MCC Baseball splits Sunday doubleheader in Dallas

DALLAS, Texas – The McCook Community College baseball team split a pair of games Sunday against Dallas College Brookhaven. MCC won the first game 13-4 and lost the second game 11-10 in eight innings.

“We got good pitching in Game 1, but in Game 2 we just gave up too many free passes,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. “Offensively we were pretty good again today. I thought we kept battling all day long, our guys did a good job of competing.”

Leading 5-4 in Game 1, MCC erupted for eight runs in the seventh inning, including a grand slam from freshman designated hitter Kieren Cutler (Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador) and a three-run triple by sophomore Dalton Berg (Frederick, Colo.). Sophomore left-hander Tait Anderson (Auckland, New Zealand) pitched four innings and struck out five to pick up the win.

The Indians led 8-5 heading into the seventh inning of Game 2 but gave up a two-out, pinch-hit home run to tie the game 8-8. After scoring twice in the eighth the Bears got a three-run walk-off home run with two outs to salvage the doubleheader split. MCC freshman Jakoby Hamer (Edmonton, Alberta) hit two home runs in a losing effort.

“It was a tough way to end the weekend,” said Olsen. “We had a great chance to get all four – when you’re down to one out in the seventh, up three runs, and then down to one strike with a two-run lead in the eighth and you lose it’s tough,” said Olsen.

After losing their first seven games of the season, Dallas College Brookhaven won twice on Friday against State Fair Community College Friday and go to 3-8 on the year.

MCC goes to 3-1 to start the season.

The Indians will open the home schedule Wednesday against Western Nebraska Community College. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. at the Jaycees Sports Complex. The Cougars are 0-8 to start the year.

GAME 1 – McCook CC 13, Dallas College Brookhaven 4: After the Bears went up 1-0 in the first, MCC scored twice in the third. Sophomore Chase Williams (Brampton, Ontario) and freshman Kon Yoshimura (Nagasaki, Japan) singled to lead off the frame. With one out Williams scored on a passed ball and Yoshimura came home on a sacrifice fly from sophomore transfer Hunter Southey (Auckland, New Zealand). DC Brookhaven squared the game 2-2 with a run in the bottom of the third.

Freshman Owen Weales (Bowmanville, Ontario) singled to lead off the fifth and after a pair of walks loaded the bases with no outs, Dalton Berg doubled home two runs and Kieren Cutler’s RBI-groundout put MCC up 5-2.

Tait Anderson pitched four innings, allowed five hits, one walk, two earned runs and struck out five Bears. Freshman Santiago Rodriguez (Okotoks, Alberta) came on in relief and pitched a scoreless fifth inning.

After DC Brookhaven added two runs in the sixth inning to close the gap to 5-4, MCC scored eight runs to put the game away in the eighth inning. Kieren Cutler clubbed a grand slam to start the scoring. After a Yoshimura double, a Bear error and a walk loaded the bases for Berg who tripled in three runs and scored the final run on an RBI-double from sophomore Tyler Reyburn (Frederick, Colo.).

Freshman Nolan Jackson (Grimsby, Ontario) pitched the final two innings, allowing one earned run, two hits, and striking out two.

MCC out-hit DC Brookhaven 12-7. Berg had two doubles and a triple, Yoshimura and freshman Jakoby Hamer (Edmonton, Alberta) both had two-hit games each with a double and a single. Berg and Cutler both had five RBIs each.

GAME 2 –  Dallas College Brookhaven 11, McCook CC 10 (eight innings): DC Brookhaven scored on a leadoff homer in the first hit a solo homer in the second to lead 2-0.

The Indians rallied with two outs in the third on a solo home run from Dalton Berg – his third round-tripper of the season – followed by singles by Tyler Reyburn, Ben Heathcock (sophomore, Little Elm, Texas) and a three-run home run by freshman Matthew Botticelli (Edmonton, Alberta) to give MCC a 4-2 lead.

With one out in the MCC fourth, Jacob Hamer powered a two-run home run to give MCC a 6-2 lead.

Freshman Isiah Lopez (Midland, Texas) got the start on the mound for MCC and pitched into the fourth, allowing three hits, three earned runs and three walks over 3.1 innings and two strikeouts. Freshman Timmy Hunt (Ashland, Neb.) relieved but not before the Bears scored three times to make it a 6-5 MCC lead. Hunt faced four batters, allowed two hits and one earned run before sophomore Colby Kaplan (Parker, Colo.) closed out the inning on the mound and went 1.1 innings of scoreless relief allowing one hit and fanning two.

Sophomore Connor Charvat (Omaha, Neb.) launched a solo home run in the fifth to put the Indians up 7-5. With two-outs in the sixth inning, Berg and Reyburn walked in front of a Heathcock RBI-single to put MCC ahead 8-5.

Sophomore Jeff Bullock (Medicine Hat, Alberta) relived in the sixth inning and after a scoreless inning, walked the first two hitters of the seventh and after one out, was relieved by Freshman Santiago Rodriguez (Okotoks, Alberta) who with two outs gave up a pinch-hit home run which tied the game at 8-8.

Hamer led off the eighth with a solo home run and with two-outs Botticelli doubled home Reyburn, who’d reached on an error to give MCC a 10-8 lead.

In the eighth, Rodriguez issued a pair of walks and with two outs allowed a walk-off three run home run. He allowed two hits and walked four in his 1.2 innings of work.

MCC committed five errors in the game.

“We weren’t as good defensively today so need to work to clean that up,” said Olsen. “It was a good start to the year, obviously a disappointing end, but sometimes games like that early will make you get them in the bag late in the year.”

The Indians had 10 hits and walked nine times in the game. Hamer, Heathcock, Botticelli and Charvat all had two-hit games. Hamer and Botticelli both had three RBIs.

Up-to-date information about MCC baseball including up-to-date schedule and changes, livestream links for home games, rosters, photos, statistics and more can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com