MCC Baseball season ends with two tourney losses
The McCook Community College baseball season came to an end Thursday with a pair of losses on the first day of the Region IX double-elimination tournament at Damon Runyon Park in Pueblo, Colo.
The Indians lost to Otero 6-5 in the first game and ended the season with a 6-3 loss to Western Nebraska in the second game.
“It was a tough way to end the year, things just didn’t break our way today,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen.
After sixth seeded Lamar opened up play Thursday with a 6-3 win over No. 3 Western Nebraska in the first game of the tournament, Otero scored three times in the first inning added two in the second and held a 6-2 lead until MCC came back in the ninth inning with a two-out, three run home run from sophomore Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) but fell short 6-5.
In the final game of the day, Western Nebraska scored a pair of runs in the third and fourth innings to lead 4-0 and after MCC battled back with two runs in the fifth and one more in the seventh, the Cougars sealed the win with two runs in the eighth.
“I thought we had a much better day offensively today than the box score showed,” said Olsen. “I’m not sure I could count the hard-hit balls that went right at guys’ today on both hands and we had a couple great catches made against us which is what the opponent needs to do to win.”
MCC ends the season with a 27-30 overall record.
“I’ve said it before and stick with it, I’m proud of this group, we were at a point in the season early where we could have packed it in and we turned things around,” said Olsen. “I just want to say thank you to our guys for the effort they put in and their ability to stick with it.
On Friday, top seeded Southeast Community College (22-6 in Region IX play) will play Otero (16-13) at noon Friday while second-seeded Northeastern Junior College (18-10) will play Lamar (13-16) in the other winner’s bracket game at 3 p.m. Western Nebraska (17-13) will play in an elimination game at 6 p.m.
The tournament continues with three games Saturday with the championship game (or games) Sunday starting at noon.
For all the latest information about MCC baseball including schedule and schedule changes, livestream links, statistics, rosters, photos and more please visit the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com
GAME 1 – Otero 6, McCook 5: The Rattlers struck for three runs in the bottom of the first inning off MCC starting pitcher Myles Chabi (sophomore Sydney, Australia). Otero’s first three hitters reached base on a single, a hit batter and a single then took a 1-0 lead on fielder’s choice groundout, went up 2-0 on a bases-loaded single and added a third run on a two-out, bases-loaded single.
MCC loaded the bases in the second on a leadoff walk by freshman Chase Williams (Brampton, Ontario), sophomore Owen Glover (Elderslie, New South Wales) was hit by a pitch and sophomore Maddox Shaver (Belleville, Ontario) walked. Freshman Landon McKillip (Lamoni, Iowa) was hit by a pitch to score Williams and sophomore Nathan Hutchison (Riverton, Wyo.) made it a 3-2 game with a sacrifice fly.
The Rattlers added two more runs in the third with a leadoff walk and three straight singles to lead 5-2. In the fifth inning Otero got a two-out solo home run to go up 6-2.
Chabi allowed nine hits and walked one in five innings. He struck out five.
Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings as MCC reliever Tait Anderson (freshman, Auckland, New Zealand) walked four Rattlers, allowed no hits and struck out two.
Trailing 6-2 in the ninth McKillip drew a one-out walk, freshman Carter Smith (Ottawa, Canada) singled with two outs and Cory Wouters hit a three-run home run to bring MCC within a run, but the game ended with a groundout. The home run was Wouter’s 21st of the season.
Wouters and Smith both had two hits as Otero out-hit MCC 9-6.
GAME 2 – Western Nebraska 6, McCook 3: The Indians got a pair of two-out singles in the second inning from freshman Tyler Reyburn (Frederick, Colo.) and Owen Glover, but couldn’t capitalize.
The Cougars got a leadoff double in the third and a two-run home to take a 2-0 lead.
Cory Wouters singled to lead off the MCC fourth and Chase Williams doubled to left with one out, but the Indians left the tying runs on second and third. Western Nebraska responded in the bottom of the frame adding two more runs to take a 4-0 lead.
MCC finally broke through in the fifth with a one-out single by Landon McKillip, a walk by Nathan Hutchison, and RBI double by Carter Smith and an RBI-groundout by Wouters to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Freshman Aviv Bobrov (Shekhanya, Israel) went four innings on the mound for MCC, he allowed three earned runs on six hits, four walks and five strikeouts.
McKillip led off the seventh with a walk, went to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out single by Wouters to make it a 4-3 game.
The Cougars took a 6-3 lead in the eighth on a leadoff walk and a two-run home run.
Freshman Landon Molloy (Parker, Colo.) pitched the final four innings for MCC allowing the two earned runs on one walk and one hit with three strikeouts.
McKillip reached second base to lead off the MCC ninth but was stranded there.
MCC had seven hits in the game with two by Wouters with two RBIs.
REGION IX TOURNAMENT
MAY 8-11
Damon Runyon Park -- Pueblo, Colo.
Thursday, May 8
Game 1 –Lamar 3, Western Nebraska 3
Game 2 –Otero College 6, McCook 5
Game 3 –Western Nebraska 6, McCook 3 (MCC eliminated)
Friday, Friday, May 9
Game 4 – No. 1 Southeast (22-6) vs. No. 4 Otero (16-13), noon
Game 5 – Northeastern JC (18-10) vs. No. 6 Lamar (13-16), 3 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 3 winner vs. Loser of Game 4 (elimination game), 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 10
Game 7 – Consolation bracket (elimination game), noon
Game 8 – Winner’s bracket game, 3 p.m.
Game 9 – Consolation bracket (elimination game, 6 p.m.
Sunday, May 11
Game 10 – Championship game, noon
Game 1 – (If necessary), 3 p.m.