three down in the bottom half of the inning to allow ICC to pick up the opening game victory.
Trailing 2-0, the Indians scored a pair of runs in the top of the fourth when Nabors was hit by a pitch and scored on a grounder to short by Connor Lewis (Corinth). Jackson Lancaster (Corinth) doubled and scored on a double by Kyle Weaver (Courtland).
ICC took a 3-2 lead when Lancaster scored on an error in the sixth. The Saluqis answered to tie the game with a run on a single by Blake Donels to score Christian Busby in the bottom half of the inning.
Thomas went 3-for-4 with a run scored to lead the Indians at the plate. ICC churned out 10 hits in the win with Lewis and Nabors adding a pair of hits in the win.
Four pitchers took the mound for the Indians. Braden Ellis (Salitllo) entered in the fifth and gave up one earned run on three hits while striking out three of the nine batters faced in two innings of work.
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