Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College takes doubleheader from Nunez

BULLDOGS SWEEP SATURDAY DH, SEASON SERIES FROM PELS

CHALMETTE – Sean Smith launched a grand-slam homer in the top of the sixth inning, Adrian Byrd pitched 6.1 innings of 5-hit ball in the opener and the visitors then registered a 9-run first-inning in Game 2, as Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College swept a pair of games from Nunez Community College on a beautiful Endymion Saturday at Chalmette High School’s Suarez Stadium.

GAME 1 – MISS GULF COAST 9 NUNEZ 4 (7 innings)

The contest started as a pitching duel through 5 innings between Byrd and Nunez’ Levi Brewster. Through his first 5 innings of work, Brewster allowed no runs and just 2 hits, while walking 2 and striking out 4 against the powerful Bulldog line-up.

The Pelicans then dented the scoreboard first in the bottom of the fifth on Noah Detillier’s solo homer to left. But the Bulldogs came right back to take the lead in the next inning as they loaded the bases with none out on a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch as Brewster reached his pitch limit. Smith then hit the first pitch from Nunez reliever Paul Howard high over the center-field wall to give MGCCC a 4-1 lead, after which Howard settled in to end the inning with no further damage.

Then in the top of the 7th, five unearned runs after 2 were out would prove to be the deciding margin after the Pels would rally for 3 runs in the bottom half. The Bulldogs would get runners to second and third with one out on a pair of walks, sacrifice, and stolen base, after which Nunez reliever Willy Flynn struck out Smith swinging for the second out. Flynn then induced a routine infield grounder that was misplayed for a fatal error that suddenly opened the floodgates for 5 more runs to score. After the error and a double by Charlie Keller, a 2-run line-shot homer to center by DJ Walker put Gulf Coast up 9-1.

In the bottom half, Collin Zeringue led off with a walk. After a strikeout, Kyle Landry was hit-by-pitch. Reggie Bergeron then hit a hard-grounder in back of the bag at third for an infield hit to load the bases, after which Detillier smoked a scorcher down into the left field corner for a double to score Zeringue, Landry, and pinch-runner Davison Stokes to make the final margin 9-4.

Detillier led the Pels at the plate with those 2 hits and all 4 RBI’s.

GAME 2 – MISS GULF COAST 15 NUNEZ 3 (6 innings)

Gulf Coast’s huge first inning started with 2 singles, 2 walks, and a double, followed by an infield misplay on a double-play grounder to plate the first 4 runs, with the next 3 coming on a throwing error on a wild pitch followed by another walk, single and ground out. The final 2 runs then came on Smith’s second-round tripper of the day, a 2-run shot well over the left-field wall.

Nunez got its only runs in the second as Payton Cooper drew a lead-off walk and Landry followed with an infield single to short. After both runners moved up on Detillier’s right-side ground-out, Stokes scored both runners with a hard-ground single up the middle. Then, after Landon Manson’s line single to left, consecutive walks to Aidan Lambert and Zeringue forced in the 3rd run of the inning.

After MGCCC got a single run in the fifth on a single, walk, and single, the visitors exploded for 5 more in the sixth as the first 2 scored on a walk, hit-by-pitch and 2-singles. Another walk then loaded the bases, after which a throwing error on a comebacker to the mound advanced all 4 runners 2 bases each with 2 scoring, with the final run scoring on Sam Mansell’s hard-ground single to center.

Detillier led off the bottom half with a hard-smash off the third-sacker’s glove for a single to cap off a 4-for-6 day at the plate for the Pels.

Reliever Adam May picked up the win for Gulf Coast, going 2.1 innings allowing just a hit and a walk. For Nunez, freshman Andre Roux, after inheriting that massive jam in the first inning and eventually surviving the frame, turned in 4 steady innings of work, allowing just a single run in that stretch while eating up innings for his bullpen that will be needed to be at full-strength as the Pels have to turn right around with a road trip on Monday.

NEXT UP:

Nunez will try for its own second 4-game sweep of the young season as they travel to Mobile on Monday February 20 for a Lundi-Gras afternoon doubleheader against Bishop (Ala) State Community College. First pitch from Wildcat Field on the Bishop southwest campus will be 12 Noon.