Lopes rally past MCC, 9-8, in Regional Final Four

Friday, May 14, 2021

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The McCook Community College baseball team took a 5-0 lead Thursday through six inning in the opening game of the second-round of the Region IX Empire League tournament, but Lamar erupted for six runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth and held on for a 9-8 win to send the Indians into the loser’s bracket of the double-elimination tournament Friday.

“This is a tough loss to handle, we obviously got off to the start we wanted we just couldn’t close it out,” MCC coach Jon Olsen said . “We have a good team and we will come back out ready to go tomorrow.”

The Indians played Southeast Community College at 11 a.m. CDT in an elimination game. SECC lost to Western Nebraska 6-4 in the first game Thursday.

Freshman Zack Beatty (Maple Park, Ill.) doubled to lead off the top of MCC second and came home on an RBI-single by Kade Wroot (second year sophomore, North Platte).

Sophomore Melwin Perez (sophomore, San Sebastian, Puerto Rico) delivered a one-out single to send Wroot to third base and Benny Brockmoller (freshman, North Platte) hit an opposite-field RBI-single to put MCC up 2-0.

MCC starting pitcher Arjun Huerta (sophomore, Willemstad, Curacao) held the Runnin’ Lopes in check, limiting them to one hit through the first three innings.

Wroot led off the fourth with a solo home run, his 15th of the year and after two outs, MCC scored another run on a Brockmoller walk, a single by Elijah Munoz, sophomore (Big Spring, Texas), and an RBI-single from freshman Daniel Bannon (freshman, Sydney, Australia) to give the Tribe a 4-0 lead.

Lamar threatened in the bottom of the fifth inning.

After a leadoff single, Huerta recorded a groundout and a fly out before the Lopes loaded the bases with a single and a walk. Huerta went to a full-count on the next batter but got a called strike to escape the inning.

The Indians added a run on a two-out rally in the seventh inning.

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