Indians split with rival Northeast

BOONEVILLE, Miss. – The Indians split with rival Northeast Mississippi after dropping the second game of the day on Wednesday.

Indians 3, Tigers 0

The Indians' bats woke up late in the contest to score a run in the top of the sixth before adding a pair of insurance runs in the seventh to pick up a hard-fought 3-0 win in Game 1 at Northeast.

Samantha Conley (Mandeville, La.) singled to center to start the sixth and was replaced on the bases by Makenzie Toombs (Ackerman). Toombs advanced to second on a ground out before scoring when Kacey Carpenter (Grenada) reached on an error.

Jonna Vasquez (Southaven) and Mattie Meine (Olive Branch) reached on back-to-back errors to start the seventh. Vasquez was thrown out trying to score on a squeeze play. Meine scored when Rachel Sternisha (Olive Branch) forced a rundown situation. Sternisha advanced to third and scored on a single to left by Conley to put the Indians up 3-0.

Conley went 2-for-4 with a RBI while Carpenter added a double in the win.

Olivia Burns (Grenada) scattered four hits and walking one while striking out 10 in seven innings of scoreless work.

Tigers 8, Indians 3

Northeast jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings of play in the second game of the day. The Indians rallied with a pair of runs in the fourth, but the Tigers answered with a three-run fifth before holding on for the 8-3 win to earn the split.

Sternisha doubled and scored when Summer Cryder (Tupelo) hit a two-run home run to center in the fourth. Sternisha reached on a one-out single and went to third on a double to deep left by Conley before scoring on a bases-loaded walk issues to Macey Cox (Troy, Tenn.) before the Tigers could get out of the inning.

Sternisha went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

The Indians will return to Fulton to take on Hinds in conference doubleheader on Saturday.