MCC splits games with Northwest Oklahoma State JV

ALVA, Okla. – The McCook Community College baseball team opened the spring break trip Wednesday with a 13-2 win over Northwest Oklahoma State JV, but the Rangers came back in Game 2 from three runs downs in the sixth inning to walk off with a 7-6 win in eight innings.

"We have got to find a way to play better in Game 2's," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. "We haven't played good in a Game 2 of a doubleheader all year."

The Indians had eight straight hits in an eight-run third inning in Game 1 to coast to a 13-2 win.

"We played about as good as we could have in Game 1, then we didn't hit or defend in Game 2," said Olsen.

Seven MCC pitchers went an inning each in Game 2 but MCC committed four errors leading to three unearned runs.

MCC goes to 5-10 on the season and continue the spring break trip Friday in Dallas taking on Dallas College North Lake in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. then on to Dallas College-Richland Saturday for a pair of games starting at noon. The Indians travel to Hays, Kan. Tuesday for a 2 p.m. game against Hutchinson Community College.

MCC will open Region IX play at home March 23-25 with a four-game series against Lamar.

All the latest information for MCC baseball including up-to-date schedule and changes as well as statistics, rosters and photos can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com

GAME 1 – McCook CC 13, NW. OK. ST. 2: Sophomore Michael Quick (Oshawa, Ontario) doubled to lead of the MCC second and scored on a one-out single by sophomore Luke Bies (La Vista) to give the Indians a 1-0 lead.

The Indians broke open the game with one out in the third getting eight straight hits. Freshman Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) singled to light the offense and scored on a double by Quick. Sophomore Jason Serafinchon (Spruce Grove, Alberta) doubled home Quick, and Bies followed with a single. Jackson Yeager (sophomore, Omaha) doubled home Serafinchon to put MCC up 4-0 and sophomore Jake Quinlivan (Sydney, Australia) singled home Bies. Up 5-0, sophomore Blake Dale (Riverton, Wyo.) lined a three-run home run to left and freshman Nathan Hutchison (Riverton, Wyo.) lined a solo shot to center field to give MCC a 9-0 lead.

The Rangers scored runs in the third and fourth innings but trailed 9-2 off freshman Leif Friedrich (Surrey, British Columbia) who drew the start on the mound. He went four innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs, four walks and he struck out three.

MCC got a run back in the fifth on a one-out Dale double, a Hutchison single and an RBI-ground out with freshman Maddox Shaver (Belleville Ontario) batting.

Sophomore Dylan Huddle (Arvada, Colo.) relieved in the fifth inning and pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, two walks while striking out three.

"All three facets were really good and it showed on the scoreboard," said Olsen. "Dylan was really good out of the pen and Leif did a good job in his first start."

The Indians added three more runs in the seventh inning. Shaver lashed a one-out double, followed by an RBI-double by Wouters, an RBI-single from Quick, a Serafinchon single and a sacrifice fly by Bies.

MCC piled up 19 hits in the win, including eight for extra bases. Quick, Bies and Yeager all had three-hit games. Dale had a pair of extra-base hits with three RBIs. Serafinchon, Hutchison and Wouters also had two-hit games.

GAME 2 – NW. OK. ST. Opponent 7, McCook CC 6 (8 innings): The Rangers took a 2-0 lead with three straight two-out singles in the first inning.

Freshman Brady Augustin (Surrey, British Columbia) pitched one inning for MCC allowing the two runs on four hits.

MCC came back in the second and took advantage of three Northwest walks to start the second inning. The Indians tied the game on a wild pitch and an RBI-groundout with sophomore Will Edwards (Sydney, Australia) batting. With two out Nathan Hutchison singled home Edwards to give MCC a 3-2 lead.

"We had some good opportunities to score in Game 2, we just didn't score enough in the second inning when we had good opportunities and then again later in the game we had bases loaded one out and didn't score," said Olsen.

Sophomore Zack Lane (Phoenix, Ariz.) pitched a scoreless second inning, walking one. Blake Benallo (sophomore, Thornton, Colo.) hurled a scoreless third walking one and striking out three. Freshman A.J. Matta (Arvada, Colo.) struck out one in a scoreless fourth and sophomore Jackson Finder (Lincoln Pius) fanned one in his inning of work.

"We did throw a lot of guys and Lane, Matta, Benallo, and Finder were all really good," said Olsen.

MCC scored twice in the sixth to take a 5-2 lead. A Luke Bies single, a Ranger error and a passed ball led to the first run and Hutchison's RBI-triple drove home the second run of the inning.

The Rangers climbed back into the game in the sixth with a pair of singles, a wild pitch, a catcher's interference call, and an MCC error leading to three unearned runs off freshman reliever Tobey Cassino (Arvada, Colo.). He surrendered four runs in the inning and struck out two but Northwest Oklahoma State took a 6-5 lead.

"The catcher's interference and that error really hurt us, we just didn't do enough," said Olsen.

The Indians tied the game in the seventh on a leadoff home run by Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan).

Sophomore Ethan Badcock (Adelaide, Australia) held the Rangers scoreless in the bottom of the inning, but MCC went out in order in the eighth.

Western Oklahoma won the game as their first three hitters of the eighth all singled to win the game 7-6.

Badcock struck out two hitters in his one-plus inning of work.

Hutchison and Jackson Yeager both had two hits for MCC as the team was outhit 10-7.