The Pirates dropped all four Region 16 games over the weekend against a very talented Jefferson College Vikings team. With the losses, the Pirates now hold a region record of 1-11 and are 2-18 overall on the season.
Game one saw the Pirates play very competitively with Jefferson dropping a 5-0 decision. Blake Collister took the loss on the mound giving up 4 earned runs in 3.1 innings pitched. The Pirates outhit Jefferson 7-6 but were unable to plate a run. "Clutch hits eluded us in the opener. We played solid baseball but not quite well enough to win," commented Coach Hillerman.
Game two saw the Jefferson College offense come to life. The Vikings touched up Pirate starter Brandon Whitehead for 7 earned runs on 7 hits in 4 innings pitched. The Pirates offense was limited to one run in the 9-1 defeat.
The final two games of the four game set were not very competitive from the Pirates standpoint, with losses of 15-3 and 12-2. In the opener, the Pirate hitters struggled to deal with the high velocity pitchers that Jefferson put on the mound. "There were plenty of scouts in the stands to see the two pitchers Jefferson threw at us in the first game. They weren't disappointed. Those arms were definitely as billed," commented Coach Suttenfield of the two Vikings pitchers who threw with fastball velocities well into the 90's. Quinsly Balentien did touch up Vikings reliever Cole Milam for a 2-run homer in the final inning. The second game saw the Pirates offense improve some but it wasn't enough to cover the 12 runs on 9 hits with 10 walks the Pirates pitching staff gave up.
Next action for the Pirates on spring break will be Tuesday when they hit the road to Marshalltown, IA, to take on Marshalltown Community College.