MCC baseball claims 18-8 win over Plainsmen in first game of series

STERLING, Colo. – The McCook Community College baseball team had a nine-run outburst to help overcome a 5-0 deficit after four innings and went on to take an 18-8 win over Northeastern Junior College in the first game of their three-game series Saturday.

"Today was the perfect picture of what I want to be," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. "We took a big shot in the second to go down 5-0, but we stayed composed."

The Plainsmen hit a two-out grand slam home run off MCC starter Myles Chabi (freshman, Sydney Australia) in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead which lasted until the fifth inning.

"Myles really threw a nice game minus the grand slam, to give up five in the second and go into the seventh is pretty good," Olsen said.

MCC scored three runs in the fifth inning. After back-to-back leadoff singles by freshman Zeke Minic (Thornton, Colo.) and sophomore Daegen Morcom (Winnipeg, Manitoba), a double by Michael Quick (Oshawa, Ontario) plated MCC's first run. Sophomore transfer Alliskair Descartes (Thornton, Colo.) drove home Morcom and Quick to make it a 5-3 NJC lead.

"Offensively we didn't have anything going until the middle innings and we just kept grinding out at bats and got some big hits when we needed them and just kept playing the game," Olsen said. "That's what we talked about all week -- just keep playing the game and I was really proud that we did."

After a walk and an out in the sixth inning, Minic doubled and Morcom singled to cut the lead to 5-4. Blake Dale (Riverton, Wyo.) tied the game with an RBI-single. A bases-loaded triple by Descartes put MCC up 8-5. Sophomore Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Saskatchewan) tripled, and Josh Maysonave (sophomore Austin, Texas) hit a solo home run to put MCC up 11-5. Minic singled in the final run of the nine-run inning to make it a 12-5 MCC lead.

NJC got a run back with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, but MCC kept the offense churning in the seventh with a Murdoch RBI-single, a Maysonave RBI-groundout, and a steal of home by Murdoch to put MCC ahead 15-6.

Chabi went 6.2 innings, and allowed five hits, six earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts.

Minic singled in two more in the ninth inning to put MCC up 17-7 and Morcom walked with the bases loaded.

MCC had 16 hits in the game with five by Minic, three by Murdoch and two-hit games from Descartes and Morcom. Descartes drove in five runs to lead MCC.

Sophomore Mikey Acierno (Thornton, Colo.) came on in relief and pitched the final 2.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on two, hits, two walks and two strikeouts.

Northeastern JC falls to 15-13 in the Empire League North Standings and 24-25 overall.

MCC goes to 17-11 in the standings and takes a two-game lead over NJC for second place in the standings with two games remaining in their six with the Plainsmen. MCC goes to and 28-19 overall.

The two teams have split the first four games of their home-and-home series and they will play a doubleheader Sunday starting at 2 p.m. (CT).

On Monday MCC will make up a game against Luna Community College at La Junta, Colo. with first pitch set for 1 p.m.

MCC will wrap up the Empire League schedule with a three-game series against Western Nebraska Saturday and Sunday April 29-30 with the Saturday doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.

For all the up-to-date information on MCC baseball this season including up-to-date scheduling changes, statistics, rosters and photos, please visit the official website of MCC Athletics at mccindians.com