Southeast sweeps MCC baseball to clinch title

BEATRICE – The Southeast Community College baseball team clinched the Region IX regular season title Friday with a doubleheader sweep over second-place McCook. The Bobcats won 4-0 and 10-5.

"We just had a tough time getting anything going offensively today," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen.

Southeast held MCC to three singles in Game 1 and overcame a 2-1 deficit in the fourth inning of Game 2 and rolled to the sweep.

"Aiden Johnson threw a heck of a Game 1 and we just didn't get any help," said Olsen. "Again in Game 2 we jumped out with a couple runs and held the lead for a while but we just got stagnant again at the plate and it got away from us then the only other inning we got it going it was already out of reach."

The Indians will wrap up the regular season Saturday with two more games against Southeast and will be fighting with Otero Junior College for second place in the final standings and a first-round bye in the Region IX tournament.

With Friday's two losses MCC falls back to third place at 18-8 in the Region IX standings and 28-24 overall. 

Otero split with Lamar Friday and jumps into second place at 19-8. Those two teams have one game remaining and will play that Saturday.

"We just need to find a way to come out and be better at the plate tomorrow," said Olsen.

SECC goes to 23-3 and 36-16 and sews up the top seed in next weekend's Region IX tournament. The Bobcats and the second-place team will have first round byes in the six-team, single-game, double-elimination tournament in Colorado Springs. MCC has clinched a spot in the tournament as one of the top six teams.

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 – Southeast CC 4, McCook CC 0: The Bobcats broke up a scoreless game with a pair of singles to lead off the fifth inning and scored with one out on an RBI single and a sacrifice squeeze to put SECC up 2-0.

Southeast added two more in the sixth on a solo home run and a pair of two-out singles for a 4-0 lead.

Sophomore Aiden Johnson (Westminster, Colo.) went seven innings, allowing seven hits and four runs. He walked one and struck out nine.

MCC was held to three singles in the game.

GAME 2 – Southeast CC 10, McCook CC 5: The Indians took advantage of a pair of one-out Bobcats errors in the first to score two runs. Sophomore Jackson Yeager (Omaha Westside) drove home the first run on an RBI-groundout and freshman Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) doubled in the second run.

Southeast got a run back in the bottom of the first off freshman starting pitcher Tobey Cassino (freshman, Arvada, Colo.) who held the 2-1 lead until the fourth inning when the Bobcats scored twice on a two-out double to take a 3-2 lead.

Cassino left with one out and a runner at first in the fifth. In his 4.1 innings, he allowed five hits, was charged with four earned runs, walked five and struck out two. Southeast was able to add to the lead with two more runs in the fifth to lead 5-2.

A Bobcat solo home run the sixth made it a 6-2 game then Southeast added four runs in the seventh to lead 10-2.

Sophomore Zack Lane (Phoenix, Ariz.) pitched 2.1 innings, allowing six hits and five earned runs, no walks and one strikeout.

Yeager powered a one-out solo home run in the eighth inning and with two outs freshman Maddox Shaver (Belleville Ontario) doubled in two runs for the final margin of 10-5.

Jackson Finder (sophomore, Lincoln Pius HS) pitched the final 1.1 innings, allowing one hit, one walk and he struck out one.

MCC had eight hits with three by Shaver and two by Wouters.