Indians trade victories with New Mexico diamond team

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The McCook Community College baseball team split a pair of games Sunday with new Region IX foe Luna Community College. The Indians greeted the Roughriders with a 16-3 win in Game 1 but were shutout 2-0 in Game 2.

The Indians banged out 16 hits in the first game but only one MCC player made it past first base in Game 2 as the Tribe was held to three singles, the only baserunners of the game.

In the first game, Daniel Bannon (freshman, Sydney, Australia) went three-for-four with four RBIs and the Indians also got a three-hit game from Ricardo Hernandez (sophomore, Ponce, Puerto Rico) and three RBIs from Caleb Eiguren, (sophomore, Broomfield, Colo.)

“In Game 1 we came out and swung the bat really well, and Game 2 was the exact opposite,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. “I’ll tip my hat to their Game 2 starter, he didn’t walk or hit anyone and got a lot of contact. They made plays, we just didn’t string anything together,” he said.

Freshman Max Mrakovcic (Sydney, Australia) picked up the win in Game 1, scattering five hits over six innings and second-year sophomore Austin Mathews (Clearwater, Fla.) was the hard-luck starter in Game 2.

“We got two good pitching performances but obviously squandered the second one,” Olsen said.

MCC goes to 14-13 (6-5 in the region). Luna goes to 5-11 and 4-6. Since snow pushed the series back one day, the two teams will wrap up the series Monday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. (MT) – the first of eight Empire League (Region IX) games this week.

“This will be a grind of a trip and week we’re going to have to have a bit of grit to us, got to come out tomorrow and get after if again.”

The Indians were scheduled to take on Trinidad State Tuesday in a makeup doubleheader from a weather postponement March 6-7. However, those games have been pushed back to Wednesday in Colorado.

MCC will host Otero Junior College in a pair of doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, starting both days at 1 p.m.

GAME 1 – McCook CC 16, Luna Community College 3: MCC posted five-run innings in the first, fourth and sixth innings to win by the 10-run rule through six innings. After the Roughriders scored twice in the third inning MCC came back in the fourth when Daniel Bannon singled in two, Ricardo Hernandez doubled to make it 1n 8-2 game and Caleb Eiguren drove in two more with a two-out single. Bannon capped the scoring with a two-run triple in the sixth inning.

Max Mrakovcic allowed five hits in six innings, he walked two and struck out six.

Bannon and Hernandez both had three hits, Eiguren had two hits as did sophomore Elijah Munoz, sophomore (Big Spring, Texas) and Marcus Coronado (freshman Irving, Texas)

GAME 2 – Luna Community College 2, McCook CC 0: Luna took a 1-0 lead in the third inning off second-year sophomore starter Mathews (Clearwater, Fla.), After surrendering a leadoff double and a walk, right fielder Kade Wroot helped his teammate out with an out-field double play to throw out the runner trying to score, but Luna pushed a run across after a walk, a hit batter and a bases-loaded walk. The Roughriders added a second run on a two-out double in the fifth inning.

MCC was held hitless until the fourth inning when sophomore Caleb Eiguren singled to center field with two outs, but he was left stranded. Second-year sophomore Trevor Pacheco (Pueblo, Colo.) singled to lead off the sixth and a two-out single by Daniel Bannon put runners at the corners but the Indians were unable to score.

Mathews allowed six hits in six innings, walking five and striking out four.