Softball sweeps to barge into playoffs
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 12 | 11 | 0 |
|
Mississippi Delta Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 3 |
|
Mississippi Delta Community College | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 2 |
Mississippi Gulf Coast knew exactly what the formula would be for them to qualify for the postseason. The Bulldogs needed to sweep at Mississippi Delta and get some help.
They cooked it up perfectly. Gulf Coast beat the Trojans 11-0 in a five-inning no-hitter by Emaleigh Coates. East Mississippi upset Hinds in their first game, and Gulf Coast jumped into the playoffs with a 9-5 win. Kate Brannan had home runs in both games.
"I knew all we needed was to sweep, and if Hinds got beat, we had a chance," Gulf Coast coach David Kuhn said. "I knew we had a chance. Anytime you can go into the final day of the season with a chance, that's all you can ask for. We're really excited. You've got three seasons: the non-conference season, the conference season and the postseason. We're ecstatic to be going into the postseason."
Gulf Coast will play in the first round of the MACCC Tournament on Wednesday at Ellisville. The Bulldogs (22-25, 14-14 MACCC) will play top-seeded Jones, with the start time expected to be at 4 p.m.
Delta finishes the season 11-29, 6-20.
Coates (So., Lucedale/George County) struck out 10 in the first game. Kate Brannan (Fr., Enterprise/Enterprise) hit her first collegiate homer and had two hits. Abbott Stafford (So., Glenmora, La./Glenmora) had two hits, including a double, and had three RBI. Layne Turan (So., Gulfport/West Harrison) had a double and two RBI, and Alyssia Little (So., Brandon/Brandon) had a double and drove in a run.
Madisyn Cobbs (Fr., Oxford/Lafayette) and Abby Vance (So., Calhoun City/Calhoun City) combined in the circle in Game 2, with Vance getting the win.
Kristian Jones (So., Southaven/DeSoto Central) went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI. Breanna Green (So., Saraland, Ala./Saraland) had an inside-the-park homer, and Brannan hit another homer.
K.K. Agner (So., Horn Lake/Magnolia Heights) and Darcy Novak (So., Hurley/East Central) had two hits each.
"Up and down the lineup, a lot of people contributed," Kuhn said. "It's always tough in this league on the road, and it's always tough to sweep. We're super excited for this team and this staff to keep Gulf Coast in the postseason where we're supposed to be."
For more information on MGCCC's 10 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
