Indians take Lamar series 3-1 with Saturday split

The McCook Community College baseball team wrapped up the first Region IX series of the season Saturday splitting two games to take the series 3-1 over Lamar Community College.

Lamar overcame a 6-3 deficit and scored four runs in the seventh inning to take the first game 7-6. MCC reversed the plot in Game 2 coming back from a 5-2 deficit and scored in every inning after the fourth to win 13-6.

MCC Starting pitcher Cory Wouters (freshman, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) kept the Runnin’ Lopes scoreless in the first three innings of Game 1 and left the game with MCC leading 5-3 but Lamar responded offensively in their final at bat.

“The first loss was a really tough loss, I felt like we should have put that one in the bag, but they had four hits in a row to start the inning and a big hit with two strikes to go ahead,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. “It’s not like we walked guys or made errors to give up the runs.”

Sophomore Blake Benallo (Thornton, Colo.) picked up the Game 2 win with a five-inning relief outing in which he allowed one run and

freshman Maddox Shaver (Belleville Ontario) ignited the offense with three hits and two RBIs.

“Game 2 today made me as happy as any game we’ve played this year,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. “It was just an example of everyone pulling together to get a true team win.”

Lamar goes to 11-19 on the season and 1-3 in Region IX (the Empire League).

MCC goes to 8-14 and 3-1 in the Empire League.

“All in all, it was a good weekend to get started in region,” said Olsen.

The Indians are scheduled to travel to Hastings Tuesday for a pair of games against the Bronco JV then return home Friday to start a four-game Region IX series against Otero Junior College. First pitch Friday and Saturday at the Jaycees Sports Complex is 1 p.m.

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 – Lamar CC 7,  McCook CC 6: Starting pitcher Cory Wouters kept the Runnin’ Lopes scoreless in the first three innings.

Sophomore Michael Quick (Oshawa, Ontario) singled in the first run. After a hit batter, MCC scored a run on a bases-loaded walk and a passed ball to take a 3-0 lead. Maddox Shaver delivered a two-run double (MCC’s only extra-base hit in the game), to put the Indians in front 5-0.

Lamar scored on a two-run home run in the fourth off Wouters to close the MCC lead to 5-2 and made it a 5-3 game with a solo homer in the fifth.

Wouters pitched five innings, allowed four hits and three earned runs on a walk and nine strikeouts.

“Cory gave us a nice start and we put ourselves in position to win we just didn’t do it,” said Olsen.

Sophomore Jereniel Herrera (Panama City, Panama) made his first appearance of the season pitching a scoreless sixth inning.

The Indians led off the sixth with consecutive singles by sophomore Blake Dale (Riverton, Wyo.), freshman Nathan Hutchison (Riverton, Wyo.) and Quick to put MCC up 6-3 with no outs but a doubleplay stopped the momentum.

Lamar got to Herrera in the seventh hitting a home run and two singles to start the inning. Ryan Malone (freshman, Bennington) relieved and Lamar lined a single off his foot to load the bases. He struck out one hitter and got the next to groundout to first which scored a Lamar run and closed the game to 6-5. The Lopes took the lead with a two-run double.

MCC got a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh but a doubleplay and groundout ended the game.

Herrera allowed three hits and three runs in his one-plus inning. Malone allowed one earned run and two hits in his inning of work.

MCC was outhit 9-6. Quick and Shaver both had two-hit games.

GAME 2 – McCook CC 13, Lamar 6: Lamar scored a run in the first and two more in the second to go up 3-0.

MCC scored twice in the second on a two-out, two-run Blake Dale single but Lamar scored twice in the fourth to lead 5-2.

The Indians cut into the deficit with a run in the fourth. Maddox Shaver tripled and sophomore Luke Bies (La Vista) drove him home on an infield groundout.

Freshman Tobey Cassino (Arvada, Colo.) started the game on the mound and went four innings, allowing six hits, one walk, three earned runs and he struck out five.

“We had some guys out this weekend on the mound and we really had some guys step up,” said Olsen. “Tobey kept us within reach, and we just did a great job of chipping away at their lead and then adding on once we took the lead.”

MCC got a run back in the fifth on an RBI-single from Bies to cut the deficit to 5-4. In the sixth, the Indians sent nine batters to the plate and took the lead with four runs with key RBIs from Michael Quick, Jackson Yeager (sophomore, Omaha), and a two-out, two-run single by Shaver to give MCC an 8-5 lead.

Quick tripled in Nathan Hutchison in the seventh to stretch the lead to 9-5. Bies singled in two in the eighth to put MCC ahead 11-5, Quick drove a run home on a sacrifice fly and Cory Wouters drove home the final run with a double.

Blake Benallo, who entered the game in the fifth inning picked up the win in relief, shutting out Lamar each of the first four innings he pitched, then allowed a run in the ninth. He allowed four hits over five innings, one earned run, four walks and three strikeouts.

“We obviously got a great performance out of Blake. He was lights out, it was by far his longest outing since he’s been here, it was great to see,” said Olsen.

MCC outhit Lamar 16-10. Shaver led the way with a single, double and triple. Dale had three hits and drove in two while Quick and Bies drove in three runs each.