Led by a six-hit day by Kaden Irving and another strong pitching performance by Blake King, Mississippi Gulf Coast swept Coahoma on Saturday at Clarksdale.
The Bulldogs (25-13, 11-17 MACCC) pounded out 17 hits in a 16-7 win in the opener, and King pitched into the seventh in a 4-3 victory. Gulf Coast moved into a tie for fifth in the conference.
“They really grinded,” Gulf Coast coach Bob Keller said. “They showed a lot of heart on the road. It’s a long trip.”
Irving (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) had three hits in each game, and he had a double in the first game. Keilon Parnell (Fr., Pascagoula/Pascagoula) had the other double in his three-hit game, with the Bulldogs piling up 14 hits along with 10 walks and three hit batters.
Gulf Coast took control early with seven runs in the first inning. Charlie Olsen (So., Gulfport/Gulfport) had a two-run single in the rally, and he had another in the second.
Blake Roberts (So., Petal/Petal) also had three hits, adding two RBI. Ten different Bulldogs had hits.
Brayden Scott (Fr., Pascagoula/Pascagoula) pitching four innings of one-run relief to earn the win. He struck out four.
“He’s got a steady pulse on the mound, with good composure,” Keller said. “He changes speed well.”
Brandon Cain (So., Mobile, Ala./Baker) went four innings in the start, striking out five. The Bulldogs walked only two batters.
King (So., Petal/Petal) nearly extended his complete game streak to three, but was pulled with two on and one out in the seventh. He struck out four before yielding to Cade Mattison (So., Hattiesburg/Lamar Christian) got two foul-outs to pick up the save.
Irving had a two-run single in the first, and Jayden Mark (So., Petal/Petal) picked up a bases-loaded walk. Roberts drew a walk to score a run in the third.
Coahoma is now 4-31, 0-18.
Gulf Coast will host No. 4 Pearl River on Tuesday. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. Buy your tickets ahead of time to save money. It costs $7 for adults or $5 for youth online, or $10 and $7 at the gate. Tickets are available at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets, and the game will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.
For more information on MGCCC’s 11 intercollegiate athletic teams, follow @MGCCCBulldogs on Twitter and MGCCCBulldogs on Facebook, and go to mgcccbulldogs.com.
This post originally posted at https://www.mgcccbulldogs.com/landing/index by MGCCC Athletics
