Indians hold off late rally to beat East Central in Region 23 opener

WESSON, MS - The Indians survived a late rally from East Central to secure a 5-4 victory in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament on Saturday.

Despite seeing a 5-0 lead shrink to just one run in the final frame, the Indians held on for the win, avenging a regular season sweep by East Central.

The Indians jumped on the board early in the bottom of the first inning. Laklyn Nichols started the inning with a double, and Joryie McKnight followed with a walk. Annabelle Marlar moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt, and Maddie Porter was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Kamdyn Taylor then walked to score Nichols, and an East Central error brought McKnight across the plate. Taylor Shands capped the inning with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Porter and giving the Indians a 3-0 lead.

With the game still 3-0 in the bottom of the fifth, ICC tacked on two more runs. With two outs, Porter reached base on a single, and Taylor blasted a two-run home run to center field, extending the lead to 5-0.

East Central mounted a fierce comeback in the top of the seventh. The Warriors scored on a bases-loaded two-out triple to cut the lead to 5-3. Two batters later, they added another run on a single, bringing the score to 5-4 and putting runners on second and third with two outs. However, Alyssa Clifft stepped up in the clutch, striking out the final batter to end the threat and secure the win.

Clifft earned the victory with a gutsy complete-game performance. Despite giving up four runs, all unearned, she scattered six hits, struck out three, and walked two.

Taylor finished 1-for-2 with three RBIs, including the critical two-run homer. Nichols, Porter , and Zoe Goodman each recorded a hit in the contest.

The victory moves ICC into the next round of the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament, where they will face tournament host and No. 3-ranked Co-Lin on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the double-elimination bracket.