Daily Journal: 'Rally geese' come through for Lady Indians

'Rally geese' come through for Lady Indians
Blake Long/NEMS Daily Journal

When the geese that make their homes beside the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway take to the air and fly over the campus of ICC, good things tend to happen.

Thus, the outdoor sports at ICC have adopted them as their "rally geese."

The rally geese came through for the Indians again, this time Monday on the softball diamond. As they hovered above right field, Kami Roberts delivered a walk-off RBI single to cap ICC's sweep over rival Northeast with a 4-3 Game 2 win.

Itawamba also came from behind to win the opener, 2-1, to improve to 8-0 in the MACJC North Division and 13-8 overall.

"Everybody's got rally monkeys and rally towels, but we've got the rally geese," Indians coach Andy Kirk said. "They just come in with us when we're putting in the time and spending these hot days in March the geese want to come and join in with us.

"Right now we're happy and flying like a goose."

After Jessi Patterson's first- inning home run, her second of the day and eighth of the season, put ICC up 1-0 in the first, Northeast responded with three runs in the fourth.

Claire Wilkerson scored on a passed ball before Erin Dixson's 2-RBI single gave the Tigers (15-9, 6-2) a 3-1 lead.

Rebecca Sloan (4-2) relieved ICC starter Meg Whitten and allowed only two base runners the final three innings to pick up the win.

ICC started their come back in the fourth. Lindsay Richardson scored on a wild pitch, then Ashley Camp's double scored Mallory Hill to tie things up before Roberts' heroics.

Patterson's two-run home run in the fifth inning of Game 1 provided ICC's winning margin after Northeast scored on an error in the first.

Jaisa Fox (5-5) was the hard- luck loser for the Tigers in both games. The Game 1 starter, she relieved Dixson in game two and finished with nine strikeouts.

"She did an outstanding job and kept them in check the first game," Northeast coach Jody Long said. "But (ICC) executed and got the timely hit and that's what it takes to win ballgames in this league."