MCC Baseball sweeps Plainsmen; take three-game series

STERLING, Colo. – After losing the first game of the Empire League series here Sunday, the McCook Community College baseball team came back to sweep a doubleheader with Northeastern Junior College Monday, winning 11-2, and 13-9.

Sophomore Ethan Fritz (Bellevue, Neb.) picked up a complete-game win on the mound in the opener Monday with home run help from sophomore Daniel Bannon (Sydney, Australia), and freshman Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Saskatchewan). MCC continued the offensive momentum in Game 2 scoring 10 runs in the first three innings and when NJC nudged within a run in the seventh inning, posted three runs in the ninth. Murdoch homered in that game as well having homered twice on Sunday.

"It was a really good day today, we got a great start in game one from Ethan Fritz, he stepped up to get us off our mini-slide, then we hit," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. "In Game 2 we came out swinging it well, then they did a nice job chipping back into it, then we battled with two outs in the ninth to put up three more insurance runs and close it out."

NJC goes to 7-11 on the season and 1-2 in the Empire League standings.

MCC snaps a three-game losing streak to go to 7-5, and 2-1 in the Empire League.

MCC will play the home-opener Wednesday when Northeastern Community College comes to the Jaycee Sports Complex for a doubleheader starting at 1:30 p.m. Again this weekend MCC is set for more home action with a four-game series against Empire League opponent, Trinidad State Junior College. MCC will face the Trojans in doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, start time both days is 2 p.m.

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 11, Northeastern JC 2:  MCC scored three runs in the third inning and added two runs each in the fourth and fifth and put the game away with a four-run seventh.

Ethan Fritz twirled a seven-inning complete game allowing six hits, one earned run, and six strikeouts.

Kade-Poteet-Herrera (Pueblo, Colo.) led off the MCC third with a double and scored on an RBI-single by Jordan Demarce (Las Vegas). Daniel Bannon's sacrifice fly made it a 2-0 game and Caleb Eiguren, (Broomfield, Colo.) drove home the third run with a single.

In the fourth, a two-run Bannon homerun put MCC up 5-0 before NJC responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning.

MCC loaded the bases to lead off the fifth on a pair of walks and a hit batter and with one out, Poteet-Herrera singled home two to give MCC a 7-2 lead.

Freshman Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Saskatchewan) led off the seventh with a solo-home run then a two-out NJC error opened the flood gates. Bannon drove in two with a single and sophomore Markus Coronado (Irving, Texas) delivered an RBI-single for the final run.

MCC had eight 10 in the game with Bannon going three-for-five with five RBIs, Poteet-Herrera had a pair of hits to go along with two RBIs.

GAME 2 -- McCook CC 13, Northeastern JC 2: MCC kept the offensive pressure early scoring three runs in both the first and second innings – despite ending both those innings hitting into doubleplays, then came back with four runs in the third inning.

Daniel Bannon led the game off with a single, Marcus Coronado walked and Zach Beatty lined a three-run homer to left field to put MCC up 3-0.

After NJC countered with a three-run first, MCC came right back with three more in the second. The visitors scored the first run on a walk, a single a walk and took a 4-3 lead when Bannon was hit by a pitch. Coronado lined a two-run single to right to make it a 6-3 game.

Ethan Murdoch homered to lead off the fourth and later in the inning MCC got an RBI-double from Riley Watson (Sydney, Australia) and a two-run triple off the bat of Jordan Demarce putting MCC up 10-3.

The Plainsmen scored two runs in the fourth to pull within five runs, then added three in the fifth to make it a 10-8 game. Freshman Mikey Acierno (Thornton, Colo.) started the game for MCC, he went 4.1 innings, allowed five earned runs, nine hits, walking two and striking out six.

Sophomore Owen Lester (St. Charles, Ill.) came on in the fifth and went 3.1 innings allowing three hit and one earned run while striking out four.

"NJC had a guy (Mark Thurman) out of the pen that really shut us down, but our bullpen was lights out when we needed it, it was a tight game," said Olsen. Thurman pitched four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out five for the Plainsmen.

NJC scored a run in the seventh and the score remained 10-9 until the top of the ninth when the MCC bats were able to provide a cushion. Elijah Munoz (Big Spring, Texas) started the rally with a two-out single. An NJC error extended the inning and Daniel Bannon was able to double in two runs and he scored on a Coronado single.

Sophomore Jordan Muschalek (Odessa, Texas) came on in the eighth inning with two outs and picked up the save retiring all four of the batters he faced.

MCC had 13 hits in the game, including three by Munoz and two each by Bannon, Coronado, Murdoch and DeMarce.

"It felt like Game 2 was a total team win," Olsen said.