Iowa Falls, IA—For the second time in three days, the Marshalltown Community College baseball team used a late-game rally as the Tigers scored four runs in the sixth inning of game one to beat Ellsworth Community College 6-5. Game two was suspended in the fourth inning with the Tigers leading 9-8.
Thursday's suspended game will be made up as part of a doubleheader with the Panthers at 2:00 PM on April 22 in Iowa Falls.
Trailing 5-1 in the top of the fifth of game one, freshman Hunter Embray (Knoxville, IA/Twin Cedars) singled through the left side to score Bennett Lopez (Dorado, PR/PRBA) with two outs. Relief pitcher Tsubasa Maruyama (Yokohama, Japan/Yokosuke Gakuin) stranded a Panther in scoring position to end the fifth and keep the Tigers within striking distance.
Seven straight batters reached base to start the sixth for MCC as the Tiger rally was in full swing. With two outs, Logan Holtz (Urbana, IA/Center Point-Urbana) opened up the scoring as the freshman doubled to deep left centerfield, scoring Bryan Ventura (Carolina, PR/Next Level America) and Anderson Villarroel (U.E. Santisima Caridad).
After a walk to Lopez, Alexis Melendez (Trujillo Alto, PR/IBAHS) lined a shot to center to bring in both baserunners and take the 6-5 lead for the Tigers. Todd Oberthien (Solon, IA/Solon) pitched a perfect sixth inning and after a scoreless frame for the Tigers in the seventh, sat the first two Panthers down in the bottom half before Thomas Sanchez (Onalaska, WI/Holmen) closed the door with a strikeout for his first-career save.
Maruyama was credited with his first-career win after pitching 2.2 innings of relief, striking out three batters along the way. Colin Schroeder (Grimes, IA/Dallas Center-Grimes) collected two of the Tigers' seven hits in the win.
Prior to the suspension of game two, the Tiger offense jumped all over the Panther pitching to open the nightcap. MCC used five hits to score five runs in the opening inning, highlighted by a three-run home run from Schroeder, his first-career round-tripper. Schroeder's solid day at the plate continued as the sophomore lined a run-scoring double off the left-center fence to score Melendez in the second.
The Tigers scored a total of four runs in the second frame as Holtz sent a ball clear over the centerfield wall for his third-career home run. Pedro Lopez (Naples, FL/Naples) produced a two-run double to cap the second inning scoring for the Tigers.
The Panthers scored five runs in the second and added two more in the third to pull within one, 9-8, before an injury to the umpire forced the suspension of the game.
The Tigers return to Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play this weekend for a four-game road series at Muscatine Community College. First pitch is set for 1:00 PM on Saturday.
