MCC finishes third in region with two Saturday losses

BEATRICE – The McCook Community College baseball team dropped two games against Southeast Community College Saturday and finish the regular season as the No. 3 team in the six-team post-season Region IX tournament. MCC lost 10-3 and 16-11 and dropped all four weekend games against the top-seeded Bobcats.

"It was a tough weekend for us but we need to put it behind us," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. "It's hard after a weekend like this to see all of the good things we did the first six weeks of league, but next Thursday is what we play for and it will start then."

In Game 1, the Indians took a 3-0 lead in the second inning but the Bobcats scored 10 unanswered runs. Southeast scored eight runs in the first two innings of Game 2 and scored runs in all but the third inning.

MCC finishes the Region IX schedule at 18-8 and third in the standings. Otero closed out the season with a 22-3 win over Lamar Saturday and earns the second-place seed at 20-8 (31-17 overall). Southeast finished the Region IX schedule at 25-3 (38-16 overall). Southeast and Otero will receive first-round byes Thursday when the Region IX tournament opens in Colorado Springs.

MCC finished third at 18-10 and will open the Tournament against the No. 6 seed (Lamar or Northeastern JC). Western Nebraska 18-10) is fourth seed and will play No. 5 seed (Lamar or Northeastern JC).

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 10, McCook CC 3: Sophomore Luke Bies (La Vista) lined a one-out single in the second to start the offense. Blake Dale (sophomore, Riverton, Wyo.) was hit by a pitch and Jason Serafinchon (sophomore, Spruce Grove, Alberta) doubled both runners home. With two outs, sophomore Michael Quick (Oshawa, Ontario) singled home a run to give MCC a 3-0 lead.

After Southeast got a leadoff double and a walk to start the bottom of the second, sophomore starting pitcher Jereniel Herrera (Panama City, Panama) induced a groundout and a strikeout but the Bobcats scored two on a two-out RBI-single.

SECC added two runs in the third and three in the fourth as Herrera was charged with six earned runs on six hits two walks and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings.

Ethan Badcock (sophomore, Adelaide, Australia) came on in the fourth and pitched 2.2 innings, and allowed one earned run on six hits, one walk and four strikeouts.

The Bobcats outhit MCC 12- 6. The Indians committed three errors.

GAME 2 – Southeast CC 16, McCook CC 11: In the regular-season finale, the Indians spotted Southeast eight runs in the first two innings and trailed 8-0.

Freshman Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) pitched one inning, allowing eight runs on six hits and three walks.

MCC cut the lead in half in the fourth inning. Sophomore, Will Edwards (Sydney, Australia) led off with a single and the Indians got on the scoreboard with a double by freshman Owen Glover (Elderslice, New South Wales). Jason Serafinchon drove home Glover on a groundout and after a Bobcat error, freshman Maddox Shaver (Belleville Ontario) hit a two-run home run to make it an 8-4 game.

Southeast scored two runs in the fourth and added another in the fifth to go up 11-4. Leif Friedrich (Surrey, British Columbia) pitched four innings, allowed four earned runs on eight hits, one walk and four strikeouts.

Glover doubled to lead off the six and after another Bobcat error, Serafinchon hit a three-run home run to cut the MCC deficit to 11-7.

Southeast hit a solo home run off Indian reliever Dylan Huddle (freshman, Arvada, Colo.) in the bottom of the sixth and added another run with two outs to lead 13-7.

In the MCC seventh Edwards drove home a run on a single then two straight walks loaded the bases for Serafinchon who drove in a run on a sacrifice fly and another run scored on a passed ball as the Indians cut the deficit to 13-10. A pair of MCC errors in the bottom of the inning led to an unearned run and a 14-10 Southeast lead.

The Indians made it a three-run game in the eighth on a Michael Quick single, a SECC error and a sacrifice fly by Edwards. Southeast stretched the lead to 16-11 scoring twice in the bottom of the inning.

Huddle pitched three innings, allowed three earned runs on eight hits, no walks and two strikeouts.

MCC was unable to score in the ninth.

The Indians had 12 hits in the game with three each by Glover and Serafinchon, who also had five RBIs. Edwards and Bies each had two hits.