MCC Baseball splits Saturday twinbill with Northeastern JC

The McCook Community College baseball team got down by five runs in one game and eight runs in the other but managed to pick up a Saturday split with Northeastern Junior College. Each team won by 10-9 scores.

MCC came back from being down 9-4 in the third inning of Game 1 and added two in the fifth and scored four in the seventh to win 10-9. Down 8-0 in Game 2, MCC battled back late in the game putting the tying and winning runs on base but lost 10-9.

MCC goes to 24-25 on the season and 15-15 in the Empire League.

NJC goes to 25-24 and also 15-15 in the Empire League.

The two teams along with Western Nebraska are battling for second place in the North Division behind Southeast Community College.

On Saturday Southeast and Western Nebraska split their doubleheader so Western remains in second place at 14-13, with MCC and NJC tied at 15-15. The top two teams in the division will host first-round Region IX tournament series.

MCC will wrap up its six-game season slate with NJC on Sunday with a nine-inning game starting at 1 p.m. at the Jaycees Sports Complex.

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 mccindians.com

GAME 1 – MCC 10, Northeastern JC 9: Northeastern JC got on the scoreboard in the first on a hit batter, a walk and an RBI single followed by a two-out, three-run home run to lead 4-0 and made it 5-0 on a leadoff solo homer in the second.

MCC fought back in the second. Caleb Eiguren, (Broomfield, Colo.) led off with a single, Josh Maysonave (Austin, Texas) followed with a walk and Riley Watson (Sydney, Australia) put MCC on the scoreboard with an RBI-single. Elijah Munoz (Big Spring, Texas) followed with a three-run home run to right field to cut the gap to 5-4.

A leadoff homer by NJC in the third made it a 6-4 game and after two walks, a three-run round-tripper put the Plainsmen up 9-4 and chased MCC starter Max Mrakovic (Sydney, Australia) who surrendered five hits in two innings. Four of those hits were home runs. He walked three and struck out three. He was relieved by Owen Lester (St. Charles, Ill.).

Maysonave hit a two-run homer in the fifth to cut the gap to 9-6.

Lester remained on the mound and kept NJC scoreless in his five innings of relief, holding NJC to one hit while striking out three.

In the ninth, Eiguren lined a one-out single to start the rally, Maysonave doubled, and Watson tripled to right bringing in Eiguren and Maysonave. He later scored on a passed ball to tie the game 9-9. With two outs, Munoz was hit by a pitch and advance to third on a single by Jordan DeMarce (Las Vegas). Munoz came home with the game-winner on a passed ball.

MCC out-hit NJC 11-6 with three-hit games by Eiguren and Watson.

GAME 2 – Northeastern Junior College 10, McCook CC 9: The Plainsmen scored in the first seven innings, scoring one in the first, two in the second, one in the third and fourth and three in the fifth to lead 8-0 off MCC starter Ethan Fritz (sophomore, Bellevue, Neb.). He went 4.1 innings, allowed six earned runs, walked five and fanned five. Cade Webber (Kelowna, British Columbia) finished out the fifth allowing one run on one hit, and one walk over two-thirds innings.

MCC responded with a five-run fifth inning starting the frame with consecutive singles by Elijah Munoz, sophomore Melwin Perez (San Sebastian, Puerto Rico) and Jordan DeMarce to make it 8-2. Markus Coronado (Irving, Texas) doubled in two and the final run of the inning scored on a doubleplay to make it an 8-5 game.

Jelle Bing (Heerhagoaard, Netherlands) went the final four innings on the mound and after he allowed single runs in the sixth and seventh to put NJC up 10-5, MCC scored three runs in the seventh on back-to-back one out doubles by Daniel Bannon and Coronado followed by a two-run home run by sophomore Zack Beatty (Maple Park, Ill.). It was his 20^th homer of the season.

Bing kept NJC off the scoreboard for the first time all game in the eighth and in the bottom of the inning MCC pulled a run closer when Munoz singled, went to third on a throwing error and scored on a wild pitch to make it a 10-9 game.

 Beatty led off the ninth with a single but was thrown out at second base. MCC got two out singles by Maysonave and Watson but grounded into a forceout to end the game.

Bing went four innings, allowed one earned run on six hits. He struck out three and didn't walk any.

MCC had 16 hits in the contest with three by Beatty, and two each from Bannon, Coronado, Maysonave, Watson and Munoz.