Lamoni, IA—Making his second-career start on the mound, freshman Wyatt Stark (Mt. Pleasant, IA/Fairfield) baffled Ellsworth Community College, tossing 7.1 innings of no-hit baseball to earn his first career victory, a 5-0 win. The Tigers fell in Saturday's opener, 2-1 to the Panthers.
After unfavorable field conditions altered the location of Saturday's game to Chase Stadium on the campus of Graceland University, the Tigers looked to be in control with an early run in the top of the first inning. Alexis Melendez (Trujillo Alto, PR/IBAHS) singled with two outs to score Dylan Yeager (White Rock, BC/Earl Marriot) for the early lead.
Game one starting pitcher Elijah Wood (Washington, IA/Washington Community) kept the Ellsworth hitters in check, not allowing a hit through the first three innings. While the Tiger offense cooled off, the Panthers got to Wood in the fourth inning with two doubles and took a 2-1 lead. Bennett Lopez (Dorado, PR/PRBA) was stranded on third in the fifth inning and the Tigers went down in order to close out the game.
Wood struck out nine batters while allowing just three hits in 5.1 innings of work.
Stark stole the show in the nightcap as the southpaw did not allow a hit until there was one out in the seventh. Despite having a batter reach base in five of the first seven innings due to errors and walks, Stark stayed composed and never allowed a runner to pass second base.
The Tigers gave Stark the run support he needed with three runs in the sixth inning. Pedro Lopez (Naples, FL/Naples) drove in Colin Schroeder (Grimes, IA/Dallas Center-Grimes) for the first run and Yeager provided a two-run single to score Pedro Lopez and Bennett Lopez.
MCC tacked on two more runs in the seventh to ensure the win for Stark as Bennett Lopez singled to left field to score Hunter Embray (Knoxville, IA/Twin Cedars) and Anderson Villarroel (Caracas, Venezuela/U.E. Santisima Caridad).
Todd Oberthien (Solon, IA/Solon) closed out the final 1.2 innings of play, striking out the side in the ninth frame.
The two teams resume play tomorrow afternoon as MCC opens its 2015 home schedule at Shawn Williams Field. First pitch is set for 1:00 PM.