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ECCC Diamond Warriors Open 2016 Season With Sweep of Bishop State
The conditions weren’t exactly ideal for baseball, but the East Central Community College Diamond Warriors were able to put together a big inning at the plate in each game in a doubleheader sweep over the visiting Bishop State Community College Wildcats Tuesday, Feb. 9, at the Clark/Gay Baseball Complex in Decatur.
The Warriors won the opener 8-6 and the nightcap 6-5. East Central opens the season with a 2-0 record. The visitors from Mobile fell to 0-4 on the season.
With temperatures in the 40s and 20 mph north winds, the two teams played a pair of seven inning contests.
In game one, the East Central Warriors put six runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning and then held on for the 8-6 win. RBI doubles by freshman first baseman Cole Prestegard out of Huntsville High School (Ala.) and sophomore center fielder T.J. Lockett of Bibb County High School (Ala.) and a two-run error sparked the Warriors six-run first. East Central scored two more in the bottom of the second on a passed ball and on a bases loaded walk.
Prestegard was the only Warrior with two hits in the game. Sophomore catcher Michael Davis out of Clinton High School and freshman right fielder Blake Paben out of Madison Central High School were credited with RBI.
East Central sent four pitchers to the mound, with sophomore right-hander Josh Carpenter out of Winona High School getting the win with three innings of relief work.
Bishop State out-hit East Central 9 to 6 in game one.
In game two, Bishop State opened the top of the first inning with three runs. But, East Central had another big bottom of the first in game two, plating four runs to take a 4-3 lead after one inning. An RBI single by Prestegard and a sacrifice fly RBI by sophomore left fielder Jacob Huff out of Puckett High School keyed the first inning.
Prestegard added a solo home run in the bottom of the third to stretch East Central’s lead to 5-3. Bishop State would score two in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game, before a run-scoring single by freshman third baseman Billy Cameron of Mendenhall High School in the bottom of the fifth would prove to be the game-winner for the Warriors.
Prestegard led the Warriors in the game two win with three hits and two RBI. Cameron had two hits in three plate appearances. East Central out-hit Bishop State 9-5 in the second game.
The Warriors again sent four different pitchers to the mound in game two, with freshman right-hander Brock Morris, a product of West Jones High School, getting the win in relief by holding the Wildcats hitless over his two innings of work. Sophomore right-hander Channing Wall out of Louisville High School picked up the save.
East Central returns to action Saturday, Feb. 13, against Southwest Tennessee Community College out of Memphis. Doubleheader action at the Clark/Gay Baseball Complex in Decatur begins at 1 p.m.
The Warriors will travel to Louisiana on Tuesday, Feb.16, for a doubleheader against Baton Rouge Community College, before returning home to host the EC Invitational in Decatur Friday through Sunday, Feb. 19-21.
