Harriman, IA—For the second straight day the Marshalltown Community College baseball team split a pair of road games with Roane State Community College. MCC took game one 5-1 but fell in game two 5-4 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh. Sophomore Ty Russell (Victoria, BC/Lambrick Park) drove in five runs on the day.
After taking game two with seven runs against the Raiders on Friday, the Tigers' bats fell silent to open up play on Saturday. Danny Smith (Oyens, IA/Remsen Union) kept the Raiders in check on the mound, not allowing a hit through the first three innings of play. Roane State eventually struck first, scoring a run off of MCC reliever Schyler Kane (Pella, IA/Pella) in the bottom of the fifth.
The Tigers wasted little time answering Roane State as MCC put up a five-spot in the sixth inning. Austin Allen (Milo, IA/Southeaster Warren) got things going with a one-out single to right-center field. After a double from Pedro Lopez (Naples, FL/Palmetto Ridge) and an intentional walk to Daryl Blaskovich (Brentwood Bay, BC/Lambrick Park), Russell came to the plate and drilled a pitch to deep left-center field, scoring both Allen and Lopez to put the Tigers ahead.
Blaskovich later scored on a bases-loaded walk and Drayson Lum (Victoria, BC/Lambrick Park) drove in his first run as a Tiger, scoring Russell on the play. John Krause (Slater, IA/Ballard) entered as a pinch-runner and scored the Tigers' fifth run on a throwing error.
Kane and Julio Batista (San Juan, PR) sent Roane State down in order in the sixth and seventh to finish off the Raiders. Kane was credited with the win after pitching 2.2 innings of relief.
In game two, Roane State got on the scoreboard first again with a run in the bottom of the first inning off MCC starting pitcher Jorge Michael (Caracus, VN/Claret). After reaching on a single in the third inning and advancing on a sacrifice bunt, Colin Schroeder (Grimes, IA/Dallas Center-Grimes) came around to tie the game at one on a double from Blaskovich.
The Raiders regained the lead with two runs in the bottom half of the inning and built their lead to three with a run in the bottom of the fifth. The Tigers stranded two runners in the sixth inning but responded in the seventh by way of Russell's bat. With two outs and the bases loaded, Russell belted a double to deep right field to score Allen, Lopez, and Blaskovich and tie the game at four.
The Tigers failed to record an out in the bottom of the seventh as the Raiders loaded the bases and scored on a bloop single to shallow right center for the game-winner.
Next up for the Tigers will be a four-game series at Surry Community College on Feb. 15 and 16.
