NCMC Pirate's baseball split on Thursday at home against MCC-Maple Woods. The Pirates took the opener 7-1 but dropped the second game 8-4. Preceding the games, the Pirate's honored their sophomore players. "I want to thank each and every sophomore on our team for their contributions to our program and the leadership they have provided to this year's team," remarked Coach Hillerman.
In game one, the Pirates got a strong start from sophomore pitcher Drew Bunch. Drew allowed a single unearned run over 4.2 innings pitched. Offensively, sophomore Derek Hussey went 2-2 with 1 run and 1 RBI. Freshman Jared Fry added 2 hits as well, scored a run and drove in 2. Sophomore Brendly Martina put together a 2-3 performance including a triple. "We played a strong, complete game in the opener. We took solid at-bats, got excellent pitching, and turned in some outstanding defensive plays for the win," detailed Coach Suttenfield.
The game two effort for the Pirates was not near as sharp. Defensively, the Pirates committed 7 errors which led to 6 unearned runs. In the end, the Pirate's offense couldn't cover the defensive lapses as the Pirates fell 8-4. "When you allow a good team like Maple Woods so many opportunities, it is difficult to win. We gave them way too much," added Coach Hudlow.
Offensively, the 14 Pirate strikeouts didn't help matters. "We had opportunities at the plate to push more runs across but didn't come up with the timely hits," noted Coach Hillerman. The Pirates ended the game with 12 runners left on base.
Sophomore Quinsly Balentien had a good individual offensive effort in the loss. He went 3-4 with a double. Fry also knocked out a solo homerun for his second of the year.
Next the Pirates will close Region 16 play with a road doubleheader with Maple Woods on Saturday. If the Pirates sweep those games, they will secure the #5 seed in the sub region tournament. "These games are very important. It is time for us to play to our full potential," stated Coach Suttenfield.
