MCC Baseball splits Monday twinbill with Southeast CC

BEATRICE – Offenses were in high-gear Monday as McCook Community College and Southeast Community College scored 46 runs in a doubleheader split. MCC won the first game 12-11 and SCC took the second game 13-10 in 10 innings.

"We battled all day today, and just kept getting after them at the plate," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. "We were tough offensively but so were they, really just two huge back and forth games."

In the opener MCC scored nine times in the first three innings and led 9-3 but had to come from behind with two runs in the seventh to rally for the win. In Game 2 MCC was down 9-7 heading into the ninth inning, scored three runs to lead 10-9, and after Southeast scored a run to send it to the 10^th, picked up a walkoff win with a three-run homer in the 10^th.  Sophomore Zack Beatty (Maple Park, Ill.) hit three home runs and drove in seven in a losing effort.

"We have had some battles with them over the past couple years, if we battle like we did today we will end up being a pretty tough team by the end of the year," Olsen said. "We just went through a pretty tough 10 game stretch and have to get right back at it Wednesday with some midweek nonconference.

MCC goes to 11-11 on the year and 6-4 in Empire League Play

The Storm go to 13-5 and 6-1 in Region IX (Empire League).

MCC will be on the road Wednesday to Alva, Okla. for a doubleheader with Northwest Oklahoma JV at 1 p.m. This weekend MCC travels to Lamar for doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday.

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 12, Southeast CC 11: Zack Beatty  led things off with a two-run home run in the first. The Storm countered with three runs off sophomore starter Ethan Fritz (Bellevue, Neb.) in the bottom of the first to take a brief 3-2 lead.

MCC responded with a five-run second. Daniel Bannon (sophomore, Sydney, Australia) tied the game with an RBI-single. Beatty doubled in two and MCC added two more on an RBI-single by Caleb Eiguren, (sophomore, Broomfield, Colo.) and a sacrifice fly from freshman Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Saskatchewan).

Bannon singled in two more in the third to put MCC up 9-3. Southeast scored three times in the fourth to close to 9-6. Markus Coronado (Irving, Texas) delivered a two-out RBI-single in the fifth to put MCC up 10-6 but Southeast responded with back-to-back singles to lead off the fifth and chase Fritz from the game. He went four innings, allowed seven hits, eight earned runs, one walk and four strikeouts. Jordan Muschalek (Odessa, Texas) came on in relief but Southeast was able to take an 11-10 lead.

Neither team scored in the sixth but Elijah Munoz (sophomore Big Spring, Texas) started the game-winning rally to lead off the seventh. After two out, Coronado singled Munoz to third. A wild pitch tied the game at 11-11 and a Storm error allowed the winning run to score.

Muschalek was able to pitch around two MCC errors in the bottom of the seventh to hold on for the win. He went three innings, allowed three earned runs, three hits, no walks and three strikeouts.

MCC had 11 hits in the game with three from Coronado and two each from Bannon, Beatty and Munoz.

GAME 2 – Southeast CC 13, McCook CC 10 (10 innings): McCook got on the scoreboard in the third inning on solo home run from Daniel Bannon to tie the score 1-1. Southeast reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom of the third and two more in the fourth to go up 4-1.

Zach Beatty hit a two-run homer in the fifth to pull MCC within 4-3 but Southeast responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Cade Webber (Kelowna, British Columbia) went four innings for MCC allowing four earned runs on six hits, four walks and six strikeouts. Mikey Acierno (Thornton, Colo.) went three frames and allowed five earned runs on seven hits, two walks and six strikeouts.

Trailing 6-3 in the seventh inning, Beatty hit a grand-slam to give MCC a 7-6 lead but the Storm scored three times in the seventh to lead 9-7.

Beatty homered again in the seventh to key the three-run rally to put MCC up 10-9 but the Storm tied the game with a run in the bottom of the ninth and won it with a walk-off homer in the ninth inning.

Beatty, Bannon, and Caleb Eiguren all had multi-hit games for MCC.