Indians down Colby 17-15 with walk-off homer

The McCook Community College baseball team scored six runs in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday to down Colby Community College 17-15 at the Jaycees Sports Complex. Freshman Dalton Berg hit a two-run home run with two outs to seal the win.

“That was a pretty exciting way to end it,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. “It was kind of an odd game, but we kept battling until the end. I know the bottom of the ninth was pretty fun for our guys.”

The win also puts MCC at the .500 mark for the first time this season at 23-23. The team has won nine of its last 11 games heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

“We just kept hanging in there. We didn’t always have perfect innings, but we didn’t give up the huge inning,” said Olsen. “We kept it within striking distance.”

It took eight batters in the bottom of the ninth to pull off the win with the first three hitters reaching base, a pair of productive outs with sacrifice flies, a double and a pair of two-out hits to end the game.

It was the Trojans who took control of the early portion of the game, scoring three runs with two outs in the first inning and jumping on top 4-0 with another run in the second inning.

Freshman Kaden Noble (Orillia, Ontario) pitched the first two innings allowing four earned runs on two hits, four walks and a strikeout.

MCC scored three runs in the third inning. Sophomore Nathan Hutchison (Riverton, Wyo.) walked to lead off the inning and sophomore Maddox Shaver (Belleville, Ontario) followed with a single. Hutchison scored on a groundout-RBI by freshman Carter Smith (Ottawa, Canada). Freshman Ben Heathcock (Little Elm, Texas) singled home Shaver and later scored on a passed ball to close the Colby lead to 4-3.

The Trojans got a two-out, single followed by a two-run home run in the fourth inning to go up 7-3 but the Indians responded with seven runs in the bottom of the inning to take an 11-7 lead. Smith started the scoring with a bases-loaded walk, Heathcock had a two-run single, and MCC tied the game 7-7 on a passed ball. Redshirt freshman Preston Yates (Lincoln North Star) hit a sacrifice fly to put MCC up 8-7, freshman Landon McKillip (Lamoni, Iowa) singled in a run and Hutchison hit a two-run home run for an 11-7 MCC lead.

Freshman Elvis Conte (Fort Collins, Colo.) pitched two innings, allowed three hits, no walks and three earned runs. Landen Zehr (freshman Kitchener, Ontario) came on to pitch the fifth inning, allowing one earned run on three hits and a strikeout as Colby cut the margin to 11-8.

The Trojans scored twice more in the sixth inning on a bases-loaded two run single off reliever Julian Alvarez (freshman, Vaughan, Ontario) to cut the MCC lead to 11-10. Alvarez pitched one inning, gave up three hits and two earned runs with two strikeouts.

Neither team scored in the seventh inning. Freshman Parker Wilson (Tulsa, Okla.) allowed one hit in his inning of work.

Colby tied the game in the eighth inning on a solo home run off freshman Colby Kaplan (Parker, Colo.). He allowed just one hit and struck out two hitters in the eighth.

Colby broke up the 11-11 tie with four runs in the ninth inning. Sophomore reliever Jean Duran (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) retired two of the first three batters he faced then gave up a walk, two singles and a triple as the Trojans took a 15-11 lead. Freshman Corbin Lochhead (Vegreville, Alberta) recorded the final out of the inning.

MCC loaded the bases to start the bottom of the ninth inning on a walk from Brogan Barr OF (sophomore, Eaton, Colo.), a single by Shaver and freshman Mason Regan (Centennial, Colo.) was hit by a pitch. Lochhead hit a sacrifice fly to score Barr and freshman Jeff Bullock (Medicine Hat, Alberta) doubled in Shaver to cut the Colby lead to 15-13. Freshman Garrett Bacon (Tulsa, Okla.) hit a sacrifice fly to score Regan with Bullock advancing to third and later scoring on a passed ball to tie the game at 15. After sophomore Eli Schaeffer (Thornton, Colo.) worked a walk with bases empty, freshman Dalton Berg (Frederick, Colo.) fouled off the first pitch of his at bat then sent the next pitch sailing over the left field fence for an opposite field home run to end the game 17-15.

“With Dalton up he basically had one spot to get it out of the yard with the wind right down the leftfield line and that’s where he went with it,” said Olsen. “But we had some other really good swings that inning too, Shaver, Bullock had big swings and Brogan got the inning off right with a walk, which the first hitter is always the biggest at bat of the inning on both sides. So for him to get on was huge.”

MCC used eight pitchers and 19 position players in the game. Both teams had 16 hits. Hutchison and Shaver led the way with three hits each. Heathcock and Berg both had two hits.

Colby goes to 26-21 on the season and MCC takes a 2-1 series lead between the two teams with one game remaining at Colby April 28.

The Indians have turned around their season in the past couple weeks upping their record to 23-23. After losing a four-game series April 7 against Northeastern Junior College, MCC has won seven of the last eight in Region IX play to go from 3-9 in the standings to 10-10 – tied for third place in the Empire League with Western Nebraska, Lamar and Otero. All four teams trail first-place Southeast Community College (17-3) and second place NJC (13-7).

“Hopefully we can keep the momentum into a big weekend,” said Olsen. 

This weekend MCC travels to Lamar to take on the Runnin’ Lopes (21-26 overall) for doubleheaders Friday and Saturday.

After the road game April 28 at Colby MCC has one remaining series and it will be at home May 2-3 against Southeast Community College.

For all the latest information about MCC baseball including schedule and schedule changes, livestream links, statistics, rosters, photos and more please visit the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com