MEMPHIS - Powered by superb pitching and a clutch swing from Latalo Newson, CCC Baseball notched its first doubleheader sweep of the season by downing the Rhodes JV in Memphis Monday by scores of 9-2 and 6-4. Newson helped the team complete a spectacular comeback in Game 2 by blasting a 2-run homer over the right field fence in the top of the 11th inning.

CCC got off to an excellent start in Game 1, scoring 4 times over the first 2 innings to build an early advantage. The team got an excellent offensive performance from Lowell Haney, who stole 3 bases, scored 3 runs and picked up an RBI. Zach Morris led the team in hits with 3 and scored twice himself. 

Kris Peet notched the win for the Tigers in the day's first game, tossing 4.1 innings of 1-hit, 1-run ball in relief of the starter Newson. The performance earned him his first win of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.35. 

Game 2 proved to be a somewhat tighter affair. Coahoma used 4 first inning walks to build a 2-0 lead, but Rhodes hung around against starter Dustin Allen, using a 3rd inning triple to halve the lead 2-1. CCC would rebuild it to 3-1, but a 3-run 5th by the home team against the CCC bullpen would give them their first lead of the afternoon.

After Haney doubled with 2 outs in the 6th, Braxton Wall brought in his pinch runner Leonardo Castro with a double of his own to the left center field gap, tying the score. Relief man Garrett Short, who would end up throwing over 100 pitches from the fifth inning through the conclusion of the contest, stood tall in the 7th, striking out back-to-back Lynx hitters after loading the bases with one out.

Short's gutsy performance on the mound would force extra innings, where he once again escaped a number of jams to give his offense a chance to win it. Newson would be the man to come through in the top of the 11th, sending a two-run, go-ahead blast over the right-field fence off Rhodes reliever Saunders Alpaugh to put CCC up 6-4. It was the first home run of the season for Newson.

Short, who pitched a scoreless bottom of the 11th to seal the win, earned his first victory of 2016 by going 7 innings, scattering 6 hits and 5 walks and striking out 7. Haney, Hayden Tapper, and Tanner White all finished with 2 hits for the Tigers. The win improved Coahoma to 4-11 on the season.

The team will next battle the Millsaps College JV in Jackson on March 8th. First pitch time is expected to be at 4:30.