Pirates Baseball earned an 11-7 home victory over Highland Community College on Tuesday. With the win, the Pirates improved their record to 13-32 on the season.
Earning the victory on the mound was freshman Brandon Whitehead. He scattered 2 hits while allowing 1 earned run and striking out 5. Trae Brownell, Tristen Sewell, and Lucas Hampton tossed the final five innings to preserve the win.
Offensively, Quinsly Balentien continued his hot hitting going 2-2 with 2 runs and 4 RBIs. One of his hits was his sixth homer of the year, extending his career homerun record to 16. Another NCMC career hitting record is also about to fall. Enrique Madera, with his single in the bottom of the sixth inning on Tuesday, tied Landon Figg's career hits record at 131. Fellow teammate Connor Quick also looks destined to break Figg's mark and is currently trailing Madera by two career hits. "It is fun to see guys reaching some of the career records. Madera and Quick have been solid hitters in our lineup over the past two seasons and their hard work is deserving of the record," remarked Coach Suttenfield.
As the Pirates regular season winds down, the upcoming four game home series against St. Louis Community College is a big one. Currently, the Pirates sit in a tie for 7th in Region 16 play. St. Louis is currently the 5th place team but with the standings close, much is yet to be determined for the upcoming sub-region. "The games against St. Louis are our most important of the year so far. If we sweep, we are likely the #5 seed in the region. With those four games to play, we can still finish anywhere from 5th to 9th," commented Coach Hillerman. Come out to Burleigh Grimes this Saturday and Sunday to support your Pirates as the look to climb the region standings.