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Late homer helps extend MCC win streak
Stepping up to home plate and trying to put a narrow, cylindrically-shaped piece of wood on a speeding, spinning baseball is not an easy task. But McCook Community College shortstop Eric Montes has developed a simple philosophy for his turns at-bat:
See the ball, hit the ball.
Montes saw it, and he hit it in the bottom of the eighth inning in MCC's Wednesday afternoon college baseball action against Western Nebraska C.C. The Colorado Springs, Colo. product belted a two-run homer over the left field fence at the Jaycees Sports Complex to give the Indians the winning runs in a key 6-4 Empire Conference victory over the Cougars.
"Coach (Jon Olsen) always has a faith in us," Montes said after the game. "I was just looking for a good pitch to hit, something in the zone. (The WNCC pitcher) put it in there and I took him deep. What can I say? It's a great day to play. We've got great guys on this team. We all pulled together, and this one's for us, not just for me."
With the scored knotted at 4-4 in the bottom of the eighth, MCC was looking to score a run and take the lead into the final inning. Tommy Barnes got aboard with a base hit. With two outs, Montes stepped to the plate.
The 5-11, 175-pound freshman drove the ball down the left field line. The only question was would the hit stay inside the foul pole. It did, and Montes circled the bases to meet his teammates to celebrate the big hit.
Montes said he took a look at his blast before taking off for first base.
"When I hit it, actually instead of running I just kind of stopped to watch -- to make sure it went out," he said. "I hit it and it went up, I hoped for the best. See the ball, hit the ball, that's what Coach is always telling me. I put it into play. It's a good day."
Missed opportunities early
While MCC head coach Jon Olsen was happy with the big hit by his shortstop, he was not pleased with his team's early offensive output Wednesday.
"I didn't think we played exceptionally well offensively," Olsen said. "We left a lot of runners on base. I think we had the bases loaded three times in the first four innings, and we didn't even put a run across.
"We made plays when we needed to offensively, although I didn't think we played too well the first six innings. But we kept going and we're playing with some confidence, so that is good to see."
McCook took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, but Western Nebraska answered with three runs in the top of the fifth. MCC pulled with 3-2 in the sixth. The Indians loaded the bases, then Andrew Behan scored when he tagged at third base on a fly ball to center field and beat the throw to the plate.
MCC took a 4-3 lead with a pair of runs in the seventh on consecutive hits by Montes and Nick Bertron. Montes scored from third on a fielder's choice, as WNCC turned a double-play. Kody Crescentini then walked and Brandon Pacheco got aboard on an error. Crescentini scored the go-ahead run on a single by Behan, but Pacheco was thrown out at the plate.
Western Nebraska tied the score in the top of the eighth on a MCC error and a double, setting up Montes heroics.
Jake Anderson went 7 1/3 innings on the mound for the Indians. J.J. Jaramillo came in and pitched the final 1 2/3 innings.
"We finally got on the board in the (fifth), then we started to chip away, keep it close, keep it close," Olsen said. "Jake obviously did a great job pitching. J.J. did a pretty good job -- that was his first time out of the bullpen this year. That's what we've got to do. We've got to scrap it together with our pitching and just play every game that is in front of us and use guys that are fresh."
Key late-inning defensive plays
MCC catcher Zach Johnstone made two big plays in the top of the eighth. Johnstone threw out two WNCC runners trying to steal to end the inning.
The Indians had to come up with one more big defensive play in the ninth to preserve the win. With WNCC runners on first and second and one out, the Cougars hit a fly to Behan in center field. Behan made the catch, then quickly threw to second base to double off a WNCC runner who had ran off the base when the ball was hit.
Montes had three hits Wednesday, including the home run and a double, with two runs scored. Behan also had three hits with a run scored and and RBI. Bertron also had two hits and a run scored.
Anderson allowed three earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts. Jaramillo gave up just one hit in his relief work on the mound.
Coach Olsen knew from the very first practice last fall that defense and pitching would be key elements for his team -- mixed in with a few clutch hits from time to time.
"From the first time in the fall that we were out here, I said our team is going to be based on pitching and defense," Olsen said. "If we play good defense and we throw strikes we're going to have a chance, and we're doing just enough offensively to get the wins. We just keep plugging away."
Key weekend series
The Indians put themselves in position to clinch a Region IX playoff berth this weekend after Wednesday's comeback win. McCook is currently fourth in the Empire Conference standings with a 12-13 record.
Trinidad State (Colo.) Junior College is scheduled to visit McCook for double-headers Saturday and Sunday, April 24-25, with the opening games starting each day at 1 p.m. at the Jaycees Complex.
Trinidad State is third in the league standings with a 12-11 record. MCC could move into third place with three or four wins over Trinidad.
The top four teams in the league advance to the playoffs starting May 7. Otero (Colo.) J.C. is fifth with an 8-17 mark and a four-game series at home against Northeastern (Colo.). J.C. this weekend.
After an 0-14 start, MCC is now 21-22 overall and riding a nine-game win streak. Montes was asked what has been the key to the team's resurgence?
"Hard work, and the team just never gave up on each other," he said. "We all backed each other up. When one falls, we help him up, pick him right back up and keep working and strive for the next big thing.
"We've got a good crop of guys here. Every player on this team is capable of making a big play. When you have that belief in every one of your guys, anything is possible. One game at a time -- we're going to take it one game at a time and we're not going to think playoffs or anything like that."
The Indians were scheduled to visit Colby (Kan.) C.C. in a non-league game Thursday, April 22, but that game is called off again after originally being postponed two days earlier. The teams may try to play the game again the first week of May.