The Tigers traveled to Mason City, IA on Tuesday, April 16 to take on the Trojans in a single nine inning affair. It was the first of two meetings for the two teams as NIACC will come to Shawn Williams Field on April 24.
The game was closely contested throughout as neither team was able to string much together offensively to produce explosive innings. Rather, the pitching staffs each threw well for the majority of the game and worked some quick innings.
The Tiger offense proved to be top-heavy throughout the game as the lower part of their lineup struggled to produce throughout the game. The lack of production combined with a couple of costly errors proved to be the difference in the contest as the Tigers wound up dropping the game by the score of 5-3.
It was the Tigers who struck first in the bottom of the first inning. After Candido Encarnacion reached on a fielder's choice, Ryan Carter doubled to left to put runners on second and third. A wild pitch by NIACC starting pitcher, Chase Rath, allowed Encarnacion to score and Carter to move over to third with just one out. However, the heart of the order, Tyler Coleman and Nick Hagen, couldn't bring Carter home as they each struck out swinging to end the inning with the Tigers up 1-0.
Jacob Medcalf was on the hill for the Tigers. The freshman from Franklin, TX looked comfortable on the mound for the Tigers in the early innings of the game. Medcalf threw four quality innings for the road team as he didn't give up any runs while allowing just three hits and walking one while K'ing six Trojans.
Rath kept the Warrior in the game though as he also threw well. The NIACC hurler lasted five innings and surrendered two runs on four hits while striking out six.
Medcalf exited the game after four innings and the Tigers turned to the bullpen, first with Blake Lindsey. Lindsey didn't get much help from his defense as after recording the first out of the inning, Candido Encarnacion committed an error at shortstop that allowed Ross Cochran to reach first base. Lindsey then walked leadoff batter, Anthony Catalono to put runners on first and second. Lindsedy battled back to strike out Ben Fitzgerald looking and put the Tigers just one out away from getting out of the inning. However, Kevin Nordquist singled to left field and freshman, Quinn Hall, misplayed the ball while trying to prevent Cochran from scoring. Cochran ended up scoring on the play and Catalano scored on a wild pitch a few balls later. After another walk, Lindsey was replaced by PJ Maldonado who came in and induced a 3-1 putout to end the inning and move the game to the sixth inning with the teams tied at 2's.
After the Tigers went scoreless in the top of the sixth, the Trojans took the lead 3-2 as Maldonado struggled with his control and walked two of the first two batters in the sixth. The sophomore also threw a wild pitch and balked in a runner before being replaced by Jimmy Kurka. Kurka got the Tigers out of the inning but the damage had been done.
The home team added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh after a scoreless top half of the inning as Fox Leum hit a first-pitch opposite field homerun to score himself and Nordquist who had singled earlier a batter earlier.
Down 5-2, the Tigers took one run off the lead in the top of the eighth. Tyler Coleman led the inning off with a double. After a Hagen strikeout, Joel Torrealba reached first on an E6 that allowed Coleman to advance to third. Luis Menendez scored Coleman from third with a sac fly to center before Quinn Hall grounded out to end the inning.
Raymond Collazo was now on the mound for the Tigers and held the Trojans scoreless in the eighth to send the game into the ninth inning with the Tigers trailing 5-3. Michael Sturek entered the game and closed it out for the home team as they pulled off the 5-3 victory.