MCC splits Wednesday games with NW Oklahoma State JV

ALVA, Okla. – The McCook Community College baseball team split a pair of games with the Northwest Oklahoma State JV team Wednesday, dropping the first game 14-13 and coming back to claim the second game 6-5.

In the opener, the home team came up with four runs in the seventh inning to claim the walk-off win. MCC came back in the second game and got a strong performance on the mound from freshman Tyus Chudomelka (Bellevue) who held the Rangers to two first-inning runs until he needed relief help in the seventh.

 "It was good to come back and get the win in Game 2, obviously disappointing Game 1 loss," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. "We did enough to win, we just couldn't close it out and didn't throw enough strikes in the game."

MCC got a homer and four RBIs from Kade Poteet-Herrera (Pueblo, Colo.) in Game 1 as well as five RBIs from Daniel Bannon (Sydney, Australia) and a four hit game from Caleb Eiguren (Broomfield, Colo.). In Game 2 Jordan Demarce (Las Vegas) led the way with four hits. Ethan Murdoch (Swift Current, Saskatchewan) hit a two-run home run.

 "We only had six guys available to throw today and we used all of them," Olsen said. "We need to get ready to go in Region again this weekend

MCC goes to 12-12 on the season.

This weekend MCC is back in the Empire League schedule traveling to Lamar for a four-game series in Colorado. Doubleheaders are set to start Saturday at 2 p.m. (CT) and Sunday at 1 p.m. The Lopes are 8-21 on the season and 5-5 in Region IX. (See standings below).

For all the up-to-date information on MCC baseball this season including, schedules, statistics, rosters and photos, please visit the official website of MCC Athletics at: https://mccookcc.prestosports.com/landing/index

GAME 1 -- NW Oklahoma St. JVs 14, McCook CC 13: MCC spotted the Rangers four first-inning, two-out runs but came back to score six times in the second and added four in the third.

Kade-Poteet-Herrera doubled in two to cut the lead to 4-2, later sophomore Daniel Bannon singled in two more to put MCC up 5-4 and sophomore Caleb Eiguren, who led off the inning with a single, capped the scoring with an RBI-single.

NW Oklahoma State got one of those runs back in the bottom of the frame but MCC got a leadoff triple by Riley Watson (Sydney, Australia) and a two-run home run by Poteet-Herrera to go up 8-5. Freshman Josh Maysonave (Austin, Texas) singled in Tyus Chudomelka to make it a 9-5 game and Bannon drove home Maysonave for a 10-5 lead. One inning later Chudomelka's RBI single put MCC up 11-5.

Jelle Bing (Heerhagoaard, Netherlands) started the game on the mound for MCC, he went 3.1innings, allowed 11 hits and eight earned runs. He was relieved by Rylan Wallingford (Fort Calhoun, Neb.) who pitched 2.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits, no walks and he fanned two.

MCC tallied two more runs in the sixth on a two-out, two-run single by Bannon. The Rangers responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning to make it a 13-10 MCC lead.

"It wasn't just walks it was pitching in bad counts and getting hit hard, to blow a three-run lead in the last is tough, but those outs are tough to get," Olsen said.

Owen Lester (St. Charles, Ill.) came on for the seventh inning but allowed two hits and a walk to the three batters he faced, allowing one run. Eduardo Ojeda (Coral Springs, Fla) came on with runners on first and third base with no outs. The Rangers cut the gap to 13-11 on a wild pitch and made it 13-12 on sacrifice fly then NW Ok. State scored the game winning runs on back to back RBI-singes.

MCC had 17 hits in the game with four from Eiguren, and three each from Chudomelka, Bannon and Poteet-Herrera. Bannon drove in five in the game and Poteet-Herrera four.

GAME 2 -- McCook CC 6, NW Oklahoma St. JVs 5: The Rangers scored a pair of first-inning runs off Tyus Chudomelka, all coming with two outs.

MCC got on the scoreboard and took the lead for good in the third inning. Oliver Davies (freshman Sydney, Australia) and Jordan DeMarce singled to lead off the frame. A one-out error loaded the bases for Kade Poteet-Herrera who tied the game with an RBI-single to center field. Riley Watson's sacrifice fly game MCC a 3-2 lead.

Markus Coronado (Irving, Texas) singled to lead off the fifth and Ethan Murdoch homered to left field to put MCC up 5-2.

A leadoff walk and double by DeMarce in the sixth set it up for Coronado's RBI-single to put MCC up 6-2.

Northwest Oklahoma State came back off Chudomelka in the seventh with a walk, a one-out single then with two outs got a two-run triple followed by a single and a walk to chase Chudomelka. He finished allowing seven hits, five earned runs, walked five and struck out one. With the tying run on second base Jackson Bigge (Fort Collins, Colo.) came on to strikeout the final batter and pick up the save.

 "Tyus not only got his first start it was his first appearance and he battled his tail off for 6.2 innings, and Bigge came in for a huge strikeout to finish it," Olsen said.

DeMarce led MCC with four hits. Coronado and Davies both had two-hit games for MCC.

Here are the current Region IX Standings

EMPIRE LEAGUE SOUTH

                              CONF   GB  OVERALL

Trinidad State           7-3     --         20-6

Lamar CC                 5-5     2          8-21

Otero JC                   2-8     5          3-15  

Luna CC                   1-9     6          3-26

EMPIRE LEAGUE NORTH

                                CONF  GB   OVERALL

Southeast CC           6-1      --         13-5

Western Nebraska    3-1      1.5       6-12   

McCook CC              6-4      1.5      11-11             

Northeastern JC       3-3      2.5      14-12

Here is the weekend Region IX Schedule

Saturday (All times MT)

   Western Nebraska at Luna, noon, two games

   Southeast CC at Otero, 1 p.m., two games

   Northeastern JC at Trinidad State, 1, p.m., two games

   McCook at Lamar, 1 p.m., two games

Sunday (All times MT)

   McCook at Lamar, noon, two games

   Southeast CC at Otero, noon, two games

   Western Nebraska at Luna, noon, two games

   Northeastern JC at Trinidad State, 1, p.m., two games