Baseball drops Game 1 heartbearker to Meridian, 5-4
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com
MERIDIAN, MS - Seventh-seeded ICC dropped a 5-4 decision Friday night in the opening round of the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College (MACJC) playoffs at Meridian Community College, as the No. 2 Eagles rallied with three runs in the bottom of the night.
Meridian's Jaylon Keys, who drove in a pair of runs to tie the game with a one-out triple, hustled home on a sacrifice fly to left by Nate Romans to lift the Eagles (38-9) to the come-from-behind victory.
The Indians (26-19) struck first in the top of the second inning when Ty Wheeler (Tupelo) scored on ground out by Austin Carpenter (Belmont) and added another run in the fourth Timothy Rowe (Hernando), who doubled to start the inning, scored on a single by Wheeler.
The Eagles scratched across a run in the bottom of the third but the Indians answered when Russ Payne (Fulton) scored on a sac fly by Drake Rowton (Marion, AR) to give the Indians a 3-1 advantage.
Meridian got a bases-loaded walk to push to make it a 3-2 advantage before John Morgan Payne (Belmont) got a fly ball to centerfield to get out the jam with minimum damage done.
ICC picked up an insurance run in the top of the ninth after Hagan Box (French Camp) walked and advanced on a passed ball before racing home on a hard-hit double to right by Carpenter, but it wouldn't be enough as the Eagles rallied to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Wheeler and Delvin Zinn (Pontotoc) each had a pair of single with Rowton adding a triple while Carpenter and Rowe each had a double in the Indians' nine-hit performance.
Payne gave up three runs on two hits in one and two-thirds innings to be the pitcher of record after replacing Stephon Moore (West Point) in the eighth.
Moore scattered three hits, struck out four and gave up two runs in seven-plus innings of work.
Game 2 of the Best of Three Series will start at 2:00 p.m. Saturday. If necessary, Game 3 will immediately follow.
Saturday's action will be available on LetsGoICCTV.com/Red.
For more information on ICC baseball, follow ICC Athletics on Twitter (@LetsGoICC).
