Storm sweeps series with MCC in Beatrice

BEATRICE – The Southeast Community College baseball team swept McCook Community College in a three-game series Sunday taking both ends of a doubleheader 15-5, and 3-2 in a regulation nine-inning game. Southeast won Game 1 on Saturday night 9-8 in 11 innings.

Southeast's Matt Goetzmann drove in nine runs in Game 1 Sunday including a second-inning grand slam and the Indians were held to one hit in the second game.

Southeast improves to 22-11 and 16-5 in the south division of the Empire League (Region IX).

MCC goes to 23-21 on the season and 14-12 in the Empire League.

The Indians will be in Trinidad, Colo. Wednesday for a pair of makeup games with the Trojans (20-19, 11-13), then close out the season with eight home games starting Saturday with a doubleheader against Northeastern Junior College starting at 1 p.m. and a nine-inning game Sunday.

GAME 1 SUNDAY – Southeast CC 15, McCook 5: The Storm scored a pair of runs in the first, added six runs in the second, and scored in every inning until a run in the sixth ended the game on the 10-run rule.

MCC got on the scoreboard with a solo homer by Daniel Bannon (freshman, Sydney, Australia) in the third inning. Second-year sophomore Trevor Pacheco (Pueblo, Colo.) doubled in a run in the fourth inning. Trailing 13-2 in the fourth, MCC's Ricardo Hernandez (sophomore, Ponce, Puerto Rico) hit a three-run home run.

MCC had six hits with a pair from Hernandez.

Four Indian pitchers walked seven batters in six innings gave up 12 hits, including five home runs and two doubles.

GAME 2 SUNDAY – Southeast 3, McCook 2: The Storm's Alex Hill held MCC bats hitless in five innings of work, striking out seven. SECC scored two runs in the third inning and one in the fifth.

MCC scored a run in the fifth inning on a hit batter, two walks and two wild pitches. The only hit for the Tribe came from Bannon who led off the seventh with a single. MCC loaded the bases in the inning, but scored the only run on a passed ball.

Arjun Huerta, (Willemstad, Curacao) pitched the first five innings, allowing four hits, striking out nine and surrendering two earned runs. Alex Lozada (sophomore, San Juan, Puerto Rico) pitched three scoreless innings of relief, allowing no hits, one walk and striking out four.

SATURDAY – Southeast CC 9, McCook 8 (11 innings): Southeast's Matt Keating sent Southeast CC home with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to cap a 9-8 win Saturday night to open a weekend three-game series with McCook Community College.

"It was a pretty competitive game tonight, but a tough loss in extra innings," said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. "I really felt like two pretty good teams going at it, it was back and forth all game, it stayed tight in extras until they got a ball out of the yard to end it."

Southeast scored a pair of runs in the second inning off MCC starter Max Mrakovcic (freshman, Sydney, Australia) but the Indians took the lead in the third on a Storm error and back-to-back home runs by Daniel Bannon and Ricardo Hernandez Benny Brockmoller (freshman, North Platte) led off the MCC fourth with a double and later made in a 4-2 Indian lead on a fielder's choice.

Southeast got one run back in the fifth. Mrakovcic finished his work after five innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits, seven walks and 10 strikeouts.

MCC surrendered the lead in the sixth inning allowing a leadoff error which led to five runs off relievers Quentin Warner (freshman, Elgin, Ill.) and Mitchell Driver (sophomore, Sydney, Australia) to give the Storm an 8-4 lead.

The Indians chipped away with a run in the seventh on a wild pitch. Arjun Huerta cracked a two-run home run in the eighth to close the gap to 8-7 and then freshman Zack Beatty (Maple Park, Ill.) tied the game with a solo home run in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.

Alex Lozada pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth inning of relief allowing one hit and striking out five. Jordan Muschalek (freshman, Odessa, Texas) pitched a scoreless ninth and 10th inning before surrendering a solo home run to lead off the 11th inning.

"We played pretty well, we just had a couple mistakes that really kind of cost us, we fought, we just didn't get it done in the end," Olsen said.

MCC pitchers struck out 19 Storm hitters, while Southeast hurlers recorded 18 strikeouts.

Hernandez had three hits to lead MCC, Huerta, Bannon and Brockmoller and Caleb Eiguren, (sophomore, Broomfield, Colo.) all had two hits. MCC had 12 hits in the game, Beatrice had nine.