The Hinds Community College baseball team has reached the final week of the 2011 regular season, and only six games now remain for the Eagles.
Hinds (21-15, 7-11 in the South) has doubleheaders against Pearl River Community College Wednesday, Jones County Junior College Saturday and Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Monday to wrap up the season and make a push to contend for a playoff spot.
The Eagles still have a chance at getting in, due in large part to a doubleheader sweep of Copiah-Lincoln Community College on Good Friday, April 22.. Hinds won game one, 4-3 on a Ryno Martin-nez walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Martin-nez is a freshman infielder from Vicksburg.
Tyler Akins of Madison, a freshman outfielder/pitcher, picked up the win in the first game to improve to 5-4 on the season. He came on relief of Alex Gunn, who pitched six plus innings, only allowing three runs. Gunn is a freshman pitcher/infielder from Clinton.
Akins also hit a home run in each game and now leads the Eagles with five home runs on the season.
Hinds claimed an 8-4 victory in game two against Co-Lin to gain the sweep. Cullen Babin of Houma, La., a sophomore pitcher and Delta State University signee, threw a complete game, only allowing three earned runs and improved to 3-3 on the year.
Morris Grant of Terry, a sophomore outfielder, collected two hits, including a double to lead the Eagles offensively in the second contest.
Good Friday's games against Co-Lin were the first contests for the Eagles since the April 15 death of former teammate Chase Wroten, who was taken to the hospital during the Hinds/East Central Community College games on April 13.
Hinds won game one against East Central, 4-1, before falling in game two, 8-3.
Akins got the victory in game one, and Taylor Wheaton collected his third save of the season. Wheaton is a freshman pitcher from Foley, Ala.
Caleb Baucum of Byram, a freshman outfielder/pitcher, had two hits in game two, including his first home run of the season.
Hinds will now travel to Poplarville on Wednesday for a 4 p.m. doubleheader with Pearl River, before returning home for a 2 p.m. doubleheader with Jones on Saturday.
