Pirates baseball had a weekend of highs and lows on their trip to Hesston College. Saturday, NCMC lost a pair of one runs games, each by the score of 6-5, to the Larks. Sunday's doubleheader saw the outcomes the Pirates desired; NCMC posted 11-3 and 13-8 victories to split the series.
"We simply didn't make enough plays, both offensively and defensively, to pull out the closely contested games on Saturday. When games are tight, all the little things really matter and we didn't do enough to win," commented assistant coach Ryan Suttenfield. NCMC pitchers struggled with command of the strike zone in the two losses plus there were a few timely miscues in the field. Clutch hits also eluded the Pirates.
Sunday, the Pirates offense came alive in a big way. The team batted .410 in the two victories and hit 3 home runs. "We have confidence that we can be a strong offensive club. What we were able to do on Sunday with the bats shows that the ability is there and that we need to more consistently reach that potential," added Suttenfield. Freshman Dylan Niemeyer's strong pitching performance to start the day also set a tone.
For the weekend, Nathaniel Bentura posted a .533 batting average with 8 RBIs. Logan Eickhoff continued his hot start to the season going 5 for 12 with 4 runs scored and 6 RBIs. His season batting average now sits at .435.
Genesis Nunez, Albert Gonzalez and Braedyn Brewer each homered in Sunday's action.
Earning wins for the Pirates on the mound were Niemeyer and Cody Amen. Avery Rivero picked up his 3rd save of the season as well.
Next up for the Pirates is a road matchup Tuesday at Highland Community College. That contest will be a single 9-inning game with a 2:00pm first pitch.
