Cougars end MCC Baseball season with 13-7 setback

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team downed McCook Community College Friday 13-7 in an elimination game of the Region IX Tournament.

Western Nebraska took advantage of five MCC errors scoring eight unearned runs at UCHealth Park.

The Indians finish the season at 29-28.

Top-seeded Southeast Community College held off Western Nebraska 6-5 in the first game of the Friday tournament schedule and No. 6 seed Northeastern Junior College topped No. 2 Otero JC 14-3.

MCC’s defensive woes set the tone of the game early as the Cougars scored five runs in the top of the second inning taking advantage of three walks to start the inning, a sacrifice fly, and a two-out error leading to four unearned runs.

Freshman Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) pitched two innings, allowing three hits and one earned run on four walks and three strikeouts. Zack Lane (sophomore, Phoenix, Ariz.) came on in the third inning.

MCC scored in the third on an RBI-triple by Maddox Shaver (freshman, Belleville Ontario) and an RBI-single from sophomore Michael Quick (Oshawa, Ontario) to make it a 5-2 MCC deficit but the Cougars went up 9-2 in the fourth with the help of on a single, a walk, a hit batter, a sacrifice fly, a two-out two run error and a two run double.

Sophomore Luke Bies (Omaha Gross) hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and the Indians scored on a two-out Cougar error in the fifth to close within 9-4.

Western Nebraska chased Lane two batters in the sixth. He pitched 3.1 innings, allowing four hits, one walks and two earned runs. The Cougars went up 12-4 with three runs in the sixth.

MCC responded with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Bies hit a one-out double and Jason Serafinchon (sophomore, Spruce Grove, Alberta) hit a two-run triple and scored on a groundout by Shaver to make it a 12-7 game. Western scored an unearned run in the seventh to go up 13-7.

Sophomore Ethan Badcock (Adelaide, Australia) pitched the final 3.2 innings for the Indians. He allowed two hits, two walks, two earned runs and he struck out five.

Western Nebraska outhit MCC 9-7. Bies and Shaver both had two hits each.

The tournament is down to the final four in the region Saturday as Western Nebraska will play Otero in an elimination game while Southeast and NJC face off in the championship bracket. The winner of the Otero/Western Nebraska game plays the loser of the NJC/Southeast game in the final matchup Saturday.

The championship game is set for Sunday with a second game if necessary.

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

 

REGION IX TOURNAMENT
May 9-12
At Colorado Springs, Colo.
Thursday's Results
Game 1 –Northeastern Junior College 10, McCook CC 7

Game 2 –Western Nebraska 8, Lamar 5
Game 3 – McCook CC 10, Lamar 9 (Lamar eliminated)
Friday's Results

Game 4 – Southeast CC 6, Western Nebraska 5

Game 5 – Northeastern 14, Otero JC 3
Game 6 – Western Nebraska 13, McCook CC 7
Saturday's Schedule
Game 7 – No. 4 Western Nebraska vs No. 2 Otero JC, 10 a.m. (elimination game)
Game 8 – No. 6 Northeastern JC vs. No. 1 Southeast CC, 1 p.m.
Game 9 – Winner of Game 7 vs. loser of Game 8, 4 p.m. (elimination game)
Sunday's Schedule
Game 10 – Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner,
Game 11 (if necessary) – Game 10 winner vs. Game 10 loser