Wentworth, NC—Sophomore Bryan Ventura (Carolina, Puerto Rico/Continental) continued to thrive at the plate to start the season, but the Marshalltown Community College Baseball team suffered its first loss of the year, dropping an 8-4 contest to Rockingham Community College on Sunday afternoon. Originally scheduled for a doubleheader, game two was postponed due to rain.
Ventura led the MCC offense, going 4-4 at the plate with two doubles, an RBI, and two stolen bases. In three games to start the year, the sophomore is 10-12 with six doubles and four RBI. In one game against Rockingham last year, Ventura went 3-4 with two doubles and two RBI, giving him an .812 batting average in four games against the Eagles.
The Tiger offense looked to continue its offensive production after scoring 26 runs in two games against the Eagles on Saturday. MCC scored three runs in the second inning of Sunday's game on RBI-doubles from both Joel Rosauer (Elk Run Heights, IA/Waterloo East) and Ventura. Rockingham tied the game at three in the fourth inning, but an RBI-single from Hunter Embray (Knoxville, IA/Knoxville) scored Luis Duran (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/Centro de Estudio Espaillat) to put MCC back on top.
The Eagles eventually got to MCC starting pitcher Noel Diaz (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic/CENAPEC), scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Tigers made a late push, loading the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning but failed to drive a run across the plate.
Duran went 3-4 at the plate with three singles and is 8-12 in the team's first three games with six RBI. Embray finished the day with a pair of hits for the Tigers
Both teams will look to make up the game two cancellation as the Tigers remain in North Carolina throughout the remainder of the week. MCC will take on Louisburg College on Wednesday afternoon before travelling to Guilford Technical Community College for a four-game set on Saturday.
