Booneville, Miss. – The Northeast Mississippi Community College softball program showcased its deep pitching staff on the opening day of the annual TigerFest Tournament.
The Tigers held their opponents to just four total runs during a perfect afternoon on Friday, February 19 that featured victories against Lincoln Trail (Ill.) College, East Central (Mo.) College and Mineral Area (Mo.) College at David Carnell Memorial Field.
"Our kids came out and responded to challenges that I made to them," said Northeast head coach Jody Long. "Our pitchers keep improving and our defense has actually been the backbone of our team so far. That all starts in the circle."
G1: Northeast 5, Lincoln Trail 3
Rebekah Morris got the Tigers going with a stellar performance in the first game of the event. She tossed 4.1 innings and granted only three hits with three strikeouts as well to improve to 2-0 on the young season.
"We're all feeling we did really good today so that's pretty cool," Morris said. "My defense was doing really good behind me. You've always got to have that. It's good to know that I can trust them whenever I need them."
Northeast trailed 2-0 after the top of the first inning following a two-run home run by Casey Emerson. But the Tigers evened the score in the bottom half using RBI hits from Tia Davis and Morris.
The Statesmen (0-3) temporarily took the lead again in the second with Hannah Kelly's RBI single. Northeast kept Lincoln Trail off the scoreboard for the remainder of the contest and plated three runs in a row to capture the triumph.
The Tigers tied the game in the third when Davis raced home on a missed catch by the Statesmen. Chelsea Gates brought in the go-ahead run with an opposite field single and later came around on another Lincoln Trail error to account for the final margin.
The Statesmen threatened during their last at bat by placing two runners on base with just one out. But Josie Booth came out of the bullpen and got two straight outs to record the second save of her career at Northeast.
G2: Northeast 7, East Central 0
The combination of Jessica Boyd and Kelsey Robertson guided the Tigers to their initial shutout of the year and their first since defeating Northwest Mississippi Community College by a count of 8-0 on April 22, 2015.
Boyd was phenomenal during her inaugural start for Northeast. She went five innings and conceded only two hits with 11 strikeouts to garner her first win at the collegiate level.
"It feels great just to be out here," Boyd said. "At first, I was nervous, but I was excited to kind of have the opportunity to prove myself. I do well under pressure and that's really the moment I strive for. I always want to be in that position."
Davis extended her excellent beginning to the campaign with another single that easily scored Gates and pushed the Tigers ahead 1-0 following the first frame of the contest.
Northeast put the matchup out of reach for the Falcons (0-1) with a five-run second. Moesha Phillips and Sydney Rawson, who later touched home plate on a delayed steal, both had RBI doubles in that frame for the Tigers.
Boyd helped her own cause in the third with a double into the right-centerfield gap that allowed Hannah Cox to score from first base. Robertson closed the game with a nearly flawless sixth inning.
G3: Northeast 8, Mineral Area 1
Brittany Taylor settled in nicely after giving up a solo homer to leadoff hitter Bailey Marks. She kept the Cardinals off balance with only one hit in their last five turns at bat and at one point retired nine straight players.
Taylor went the distance for her second complete game of the season and the twelfth of her tenure in the City of Hospitality. She punched out five opposing batters and issued just two free passes.
"I think I did pretty good," said Taylor. "It was exciting. I was able to keep them off their toes. I still need to work on a few things, but it was a lot better than it has been."
The Tigers (4-3) countered in the latter half of the first when Phillips dashed home on a RBI double by Davis, who scored herself seconds later on a wild pitch from Mineral Area's Kaelan Bradley.
Northeast batted around three frames later and added six runs on three hits and two miscues by the Cardinals (1-2). Robertson singled and pinch runner Bailey Bogue took advantage of an error to score and lift the Tigers ahead 3-1.
Davis and Phillips patiently took back-to-back walks to load the bases and set the stage for Boyd, who crushed a one-hopper off the wall for a double that cleared the bags and gave Northeast a 7-1 lead.