Bulldogs get heart-pounding win for 2-0 day

PERKINSTON — Mississippi Gulf Coast capped off a successful MACCC baseball tripleheader with a thrilling win over East Mississippi at Ken "Curly" Farris Field.

The Bulldogs rallied from a five-run first-inning deficit, took a four-run lead into the seventh and held on for an 11-10 victory. In the opener, Gulf Coast (10-2) beat Southwest 9-1.

Adrian Byrd (So., Wiggins/Stone) pitched in both, and he demanded the ball in the nightcap. When the Lions (11-3) had the bases with three already across in the top of the first, it was time for the stopper.

"He came up to me and said, 'I want the ball,'" Gulf Coast coach Bob Keller said. "Sometimes the biggest situation isn't a close, it's a stop in the middle of the game."

He got a ground ball for a force at home and a strikeout, and allowed two runs on an infield single, but another strikeout set the tone for the rest of his appearance. Byrd struck out six in three innings of three-hit, scoreless work to allow Gulf Coast to get back into the game.

The Bulldogs got one in the first, but took the lead with a five-run second. Brandon Cain (So., Mobile, Ala./Baker) and Jacob Palazzo (Fr., Gulfport/Gulfport) had RBI singles, and Seth Sterling (Fr., Vicksburg/Warren Central) delivered a two-out RBI single for the sixth run.

East Mississippi got single runs in the fourth and fifth to retake the lead, but another Bulldog five-spot in the sixth put Gulf Coast up 11-7. Marc Stephens (So., Orange Beach, Ala./Gulf Shores) tied the game with a suicide squeeze to score Blake Roberts (So., Petal/Petal) who led off with a double. Palazzo grounded out to score another, and Kaden Irving (Fr., Gautier/Gautier) got a two-run double which proved to be huge insurance runs.

EMCC hit two home runs in the seventh, but the Bulldogs held on.

Cain had four hits to cap a stellar day. He pitched five one-run innings to win the opener, striking out four.

Sterling had three hits, including a double, with three RBI in the nightcap.

Palazzo had his first collegiate homer in the opener, going 3-for-3 with three RBI. Stephens and Dom Jackson (Fr., Gulf Breeze, Fla./Gulf Breeze) had two RBI.

Southwest lost to EMCC in the second game and is now 7-6.

Gulf Coast is back at Ken "Curly" Farris Field on Friday for a doubleheader against Nunez. First pitch is scheduled 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.