Indians open baseball season with sweep of Blazers

Indians open baseball season with sweep of Blazers

DALLAS The McCook Community College baseball team opened the season Friday with a doubleheader sweep over North Lake College in games at MacArthur High School.

MCC won the first game 18-16 getting four home runs including a pair from freshman catcher Ricardo Hernandez (Ponce, Puerto Rico/Carlos Beltran Academy). Sophomore Braden Babcock (Oshawa, Ontario) and freshman Jayden Bastow (Brisbane, Australia) had solid starts to pick up wins on the mound.

Hernandez began his MCC career going three-for-four with his two homeruns and six RBIs in Game 1.

"Offensively we swing the bat very well, we had 13 hits and four home runs in the first game to get up big," Olsen said.

In the second game the Indians took advantage of nine North Lake walks, four Blazer errors and a few timely hits.

"It was a good start to the weekend hopefully we can come out tomorrow and follow it up with another good day," Olsen said.

The Blazers fall to 0-6 on the season. MCC starts off the season 2-0. The two teams will continue the four-game set with a pair of games Saturday.

GAME 1 MCC 18, NORTH LAKE COLLEGE 16: MCC took a 9-4 lead into the seventh inning, scored nine runs to lead 18-4 then gave up 12 runs before closing out the first win of the season. Braden Babcock picked up the win allowing two hits and two runs in five innings of work. He struck out six.
"We got a great start on the mound from Braden Babcock," Olsen said. "He was really good today for his first day out, his pitch count got up just a bit in his last inning."
MCC took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run from Zayne Watson (freshman, The Woodlands, Texas). He finished with two hits in three at bats and scored three times.
MCC scored six times in the fourth and led 9-2 when Austin Mathews (Clearwater, Fla.) came and pitched the sixth inning, giving up two runs. The Indians scored nine times to lead 18-4, but had bullpen issues in the bottom of the inning.
"We just couldn't get an out," Olsen said. "It was a combination of us not throwing strikes, and them hitting some balls hard."
Sophomore Connor McGonigal (Omaha Burke High School), who sat out all of 2019 with an injury, saw the field for the first time in more than a year and came on to get the last out.
MCC also got a home run from Aiden Ferry (freshmen, Monroe, Wash.).

GAME 2 MCC 8, NORTH LAKE COLLEGE 1: The Indians scored a run in the first and second innings added three in the third and another in the fourth to give starting pitcher Jayden Bastow a 6-0 lead.
Through six innings, he allowed just one hit and no runs.
MCC took advantage of five Blazer walks and two errors to keep clicking on offense
"Jayden gave us a good start and we ran the bases well and executed when we had the chance, we only had five hits but we took advantage of what was presented to us," Olsen said.
Yasnier Laureano (sophomore, Anderson, S.C.) pitched the seventh and struck out two hitters but allowed the only North Lake run of the game on a balk.

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