Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 WESSON – Hinds Community College baseball recorded their first conference sweep of the 2022 season when they beat Copiah Lincoln Community College 13-4 in game one and 15-10 in game two of the Wednesday double-header.
 
The Eagle bats caught fire, scoring 28 runs in just 14 innings of play. On the mound, the Eagles saw great performances to help shut the door on the Wolves.
 
Head coach Dan Rives praised his team's effort in all phases of the game.
 
"I was proud of our effort all day, especially on the offensive side, as we were relentless throughout both games," Rives said. "We defended really well as a whole and got great efforts on the mound from Josh Rodriguez, as well as good relief appearances from Jake-Riley Gunn, Connor Nation, Nasson Rodriguez and Clayton Thurman.
 
Game one
 
Hinds got off to a hot start in the first inning, plating three runs on four hits by Justin Williams (Madison), Clay Benson (Monroe, La.), Reed Kellum (Jackson) and Gavin Mink (Olive Branch). 
 
Getting the start on the mound was Josh Rodriguez (Belleville, NJ), who exited after going four complete innings. Rodriguez struck out four and only allowed two hits in his first start and win of the season. Farmer Abendroth (Vicksburg), Jake-Riley Gunn (Hattiesburg) and Connor Nation (Madison) all saw time on the mound in game one. Nation cashed in four strikeouts in his relief appearance.
 
The party continued for the Eagle offense in the second inning, where they scored four more runs, and in the fourth inning, where they scored three runs. During the three-run fourth inning, the Eagles got two big hits from Rodriguez, who doubled in Vantrel Reed (Vicksburg), and Kellum, who scored himself and Rodriguez on a two-run big-fly.
 
Through four complete, the Eagle pitchers blanked the Co-Lin offense. In the fifth inning, the Wolves put up a four-spot. However, this would be the only scoring that Hinds would allow in game one.
 
Hinds tacked on another three runs in the sixth and seventh inning to secure the run-rule victory. Top performers for the Eagles at the plate include Clay Benson (3-5, two RBI's, one homerun), Vantrel Reed (two RBI's), Josh Rodriguez (2-4, one RBI), Reed Kellum (2-3, two RBI's, one homerun) and Gentry Tigrett (2-5, two RBI's, one homerun).
 
Game two
 
The Eagles picked up right where they left off in game one, scoring 15 runs in game two. Like game one, game two started off with a productive first inning. This time, Hinds plated five runs. After Justin Williams scored the first run, Vantrel Reed hit a two-run homerun that scored Clay Benson.
 
Out of the 15 runs scored, Hinds would plate 11 of them in the first four innings alone. At the dish, the Eagles were led by Vantrel Reed (3-4, four RBI's, one homerun), Clay Benson (3-5, one RBI), Gavin Mink (2-3, three RBI's) and Josh Rodriguez (1-3, four RBI's). Clayton Thurman (Vicksburg) also added a hit and RBI in the contest.
 
Sophomore southpaw Gage Bihm (Washington, La) drew the start and got the win in game two. Bihm struck out four and only allowed one hit in 2.1 innings of work. In relief, the Eagles saw stellar performances from Nasson Rodriguez (Madison) and Clayton Thurman. Rodriguez went 2.2 innings and struck out three, and Thurman went two innings and struck out two.
 
The Eagles scored their final runs of the game in the sixth inning when they plated four more runs. Those runs would be more than enough to win game two and secure the sweep.
 
Up next
 
The Eagles will host Itawamba Community College this Saturday in Raymond for a double-header. First pitch for game one is set for 2 p.m. at Joe G. Moss field. Fans can purchase tickets ahead of time here. The livestream of the game will be available here.