Pitcher fans 13 in MCC's 2-1 thriller over WNCC

Safe! McCook Community College had just enough speed to slip past visiting Western Nebraska Community College in the baseball home opener Thursday.

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McCOOK, Neb. — The McCook Community College baseball team got another strong conference pitching performance from freshman left-hander Isaac Vargas (Greeley, Colo.) as the Indians downed Western Nebraska Thursday 2-1 in a nine-inning game.

The Indians scored runs in the first and third inning to back the five-hit, 13 strikeout performance from Vargas.

“We needed a big win and a big performance and we sure got one from Vargas,” MCC coach Jon Olsen said. “He dug deep to get us the ‘W.’”

Nine innings deep to be exact, with the eighth and ninth innings both precarious.

Western’s Brevin Owens led off the eighth with a triple.

After a strikeout, the hitter grounded to shortstop and Owens went for the plate, but the throw from Ricardo Jimenez (Hialeah, Fla.) to catcher Beau Hawley (Greeley, Colo.) beat the runner to the plate and Hawley tagged out the potential tying run.

The first two Cougars in the ninth both walked, but Vargas was able to induce the next three hitters to strikeout, fly out and a roll into a game-ending groundout.

Sophomore Julio Seperich (Las Vegas) started MCC off early, reaching on an error to start the MCC first.

He went to second on a Jimenez single, stole third, and came home on an RBI-groundout by Trevor Pacheco (Pueblo, Colo.).

With one out in the MCC third, Seperich singled to left, went to second on a Jimenez walk, stole third, and scored on a double from JR Maldonado (Las Vegas.).

MCC was limited to six hits in the game, two each from Maldonado and Jimenez.

Seperich scored both runs, had a hit and two steals of third base.

With the loss, the Cougars fall to 9-16 and 6-6 in Region IX.

MCC improves to 9-14 and 6-9 in Region IX.

With the other six Region IX teams facing off this weekend, it will be a rare bye weekend for the Indians.

“It came at the right time because we need it to get healed up,” Olsen said. “It will be good to take the win into the weekend and get right starting again Monday.”

On Monday, MCC will head south to play Colby Community College in a nine-inning game starting at 4 p.m.

On Tuesday, MCC is back home to the Jaycees Complex againstSoutheast Community College from Beatrice in a nine-inning game starting at 2 p.m.