Ellis Dominates in Game One as Eagles Earn Road Split at Gulf Coast
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 0 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
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0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
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2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | X | 5 | 8 | 0 |
PERKINSTON, Miss. — Meridian Community College baseball earned a hard-fought split on the road Wednesday, taking game one in dominant fashion before falling in a tight nightcap against Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The Eagles claimed a 9-0 shutout victory in game one before dropping game two 5-3, moving to 22-21 overall and 9-15 in MACCC play.
Game One – Ellis, Eagles Cruise to Shutout
Meridian leaned on a stellar pitching performance to open the day, as Vaiden Ellis turned in a dominant outing on the mound. The right-hander tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out seven to earn the win.
Conner Moore and Caden Boswell followed in relief, each pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts apiece to complete the shutout.
Offensively, the Eagles got on the board early with a run in the second inning after drawing a bases-loaded walk. Meridian added another in the fifth on a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Eagles broke things open late.
Tyler Johnson launched a solo home run in the seventh, his 15th of the season, before Jacob Driver followed with a three-run home run in the eighth, his team-leading 16th of the year, pushing the lead to 6-0.
Meridian added three more runs in the ninth, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Graham Jackson and an RBI single from Chris Fox, sealing the 9-0 victory.
The Eagles finished with 12 hits and nine RBIs in the opener.
Game Two – Bulldogs Hold Off Eagles
Mississippi Gulf Coast struck first in game two, scoring two runs in the first inning to take an early lead.
Meridian responded in the second when Driver stayed hot at the plate, blasting his second home run of the day — and 17th of the season — to spark a three-run inning. An RBI single from Cole Gideon helped give the Eagles a 3-2 advantage.
The Bulldogs answered quickly, tying the game in the second before taking the lead for good in the fourth.
Despite opportunities late, Meridian was unable to generate enough offense down the stretch as Gulf Coast held on for the 5-3 win.
Conner Moore got the start on the mound, pitching 2.2 innings while allowing three runs and striking out four. Meridian turned to several relievers the rest of the way in the loss.
Head Coach Dillon Sudduth emphasized the importance of earning a split on the road.
"Anytime you can come on the road in this league and get one, that's important," Sudduth said. "We'll keep pushing and see where we can finish."
With four conference games remaining, the Eagles will look to make a late push toward postseason contention.
Meridian will next travel to Coahoma for a conference doubleheader, with first pitch currently scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday. With weather in the forecast, fans are encouraged to monitor schedule updates.
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