Indians Split Wild Doubleheader with No. 19 Meridian

FULTON, Miss. - ICC took a punch early, answered with one of the biggest offensive days in modern program history and made sure the final impression of Saturday belonged to the Indians.

After letting a wild opener slip away in 10 innings, ICC came right back and buried No. 19 Meridian 23-9 in Game 2, hanging the second-most runs in modern-day program records and reminding everyone just how dangerous this lineup can be.

Game 1: No. 19 Meridian 15, Indians 12 (10 innings)

For much of the opener, it looked like ICC had enough firepower to take down the ranked Eagles.

The Indians exploded for five runs in the bottom of the first and immediately flipped a 1-0 deficit into a 5-1 lead. The big swing came from Tre Gunn, who unloaded a grand slam to left and gave ICC the early jolt. One inning later, the Indians kept pouring it on. Madden Butler doubled in two and Cannon Graham followed with a two-run shot to right as ICC stretched the margin to 9-1.

Even after Meridian started chipping away, ICC kept landing answers. Gunn added a solo homer in the fifth and Graham delivered the kind of performance that could have headlined a win on most days. He homered in the second, homered again in the eighth and drove in four runs, while Gunn finished with three hits and five RBI.

But the game turned in the sixth.

The Eagles pushed six runs across in the top of the inning and suddenly the comfortable ICC lead was gone. From there, the opener became a back-and-forth scramble. Meridian grabbed an 11-10 lead in the eighth on a homer, only for Graham to answer in the bottom half with another blast that tied it at 11. Meridian went back in front again in the ninth on a solo shot, but ICC kept grinding. Graham drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to force home the tying run and send the game to extra innings.

That is where Meridian finally created separation. The Eagles hit three solo home runs over the ninth and 10th innings, including two in the 10th, to escape with the 15-12 win.

Even in the loss, ICC's offense was loud. The Indians finished with 14 hits, got three hits apiece from Thompson, Graham and Gun.

Game 2: Indians 23, No. 19 Meridian 9 (5 innings)

The response was immediate and exactly what ICC needed.

Meridian jumped out 5-0 in the first and looked ready to carry the opener's momentum straight into a sweep. Instead, the Indians detonated for nine runs in the bottom of the first and turned the entire doubleheader on its head.

That inning changed everything.

Graham delivered another huge swing with a two-run homer to right as ICC sent eight hits all over the field in the frame. By the time the dust settled, the Indians had erased the five-run hole and built a 9-5 lead before Meridian could catch its breath.

ICC kept leaning on the gas in the second, then completely broke the game open in the third.

The Indians sent nine more runs across in the inning to push the lead to 22-8. Bryce Howell tripled home a run. Jackson worked a bases-loaded walk. Thompson left the yard for a two-run homer. Gunn drove in two with a single. Jack Cummings added a two-run single.

By the end of it, ICC had scored 23 runs, the second-highest total in modern-day program history, on 15 hits and 12 walks.

Cummings drove in four and went 2-for-3. Butler finished with three hits. Thompson, Graham, Gunn and Howell all had multiple hits.

Gavin Baillargeon earned the win for ICC, giving up seven hits and eight runs, six earned, over 2.1 innings with one strikeout and three walks.