Pirate's baseball started the weekend off hot with a pair of run-rule victories over the previously undefeated Spoon River College Snappers on Saturday 12-2 and 18-8. Spoon River rebounded and took the Sunday doubleheader from the Pirates 17-8 and 14-3, which moved NCMC's season record to 8-4. The Pirates will be back in action for their home openers this weekend against Ellsworth CC. Friday's doubleheader starts at 1pm. First pitch on Saturday will also be 1pm.
Leading the offense over the weekend was freshman centerfielder Julio Guerrero. He went 8 for 12 with 5 runs scored. His .563 season batting average is good for 17th best in the nation currently. He has also swiped 11 bases, placing him among the national leaders.
Other top offensive performances came from sophomores Rawlins Brant and Shodai Nishihara. Brant went 6-12 with 8 RBIs and 6 runs scored. He also belted a pair of homers. Nishihara went 7-14 with 10 RBIs. Freshmen Alejandro Paz and Jordi Ventura each homered in the series.
On the mound, sophomore ace Kevin Toala earned a complete game victory on Saturday by tossing 5 innings with no earned runs. He struck out two. In relief, freshman Eric Torrero notched a victory despite allowing 7 runs in 1.2 innings pitched. Only 3 of those runs were earned. Freshman Alex Smith picked up his first career save. Losses went to Dylan McIntyre and Jacob Rehkow.
In total, the Pirates committed 9 errors defensively, a stat the will look to improve as the season progresses. NCMC did a nice job of using their team speed on the bases, stealing 13 bases for the weekend.