SCOOBA, Miss. – The Indians dropped a pair of tough luck games to Gulf Coast on Sunday. The games were played at East Mississippi after being pushed back a day due to heavy rains earlier in the week.
Game 1: Gulf Coast 7, Indians 6 (11 innings)
It didn't take long for things to get interesting in game one.
Trailing 1-0, the Indians appeared to pull even on a Stone Collier home run to center in the bottom of the first. The centerfielder made a leaping attempt to rob Collier of the home run only to have the ball pop out of his glove and land behind the fence. The third base umpire stopped Collier after he rounded second calling the play a ground rule double. The home plate umpire quickly overturned the call and confirmed the home run.
The Indians went up 5-1 after four innings.
Jude Treadaway scored on a passed ball, Jarrett Morris scored on a triple by Brock Ware, who scored when Hayden Roberts reached on a fielder's choice in the second. Dre McCray scored on a single to center by Roberts in the fourth.
The Bulldogs got back in the game with a three-run fifth. Jaxin Settlemires made it a 6-4 contest with a solo home run to left in the bottom half of the inning.
Gulf Coast picked up a sacrifice fly in the sixth and a RBI double in the eighth to tie the game, 6-6. The Indians put runners on first and second in the bottom of the eighth but couldn't find the timely hit to retake the lead.
McCray doubled to start the bottom of the ninth and Gulf Coast intentionally walked Settlemires and got a fly ball to center to force the game into extra innings.
The Bulldogs picked up a RBI double in the top of the eleventh and got a three up, three down bottom half of the inning to pick up the win.
Treadaway had three hits and McCray added two more for the Indians.
Eli Akins was the tough luck pitcher of record after giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits and five walks while striking out four in 4.2 innings.
Game 2: Gulf Coast 5, Indians 2
Trailing 3-0, Morris scored on a ground out by Treadaway and Roberts scored on a double by Settlemires to make it a 3-2 game after two complete.
Gulf Coast added insurance runs on a sacrifice fly in the sixth and double in the seventh.
Settlemires had three of the Indians' six hits in the loss.
Ty Wicker was the pitcher of record after giving up four runs, three earned, on five hits and a walk while striking out six in six innings of work.
The Indians will look to rebound when they host Coahoma on Tuesday.