Neosho, MO—An early lead slipped away from the Marshalltown Community College baseball team in game one of a doubleheader on Friday afternoon as the Tigers dropped a pair of games to No. 20 Crowder College at Roughrider Field. MCC fell 4-3 on a walk off in extra innings in game one and dropped game two 9-0.
The Tigers (6-8) got on the board in game one thanks to some timely hitting in the first inning. After an initial double play, MCC strung together four consecutive two-out hits. Ty Russell (Victoria, BC/Lambrick Park), Ryan Thrasher (Sherwood Park, AB/St. Francis Xavier), and Eric Kent (Fort Madison, IA/Fort Madison) all came around to score in the first frame to give MCC a 3-0 lead over the home team.
Freshman Richard England (Centerville, IA/Centerville), making his fourth start of the season, struck out four batters through the first three innings but allowed one run in the third as Crowder got on the board. The MCC offense fell silent, going down in order for five straight innings as the Roughriders eventually tied the game up in the sixth inning.
MCC threatened in extra innings as Pedro Lopez (Naples, FL/Palmetto Ridge) led off the top of the ninth inning with a double but failed to advance. Crowder scored an unearned run off of sophomore John Bloom (Laurel, IA/East Marshall) in the bottom of the ninth on a one-out double to take the win.
England finished the game with six strikeouts. Lopez recorded his second multi-hit game of the year, going 2-4 at the plate.
Game two was a different story on both ends of the game for the Tigers as MCC managed just one hit in the nightcap, a leadoff single in the top of the 7th inning from Aneudis Sandoval (Manati, PR/Fernando Callejo). Freshman Austin Battaglia (Waukee, IA/Waukee) picked up the loss.
Patrick Rankin (Rice Lake, WI/Rice Lake) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out three batters while not allowing a hit.
The two teams resume play with a doubleheader tomorrow afternoon with first pitch set for 1:00 PM.
