MCC Baseball takes Otero series with Saturday split

The McCook Community College baseball team split a home doubleheader Saturday losing the first game 5-4 and coming back to win the second game 4-3. The Indians take the four-game series 3-1.

"I'm really happy to get the win in Game 2, man we really pitched it well," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen.

Redshirt freshman Ryan Malone (Bennington) got the start and went two innings. Freshman Tobey Cassino (Arvada, Colo.) pitched five innings, allowing one earned run and sophomore Jereniel Herrera (Panama City, Panama) struck out five of the six batters he faced to pick up the save. The trio struck out 15 Rattlers.

"Both Ryan and 'J' are working their way back from injury and both took a big step forward to getting back to normal," Olsen said. "'J' was lights out, and in the middle Tobey had his best outing of the year, just really proud of how we pitched it all weekend," said Olsen.

Sophomore Michael Quick (Oshawa, Ontario) provided a two-run homer in the first inning and sophomore Jackson Yeager (Omaha) had a two-out, two-run single in the fifth inning to put MCC up 4-2.

"Quick had a huge home run for us," Olsen said.

Freshman Cory Wouters (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) struck out eight hitters in Game 1 but MCC hitters struck out 12 times and were held to six hits.

"Cory kept us in the game we just weren't quite 100 percent defensively, there were a couple plays that could have shut down a run or two and could have swung the game," said Olsen. "We didn't get hardly anything going until the seventh inning and just came up a bit short."

Otero goes to 11-20 on the season and 3-5 in Region IX play.

"We struggled at the plate today but good to get the series win."

With the 3-1 series win over the Rattlers, MCC goes to 11-15 and 6-2 in the region.

The Indians will be in action again Wednesday at the Jaycees Sports Complex for a pair of games against the York College JV. First pitch is at 1 p.m.

This Friday MCC is at home to face Northeastern Junior College in a Region IX doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. That series will continue in Sterling, Colo. Sunday, April 7 at 2 p.m.

GAME 1 – Otero JC 5, McCook CC 4: MCC scored first on a solo home run by sophomore Luke Bies (La Vista) to take a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

Otero scored a pair of runs in the fourth and added two more in the fifth to lead 4-1.

A leadoff Otero home run in the seventh put OJC up 5-1 and chased MCC starter Cory Wouters from the game. He pitched 6.1 innings and allowed eight hits, five runs, four walks and he struck out eight hitters.

Sophomore Jackson Finder (Lincoln) came on in relief and faced two batters and got them both  -- one on a strikeout.

Jackson Yeager led off the seventh with a double. After Bies walked, Maddox Shaver (sophomore, Belleville Ontario) doubled home two to make it a 5-3 game. With two outs, sophomore Blake Dale (Riverton, Wyo.) singled home Shaver for the final MCC run.

OJC outhit MCC 8-6.

GAME 2 – McCook CC 4, Otero JC 3: Otero scored two runs in the first inning off Ryan Malone but MCC responded with two runs of their own on a two-run home run by Michael Quick.

Malone pitched two innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He struck out five Rattlers.

Tobey Cassino relieved Malone in the third inning and went five innings, allowing one earned run in the sixth inning and five hits. He walked three and struck out five.

MCC took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning on a two-out, two-run single from Jackson Yeager.

Jereniel Herrera pitched the final two innings to pick up the save. He didn't allow a hit or a run and struck out five of the six Rattlers he faced.

MCC had just five hits in the game.