MCC Baseball splits Thursday twinbill with Western Nebraska
SCOTTSBLUFF – The McCook Community College split a pair of Region IX games Thursday losing the first game 10-5 to Western Nebraska and after a 90-minute weather delay, won the second game 12-2.
All five of MCC’s first five hitters reached base and scored in Game 1 but the Cougars scored 10 unanswered runs including eight over their final two innings to take the first game.
“It was a pretty crazy day weather-wise, and in general,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. “We scored five runs in the first seven hitters then didn’t score again, and they put some really nice swings on the ball when they had guys on base. We just couldn’t hold them down.”
In Game 2, the Indians broke up a 2-2 tie with a pair of sixth-inning runs and exploded for seven runs in the seventh and one in the eighth for the eight-inning win with the 10-run rule.
“After the fifth, we had a lightning and rain and hail delay, we decided to finish it after about an hour and a half delay,” said Olsen. “We came out swinging it, seemed like every swing we put on it was a productive swing.”
MCC goes to 17-5 in the Empire League (Region IX) and maintains second place in the standings. The team is 26-21 overall.
Western Nebraska is fourth place in the standings at 13-9 and 22-27 overall.
The two teams are looking for a more favorable weather window and moved up their weekend doubleheader a day. They will conclude their four-game series Saturday in McCook starting at 1 p.m.
“We’ll see what the weather does to finish our series,” Olsen said. “It’s not looking great right now.”
Other Region IX series this weekend include: Lamar at Northeastern Junior College, Luna at Otero and Southeast at Trinidad.
The top six region teams in the standings will advance to the tournament in a single game, double-elimination tournament. The top two teams in the
standings receive a first-round bye in Region IX post-season tournament May 9-12 in Colorado Springs.
MCC’s final home game will be Tuesday at 3 p.m. against Colby.
The Region IX schedule wraps up May 3-4 when the Indians travel to Beatrice to take on top-seeded Southeast Community College.
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 –Western Nebraska 10, McCook CC 5: Sophomore Michael Quick (Oshawa, Ontario) smashed the first pitch of the game for a home run. He was followed in the batting order by Nathan Hutchison (freshman, Riverton, Wyo.) and Will Edwards (sophomore, Sydney, Australia) who both singled. Sophomore Jackson Yeager (Omaha Westside) singled in a run and after a walk sophomore Blake Dale (Riverton, Wyo.) hit a three-run double to give MCC a 5-0 lead.
After Western Nebraska scored a run in the first and another in the third, the team took the lead with five runs in the fifth inning. Sophomore Aiden Johnson (Westminster, Colo.) pitched 4.1 innings, allowing seven hits and six earned runs. He struck out four. Ethan Badcock (sophomore, Adelaide, Australia) went the final 1.2 innings, and was charged with three runs on three hits, three walks and he struck out two.
After five hits in the first inning, MCC had just three more over the final six innings. Quick, Hutchison and Dale all had two-hit games.
GAME 2 – McCook CC 12, Western Nebraska 2: The Indians scored first in the third inning. After a leadoff single by Nathan Hutchison and a Cougar error, sophomore Luke Bies (La Vista / Omaha Gross) tripled in two runs with two outs to put MCC up 2-0.
Western Nebraska got a run back in the fourth and tied the game with an unearned run in the fifth. Freshman Tobey Cassino (Arvada, Colo.) pitched five innings, allowed three hits, one earned run, three walks and he struck out five.
“We got a great start from Tobey,” Olsen said. “He was really good until the delay forced him out of the game.”
MCC took the lead in the sixth and made Cassino a winner. A Cougar error set up the inning as Will Edwards singled, Jackson Yeager was hit by a pitch and Bies drove in two runs with a single to put MCC ahead 4-2.
The Indians got consecutive singles to start the seventh inning from sophomore Jake Quinlivan (Sydney, Australia), Michael Quick, Hutchison and a two-run single by Edwards. Freshman Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) singled in a run, Bies hit a sacrifice fly, sophomore Maddox Shaver (Belleville Ontario) drove home two with a double and Quinlivan got his second hit of the inning to put the Indians on top 11-2.
In the eighth, an Edwards single, a walk and an error loaded the bases for Bies who hit a sacrifice fly for the final score.
Sophomore Zack Lane (Phoenix, Ariz.) picked up the save, pitching three innings of scoreless ball, allowing one hit, walking one and striking out one.
“Zack Lane just came in and really was good,” said Olsen. “He is a great strike thrower and that is all he did.”
Edwards had three hits and three RBIs and Bies drove in five on two hits. Quick, Hutchison, Wouters, Shaver and Quinlivan all had two-hit games.
REGION IX (Empire League) STANDINGS
W-L OVERALL
Southeast CC 18-2 31-15
McCook 17-4 26-21
Otero JC 13-7 24-15
Western Nebraska 13-9 22-27
Northeastern JC 8-12 22-22
Lamar 7-13 17-29
Trinidad State 5-15 13-32
Luna CC 1-19 3-41
