No. 19 Eagles Split Wild Doubleheader with Itawamba, Win Game-One Thriller in Extras

FULTON, Miss. — The 19th-ranked Meridian Community College baseball team split a high-scoring MACCC doubleheader with Itawamba Community College on Saturday, winning a dramatic extra-inning opener 15-12 before falling 23-9 in a five-inning run-rule contest in game two.

With the split, the Eagles move to 14-8 overall and 2-2 in MACCC play, while the Indians snap their seven-game winning streak in the opener.

Game One – Eagles Rally for 15-12 Extra-Inning Victory

Game one turned into a back-and-forth offensive battle that required extra innings to decide a winner.

Meridian jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Itawamba answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a grand slam.

The Eagles chipped away in the second inning when Cole Gideon delivered an RBI single and Chris Fox added a sacrifice fly to make it 5-3. Itawamba responded again, pushing the lead to 9-3 after two innings.

Both teams settled in briefly before the Indians added another run in the fifth with their third home run of the game to extend the lead to 10-3.

Meridian mounted its comeback in the sixth inning. The Eagles capitalized on control issues from the ICC pitching staff and scored six runs, including a two-run double from Jacob Driver, to cut the deficit to 10-9.

Freshman Cambridge McDaniel continued his standout season in the eighth inning, blasting a two-run home run — his ninth of the season — to give Meridian its first lead since the opening inning at 11-10.

Itawamba answered quickly with its fourth home run of the game in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 11.

In the ninth inning, Brayden Allen launched a home run to give the Eagles a 12-11 lead, but the Indians tied the game again with a bases-loaded walk to force extra innings.

Meridian's Matthew McKinley delivered a key defensive play in the ninth inning, snagging a line drive back to the mound with the bases loaded to keep the game tied and send it into extras.

The Eagles broke through in the 10th inning when McDaniel launched his second home run of the game and 10th of the season to regain the lead. Moments later, Driver added a two-run home run to extend the advantage and seal the 15-12 victory.

Meridian's offense stayed hot, finishing with 15 runs, 15 hits, and 15 RBIs, including four home runs.

Dan Sinclair started on the mound for Meridian before the Eagles used four relievers. McKinley earned the win with a strong performance in the ninth and 10th innings, recording two strikeouts while allowing no runs.

Game Two – Indians Take Nightcap

Game two quickly turned into a tough outing for the Eagles as Itawamba capitalized on pitching struggles.

Meridian started strong, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. McDaniel drove in the first run with a single before Tyler Johnson blasted his eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot.

However, Itawamba answered with nine runs in the bottom of the first inning during a lengthy 50-minute frame that saw multiple pitching changes for the Eagles. Trailing 9-5, Meridian responded with two runs in the second inning as McDaniel added two more RBIs. The Indians continued to take advantage of walks and defensive miscues, building a 13-7 lead after two innings.

Meridian scored again in the third, but Itawamba erupted for another nine-run inning in the bottom of the frame and eventually secured the 23-9 run-rule victory in five innings.

The Eagles finished game two with 11 hits, nine runs, and nine RBIs, with Landon Deslatte adding a triple off the bench.

Meridian used seven pitchers in the game, with Joel Smith taking the loss.

Head Coach Dillon Sudduth praised his team's offensive effort during a long day on the field.

"Our guys kept battling all day," Sudduth said. "Offensively we did some really good things, especially in game one. We'll keep working and get ready for the next conference series."

Meridian will continue MACCC play Tuesday when the Eagles travel to Summit to face Southwest in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.

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