Indians split Sunday twinbill at Sterling

STERLING, Colo. – The McCook Community College baseball team split a pair of games against Northeastern Junior College in Empire League action Sunday. NJC won the first game 8-6 and MCC came back to win the second game 11-1.

Second-year sophomore Austin Mathews (Clearwater, Fla.) held the Plainsmen to a double and three singles to pick up a five-inning complete win in Game 2 to help MCC salvage the only win of the three-game series. NJC opened the series Saturday with an 18-16 win.

“We got an excellent performance from Austin Mathews in Game 2 today,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. “Our backs were against the wall and he gave us a good one.”

Trailing 7-1 in the fifth inning of Game 1, MCC’s offense awakened to score twice in the fifth and three runs in the sixth but left the bases loaded. MCC also left the tying runs on base in the seventh inning.

“We were down 7-1 and fought back, we had plenty of chances in the sixth and put runners on first and third in the seventh inning, but just couldn’t get the big hit,” Olsen said.

Olsen said he was encouraged by the offensive trend of his team as the series progressed.

“We came firing again offensively and finally put a complete game together,” he said. Every day we get out to play we have to take advantage and get better, it’s a long season and we have a lot of good pieces we just have to consistently put it together.”

NJC goes to 5-9, and 3-2 in the Empire League Standings

MCC goes to 4-6 and 1-2 in the Empire League.

This week the Indians travel to Great Bend Kan. for Wednesday games against Barton County Community College at noon and against Northeast Community College a 2:30 p.m.

On Saturday MCC is back on the road for Empire League action against Trinidad State for doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, starting both days at 1 p.m. (MT).

SATURDAY, GAME 1 of series – Northeastern JC 18, MCC 16: MCC opened Empire League play Saturday scoring 16 runs on 16 hits and powering out six home runs, but lost an 18-16 decision.

MCC got down 5-1 in the bottom of the second but scored five runs to take a 6-5 lead and scored four more runs in the fourth to go up 10-5. The Plainsmen pushed seven runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 12-10 lead only to give it up in the fifth when the Indians scored three times to lead 13-12.

MCC took a 14-12 lead with a run in the seventh but NJC responded with three runs in the seventh to lead 15-14. The Indians went back in the lead with a pair of runs in the eighth, by the Plainsmen scored three runs in the eighth for the final margin of victory.

A pair of freshmen homered twice for the Indians. Marcus Coronado (Irving, Texas) homered in the third and fifth inning and drove in six runs for the game. Zack Beatty (Maple Park, Ill.) hit home runs in the fifth and eighth innings.

Elijah Munoz, sophomore (Big Spring, Texas) went four-for-five with a home run and three driven in. Ricardo Hernandez (sophomore, Ponce, Puerto Rico) also had a home run and a single. The Indians also got two-hit games from Daniel Bannon (freshman, Sydney, Australia) and Ryan Nourse (second-year sophomore Centennial, Colo.).

SUNDAY, GAME 2 of series – Northeastern JC 8, MCC 6: The Plainsmen got to MCC starter Max Mrakovcic (freshman, Sydney, Australia) for four third-inning runs and three more in the fourth before freshman Arjun Huerta (Willemstad, Curacao) came on in relief.

Freshman Zack Beatty (freshman, Maple Park, Ill.) put MCC on the scoreboard with a solo home run in the fourth to make it a 4-1 game. Daniel Bannon (freshman, Sydney, Australia) had a two-run single in the fifth to close the NJC lead to 7-3 but the Plainsmen got one of those runs back with a homer of their own in the bottom of the inning.

Caleb Eiguren, (sophomore, Broomfield, Colo.) made NJC pay for a pair of one-out walks in the sixth inning with an RBI-single then freshman Matt Hamilton (Aurora, Colo.) delivered a two-out, two-run double to close the lead to 8-5 and an NJC error made it 8-6. A Bannon walk loaded the bases, but the Indians were unable to push any more runs home.

Eiguren finished the game two-for-three with an RBI, a walk, and two runs scored. MCC had six hits in the game.

Mrakovcic took the loss going 3.1 innings, allowing five hits and seven runs while striking out four. Huerta went 2.2 innings and gave up one run on one hit, two walks and five strikeouts.

SUNDAY, GAME 3 of series – MCC 11, Northeastern JC 1: A two-out Ricardo Hernandez (sophomore, Ponce, Puerto Rico) double in the first inning preceded a Zack Beatty home run and a Kade Wroot (second-year sophomore, North Platte) home run to give MCC a 3-0 lead.

Beatty doubled with one out in the third and scored on an RBI-single from Marcus Coronado (freshman Irving, Texas). An NJC error and a balk led in two more runs and a bases-loaded walk with Daniel Bannon put the Indians up 7-0. In the fourth inning sophomore Elijah Munoz (Big Spring, Texas) put the game out of reach with a two-out grand slam.

Austin Mathews took the win for MCC pitching five innings, allowing one run on four hits and striking out three.

Beatty had three hits in the game and Wroot had two knocks to pace the 10-hit Indian attack.