MCC Baseball splits Saturday games with Kansas teams

DODGE CITY, Kan. – The McCook Community College baseball team split a pair of games at Dodge City's Conquistador Field Saturday beating Highland Community College 10-0 in the first game and losing a 15-5 decision to Dodge City.

Freshman Mikey Acierno (Thornton, Colo.) went five innings in his college debut and picked up a shutout win in the opening game as MCC pounded out 13 hits.

"It was the tale of two games today," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. "We came out in Game 1 and got a great start from Mikey, came out swinging it well and carried the momentum through the game,"' Olsen said.

Dodge City jumped on MCC pitching in the second game for a six run first inning and scored in five of the six innings, aided by nine walks and four MCC errors.

"In Game 2 we just did things that lead to bad innings," Olsen said. "We just got in a hole early with bad baseball and didn't climb out."

MCC goes to 3-1 on the season and Dodge City improves to 3-0. The two teams play again at noon on Sunday.

"We've got a great opportunity to end the weekend on a high note tomorrow and hopefully we're able to do that," Olsen said.

For all the up-to-date information on MCC baseball this season including, schedules, statistics, rosters and photos, please visit the official website of MCC Athletics at: https://mccookcc.prestosports.com/landing/index

GAME 1: McCook CC 10, Dodge City 0 – MCC put up three runs in the first and six more in the second inning to make short work of the Scotties in five innings to open the day.

Sophomores Zack Beatty (Maple Park, Ill.) and Caleb Eiguren, (Broomfield, Colo.) popped back-to-back RBI-doubles in the first and freshman Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Saskatchewan) followed with an RBI single to put MCC up 3-0.

A Scottie error and a single by Daniel Bannon (Sydney, Australia) led off the MCC second to score the fourth run. Beatty and Eiguren followed with RBI hits to make it a 6-0 game. A wild pitch and a sacrifice fly made it 8-0 and sophomore Matt Hamilton (sophomore, Aurora, Colo.) doubled to stretch the lead to 9-0.

Acierno limited Highland CC to a double and two singles in the game. He struck out nine and didn't walk any in the five-inning complete game win.

"It was great to see that out of a freshman in his first outing," said Olsen.

MCC put the final run up in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Eiguren who went two-for-three and led MCC with three RBIs on the afternoon. Beatty went three-for-three. MCC also got two-hit games from Bannon, Hamilton and sophomore Jordan Demarce (Las Vegas).

Highland goes to 2-4 on the season.

GAME 2: Dodge City 15, McCook CC 5 – The Conquistadors scored six runs off MCC starter Eduardo Ojeda (sophomore, Coral Springs, Fla.) and scored runs off all four MCC pitchers: Max Mrakovcic (sophomore, Sydney, Australia), C.J. Allen (freshman, Salado, Texas) and Cade Webber (freshman, Kelowna, British Columbia).

"We didn't throw strikes in the first inning, then in the second and third innings we made a defensive miscue each inning that really cost us," said Olsen.

Dodge City added two runs in the second three in the third and two more in both the fifth and sixth innings to end the game on the 10-run rule. The Conquistadors had eight hits on the day.

Trailing 8-0 in the third, MCC got on the scoreboard with a solo home run from Justin Chappel, (Colorado Springs). Matt Hamilton led off the MCC fifth with a triple and later scored on an RBI-single by Ethan Murdoch.

MCC had five hits in the game with two from Murdoch, and one each from Chappel, Hamilton and freshman Riley Watson (Sydney, Australia).