Softball, Baseball sweep in double headers

Both Wallace State Softball and Baseball walked away with wins Thursday in double headers against competitors in the Alabama Community College Conference.    

Wallace State Softball (22-4) picked up two wins over Enterprise State Community College (ESCC), winning the first game 3-1 and following with a 6-3 win in Game 2.  

"I was really happy to pick up two more wins against a solid Enterprise State team," said head coach Carson Owens. "Coach Goodson has done a fantastic job of developing and reshaping their program in two short years. Anytime you get a chance to get two wins against solid competition, it's a good day."  

In the first game, the Lions started out hot in the first inning for the fifth game in a row, getting an RBI sacrifice fly from Gracie Ashley following a leadoff triple from Lila Kate Wheeler. The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth inning when Jessie Taylor launched a solo home run over centerfield to make it 2-0.  

ESCC would respond with a single run in the sixth to make the score 2-1 heading to the home half of the inning. The Lions would respond with a run in the bottom half of the inning on an errant throw to make the score 3-1. That score would stand to be final after Emily Simon went 1-2-3 in the 7th to secure the win.   

Simon was the winning pitcher, improving to 8-0 on the year. Simon would finish the game with 10 K's, 0 walks, and 1 earned run in 7 innings.  

The second game of the double header would start very similar to the first with the Lions striking first with a single run in the bottom of the first inning thanks to an RBI single by Jessie Taylor. WSCC would take on single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings to make the score 4-0 heading to the fifth.   

ESCC would respond with three runs in the fifth thanks to a HBP and a two-RBI double. The Lions would respond with another run in the bottom half of the fifth and sixth innings to stretch the lead to 6-3 heading to the seventh.   

Katie Simon would shut the door on ESCC with a strikeout, groundout, and flyout in the seventh to secure her sixth win of the season. The reigning ACCC Pitcher of the Week went the distance allowing 3 earned runs in 7 innings, with 5 strikeouts.  

The Lions are off until they host Southern Union next Thursday at 2:00 and 4:00 pm at Bobby McCracken Stadium in Hanceville.  

Baseball: Wallace State 13, Lawson State 3; Wallace State 9, Lawson State 3 

Wallace State Baseball (12-9) picked up two more conference wins over Lawson State, 13-3 and 9-3 respectively. The wins improve the Lions to 5-1 in conference play.  

"Lawson is a really good and scrappy team," said head coach Randy Putman. "They have 11 wins already on the year, so to come out and jump on them early was big for us. It was good to see us hit consistently in both games, and we will have to continue to do that to be successful."  

In game one, Eli Jackson got the start for the Lions on the mound. Lawson struck first in the top of the first inning with a single run to take a 1-0 lead. The Lions would respond with three in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead.   

That score would remain unchanged until the top of the third when Lawson would add two more to knot the game at 3. Once again, the Lions would respond in a big way with six runs in the bottom half of the inning to chase the starter for LSCC. The Lions would go on to add four more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to end the game early with a score of 13-3 in 5 innings.   

Dan Stewart would finish 3-4 with four RBI thanks to a double and homerun. Presley Walker would also add three RBI, a double and a homerun. Tucker Burns also contributed with a double. Eli Jackson would go five innings for the Lions, allowing 8 hits and 3 earned runs.  

The second game of the double header would once again the see the Lions put up some early runs. WSCC put up two runs in the first inning, one run in the second, and three runs in the third to take a commanding 6-0 lead through five innings.   

The Cougars wouldn't go away quietly, responding with two runs in the top of the sixth to make the score 6-2. Like they had done all day, WSCC responded right back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning extending their lead to 9-2.   

LSCC would add a run in the seventh, but it was a little too late as the Lions closed out the game to win 9-3. Dan Stewart would follow up his four RBI performance in Game 1, by going 3-3 with three RBI and two doubles in Game 2. Andrew Hunt and Cole Barnett would also add a double a piece, and two RBI and 1one RBI, respectively.  

The Lions return to action Saturday, March 18, playing the Cougars again in a double header starting at 12 p.m. at Lawson State.