MCC Baseball wins three of four against Trinidad State

LAMAR, Colo. – In a doubleheader moved from McCook to Lamar, Colo. Saturday, the McCook Community College baseball team split a pair of games with Trinidad State to take the Empire League Series three games to one. On Saturday MCC won the first game 3-1 and lost the second game 6-3.

MCC sophomore Ethan Fritz picked up a complete-game win, striking out nine Trojans in the opener and in the second game Trinidad State rode a four-run fifth inning to a win and salvage the final game of the series.

MCC goes to 10-8 on the season, 5-2 in Region IX and 2-1 in the Empire League North Division.

Trinidad State, which had won 11 straight games going into the four-game series, goes to 16-6 overall, 4-3 in Region IX, and remain atop the Empire League South Division at 3-0.

MCC will travel to Northeast Community College (14-1) Tuesday for the first of what is scheduled to be 12 straight road games. The Hawks have won 14 straight games including a doubleheader sweep over MCC this past Wednesday in McCook, 15-5, 9-4.

On Saturday MCC heads to Beatrice for a key three-game series with Region IX North Division opponent Southeast Community College. The Storm are 11-4 overall and 4-0 in Region IX play having swept Luna Community College Friday and Saturday. The MCC-SECC series is set to start Saturday at 1 p.m. at Beatrice with the Sunday doubleheader starting at 2:30 p.m.

MCC will not play at home until a four-game series against Luna on March 26 and 27.

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 3, Trinidad State 1: The Trojans opened the game with a run in the first inning off MCC starter Ethan Fritz (sophomore Bellevue, Neb.), when he allowed two hits to the first three batters, but a lineout double play to Daniel Bannon (Sydney, Australia) at second base ended the inning.

Trinidad maintained the 1-0 lead until the fourth inning. Sophomore Markus Coronado (Irving, Texas) led off with a single, and one out later Caleb Eiguren, (sophomore, Broomfield, Colo.) singled Coronado to third. Ethan Murdoch (freshman, Swift Current, Saskatchewan) followed with an RBI-single to tie the game. With two outs Kade-Poteet-Herrera (Pueblo, Colo.) doubled in two runners to give MCC the 3-1 lead.

Fritz went seven innings, allowing seven hits, no walks and he struck out nine Trinidad hitters. With two outs in the seventh, the Trojans applied pressure, reaching on an error followed by a double to put the tying run on second base but Fritz induced a game-ending groundout to clinch the series win.

MCC had six hits in the game with two from Eiguren. Poteet; Herrera had the only extra-base hit for MCC with his two-run double.

GAME 2 – Trinidad State 6, McCook CC 3: Trinidad State took a 1-0 lead in the first, added another in the third and posted four runs in the fourth to lead 6-0.

Freshman Mikey Acierno (Thornton, Colo.) got the start on the mound for MCC and went four innings, allowing nine hits, two walks and five earned runs, while fanning two.

Jelle Bing (Heerhagoaard, Netherlands) came on for two innings of relief, he allowed one unearned run, one hit, and he struck out one.

MCC came up with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Daniel Bannon and Markus Coronado walked and singled to lead off the inning. Ethan Murdoch drove home MCC's first run with a one-out single and freshman Riley Watson (Sydney, Australia) followed with a two-run single.

Owen Lester (St. Charles, Ill.) pitched a scoreless seventh and MCC went out in order in the bottom of the inning.

MCC committed four errors in the game and the offense was limited to five singles – two by Murdoch.