MCC Baseball overcomes 10-1 deficit to down Luna 21-11

LAMAR, Colo. – The McCook Community College baseball team picked up a 21-11 win Monday against Luna Community College. This was a make-up for the March 25 game in McCook that was postponed because of snow.

MCC overcame deficits of 6-0 and 10-1 with a 10-run second inning and put the game away with five runs in the fourth and one in fifth and two more in the sixth to end the game on the 10-run rule. Monday's win clinches at least a tie for second place in the Empire Conference North standings. MCC needs just one more win (or one loss by Northeastern Junior College) to secure the second spot to host a post-season Cross Division Playoff series. MCC and NJC both have three games remaining.

"This weekend against Northeastern JC in Game 1 and today, I was just so proud of our guys, in both games we took some big shots and just kept bouncing back," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. "Today after getting down 10-1 in the second, there was just a sense of calm and we just kept playing the game which is what we talk about, and we just got rolling."

Luna scored six runs in the first inning off freshman starter Ethan Badcock (Adelade, Australia). With two on and two outs, Luna, scored on an RBI-double, got another walk, hit a three-run double and a two-run home run.

MCC scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first to make it a 6-1 game, but Luna scored four more runs in the second off sophomore reliever Mikey Acierno (Thornton, Colo.).

"They were really swinging it well the first two innings and Mikey was great innings in the third through sixth innings out of the pen even after a rough first inning in relief there in the second," Olsen said. "We just did exactly what the score of the game dictated and played it at a high level."

Down 10-1 in the second MCC took the lead with six singles, four walks, a wild pitch and two errors.

Sophomore Josh Maysonave (Austin, Texas) homered to lead off the third inning and freshman Zeke Minic (Thornton, Colo.) hit a two-out solo shot to put MCC up 13-10.

Sophomore Tyus Chudomelka (Bellevue) homered to lead off the fourth inning, a bases-loaded walk and an RBI-groundout made it a 16-10 lead. Minic singled in a run followed by a bases-loaded walk putting MCC up 18-10.

After the Roughriders scored a run in the fifth, MCC responded with a double by Michael Quick (Oshawa, Ontario) and an RBI-sing by sophomore Alliskair Descartes (Thornton, Colo.) to give MCC the 19-11 lead.

Minic ended the game with a two-run home run in the sixth.

Acierno picked up the win in relief going five innings, allowing four hits, five earned runs, five walks and four strikeouts.

MCC had 15 hits and walked 10 times. Minic led the way with four hits on a pair of home runs and four RBIs. Descartes had three hits and drove in two, Chudomelka had three hits and three RBIs and Quick had two hits.

MCC improves to 19-12 in the Empire League North Division and has clinched at least a tie for second place in the standings. Southeast Community College has clinched first place, with a 26-4 region record and will host the fourth place team from the South in the first round of the Cross Division Playoffs. MCC is second at 19-12, NJC third at 16-15 and Western Nebraska fourth at 8-20. MCC needs one win or one NJC loss to clinch second place. The North's second place team will host the South's third place team in the Cross Division Playoffs.

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.

NJC travels to Beatrice to play Southeast CC.

MCC goes to 30-20, Luna goes to 13-14 in the standings and 18-31 overall, but remains the first place team in the South Division.

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

REGION IX (Empire League)

 NORTH STANDINGS

                                W – L      PCT.

Southeast CC             26- 5    .839

McCook                     19-12   .613

Northeastern JC         16-15   .516

Western Nebraska        9-20   .310

 SOUTH STANDINGS

                                  W – L     PCT.

Luna CC                      13-14   .481

Trinidad State              12-14   .462

Otero JC                     12-16   .429

Lamar CC                     9-19   .321