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Trojans propel MCC's tough diamond slide to four
COLBY, Kan. – Colby Community College sent the McCook baseball team to their fourth straight loss Monday topping the Indians 15-5 in a seven-inning game ending early by the 10-run rule.
“We have definitely run ourselves into a funk here. Not much that we are out there doing is going right and it’s really the first adversity we’ve hit this year,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen.
The Indians and Northeastern Junior College have already clinched two of the six post-season tournament slots which will be May 6-9 at Pueblo, Colo. The top two teams receive first-round byes in a double-elimination format, but second and third place Southeast Community College and Western Nebraska are gaining momentum heading into the final week of Region IX play.
“We need to find a way to get back into both the right frame of mind as well as doing things right on the field,” said Olsen. “Baseball can be a funny game, and a game of momentum, we need to find it within ourselves to be able to flip the switch.”
On Monday, Colby got a pair of two-out singles in the first to take a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Colby Kaplan (Parker, Colo.) started the game on the mound for MCC and pitched one inning, allowing one earned run on two hits and a strikeout.
The Indians got back-to-back singles in the second from freshman Matthew Botticelli (Edmonton, Alberta) and sophomore Connor Charvat (Omaha, Neb.) to take a 2-1 lead but Colby took advantage of three MCC walks in the home half of the second to reclaim the lead 3-2. Jeff Bullock (sophomore, Medicine Hat, Alberta) pitched the second inning and allowed two earned runs on three walks and a single.
In the third MCC tied the game on a Colby error, a walk and a fielder’s choice-RBI by sophomore Corbin Lochhead (Vegreville, Alberta). The Trojans got four singles and three doubles to take an 8-3 lead with five runs in the third off freshman reliever Timmy Hunt (Ashland, Neb.).
Freshman Tyler Parent (Newmarket, Ontario) pitched a hitless, scoreless fourth inning with one strikeout.
In the MCC fifth inning, sophomore transfer Hunter Southey (Auckland, New Zealand) singled in a run and later scored on a wild pitch to make it an 8-5 Colby lead. Sophomore reliever Kaden Noble (Orillia, Ontario) came on in the bottom of the inning and after two walks and two strikeouts gave up a three-run homer as the Trojans went up 11-5.