Northeast Mississippi Community College's softball team stayed in contention for one of the top spots in the North Division with a split against East Mississippi on Tuesday, March 19.
Northeast (12-7-1, 6-2) dropped the first game against East Mississippi 4-3 in eight innings but the Lady Tigers rebounded in the nightcap to dispatch the Lady Lions 10-2 in a six-inning affair.
In the second game, Northeast did not take long in putting the game out of reach with a five-run third that was spearheaded by Corinth's Erin Frazier.
Frazier connected on a two-run double in the frame while Erin Dixson and Bianca Chagolla both had RBI singles in the inning as well.
Kossuth's Dana Glissen got in on the scoring act as well with a sacrifice fly in the frame that helped stake the Lady Tigers to a 7-2 advantage.
Early in the contest, Northeast jumped out to a quick 2-0 advantage on East Mississippi as Chagolla set the stage for the two-run inning with a single and scored on a passed ball two batters later.
After Dixson connected on a two-out double to center, Haleigh Moffett added to the Lady Tigers total with an RBI triple that chased home Dixson.
East Mississippi answered with two runs in its first at bat of the game when Meri Morgan Fortune connected on a two-run double for the Lady Lions.
Northeast added an insurance run in the fourth and then set the stage for the early victory with two runs in the sixth as Chagolla scored Ellen Tarrant with a single and Glissen swiped home.
Chagolla led the way for the Lady Tigers offensively with a four hit performance including a pair of RBI while Dixson went the distance on the mound in the win striking out three and limiting East Mississippi to just five hits.
In the opener, Northeast committed two errors in the bottom of the eighth inning to hand a 4-3 decision to East Mississippi.
Northeast had jumped out to a 2-0 advantage after three thanks in part to reigning Mississippi Association of Community/Junior Colleges (MACJC) Softball Player of the Week Andrea Cutts who doubled in the first and connected on a solo home run in the third.
East Mississippi responded with two runs in the fourth on a two-run single by Haley Tutor that tallied Misty Richard and Charly Boswell and the two teams headed to extra innings after the tie continued through regulation.
Northeast was able to score Cutts in the extra frame but the Lady Tigers managed to only squeeze across one run when courtesy runner Mirah Terry was stranded at third.
East Mississippi tallied its game-tying and winning runs in the bottom of the eighth when Northeast could not handle a grounder to third and a ball back to the pitcher.
Northeast will carry its 6-2 North Division record into its next matchup on Tuesday, March 26 as the Lady Tigers head to Fulton to take on Itawamba Community College. First pitch against the Lady Indians is set for 3 p.m.