MCC draws split at Northeastern Junior College
STERLING, Colo. – The McCook Community College baseball team came back from an 8-7 loss in Game 1 Monday, got down 6-0 in the first inning of Game 2 but came back to win 18-12 and split the doubleheader with Northeastern Junior College.
The two teams also split the first two games of the series Friday in McCook.
“I really felt like the second game today was a key game in our season,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. “After the Game 2 loss Friday and one-run loss in Game 1 today, then getting down 6-0 after the first inning in Game 2 we needed a spark.”
In Game 1, MCC came back from a 6-1 deficit in the fifth inning to tie the game 6-6 and in the sixth tied the game at 7-7 but NJC scored the game winner on a sixth inning home run.
“Game 1, I just didn’t feel like we were ourselves, we didn’t play bad we just didn’t have the edge that we had been playing with the last couple weeks,” Olsen said. “It was a tough loss but like I said really good to have us bounce back in Game 2.”
The Indians trailed 6-0 after one inning of Game 2 but came back with a nine-run fourth inning behind a four-for-five game from sophomore Will Edwards (Sydney, Australia) and a seven-inning relief outing from sophomore Jereniel Herrera (Panama City, Panama).
“We needed a spark and boy did we get one from Jereniel today,” said Olsen. “He came in and shut the door, threw 7.2 only giving two earned runs and punching out 10, and Will Edwards had a huge game.”
NJC goes to 4-8 in the Region IX standings and 18-18 overall.
MCC goes to 8-4 in the region and 15-17 overall. The Indians will travel to Colby Wednesday for a 2 p.m. game then hit the road this weekend for a Region IX series at Trinidad State. The Trojans are 10-23 overall and 3-7 in the region.
All the latest information for MCC baseball including up-to-date schedule and changes as well as statistics, rosters and photos can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com
GAME 1 – Northeastern JC 8, McCook CC 7: After NJC scored an unearned run in the first inning, MCC tied the game in the second on an RBI-single from sophomore Jason Serafinchon (Spruce Grove, Alberta).
The Plainsmen scored two in the second to lead 3-1. Redshirt freshman Ryan Malone (Bennington) pitched the first two innings for MCC allowing two earned runs on two hits, three walks and three strikeouts.
Northeastern got a two-out three-run home run in the fourth to go up 6-1.
The Indians responded in the fifth scoring five runs to tie the game. Sophomore Jake Quinlivan (Sydney, Australia) doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a single by sophomore Luke Bies (La Vista). A pair of walks loaded the bases for sophomore Jackson Yeager (Omaha) who knotted the game 6-6 with a grand slam home run – his fourth of the season.
NJC reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning with a walk and a triple but MCC tied the game at 7-7 in the sixth on a two out, RBI-single by sophomore Michael Quick (Oshawa, Ontario).
The Plainsmen got a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth and held on for the win.
Sophomore Ethan Badcock (Adelaide, Australia) pitched the final four innings of the game, allowing seven hits, two walks, five earned runs and eight strikeouts.
MCC had eight hits led by two from sophomore Maddox Shaver (Belleville Ontario).
GAME 2 –McCook CC 18, Northeastern JC 12: NJC took advantage of a first-inning MCC error, three walks and a hit batter to score six unearned runs.
Leif Friedrich (Surrey, British Columbia) departed in the second inning. He allowed three hits, walked four in his 1.1 innings but only allowed one earned run.
MCC got on the scoreboard in the third. Will Edwards led the inning off with a double and later scored on an infield groundout. Michael Quick delivered a two-out RBI-single and freshman Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) singled home Quick to cut the NJC lead to 6-3. The Plainsmen got a run back in the bottom of the inning.
The Indians claimed the lead for good with a nine-run fourth inning, sending 12 batters to the plate. MCC had three singles, a double, walked three times, took advantage of a Plainsman error, then capped the frame with a two-out, three-run home run by Edwards to go up 12-7.
In the fifth, MCC added to the lead on a walk, an NJC error and a three-run home run by Jackson Yeager to up the lead to 15-7. NJC got a two-out double in the seventh inning followed by an MCC error, that allowed two runs and a two-run home run to cut MCC’s lead to 15-12.
MCC added three in the eighth inning on an Edwards RBI-single, and RBI from Jake Quinlivan and an RBI-groundout with freshman Nathan Hutchison (Riverton, Wyo.) batting.
Jereniel Herrera (Panama City, Panama) who entered the game in the second as a relief pitcher, retired NJC in order in the eighth inning and struck three out three of the final four hitters in the ninth to pick up the win. He went 7.2 innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs, one walk and struck out 10 hitters.
Edward paced the MCC offense with four hits in five trips to the plate, with two doubles, a home run, four runs scored and four driven in. Yeager drove in three with his two hits and MCC also got two-hit games from Quick, Quinlivan and Maddox Shaver.
The Indians committed three errors leading to nine unearned runs.
