Indians sweep Friday doubleheader over Otero
LA JUNTA, Colo. – The McCook Community College baseball team took a pair of games from Otero College on the road Friday winning 11-0 and 7-3.
“Today was a little more like I had been expecting for us,” said MCC Coach Jon Olsen. “To pitch well, play defense and get timely hitting.”
Sophomore Myles Chabi (sophomore Sydney, Australia) and freshman Tait Anderson (Auckland, New Zealand) teamed up on a four-hit shutout in Game 1 and freshman Carter Smith (Ottawa, Canada) went three-for-three with a pair of doubles, a walk and three runs scored.
“Chabi and Tait were really good today, and we did an excellent job offensively just executing through the game and adding on,” said Olsen. “We played great defense all day, threw strikes, made them get hits to try and beat us.”
In Game 2 freshman Landon Molloy (Parker, Colo.) pitched seven strong innings and sophomore reliever Jean Duran (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) retired the potential tying runs in the ninth to pick up the save.
“Molloy had a great start in Game 2, and Jean got a little traffic but did a really nice job,” said Olsen. “We did an excellent job offensively just executing through the game and adding on.”
The Rattlers fall to 7-7 in the Empire League Standings and 10-26 overall. The Indians improve to 5-9 in the standings and 17-21 overall.
The two teams will complete the four-game set Saturday with another doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
“We kind of put ourselves in a hole to start the region schedule, but we’re the only ones that can dig ourselves out of it so need another good day tomorrow,” said Olsen.
For all the latest information about MCC baseball including schedule and schedule changes, livestream links, statistics, rosters, photos and more please visit the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com
GAME 1 – McCook 11, Otero 0: The Indians scored twice in the first and added single runs in the second and third to lead 4-0. Freshman Tyler Reyburn (Frederick, Colo.) singled in two runs in the first, Cory Wouters (sophomore Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) singled in a run in the second and Reyburn scored on a passed ball in the third.
Myles Chabi shut down the Rattlers in his three innings of work, retiring the side in order in the first, allowing a walk and a single in the second and a double in the third. He struck out four.
The Indians sent nine batters to the plate in the sixth and scored four runs. Freshman Mason Regan (Centennial, Colo.) led the inning off with a double and sophomore Nathan Hutchison (Riverton, Wyo.) doubled him home. Carter Smith doubled in two more to put MCC up 7-0. Wouters singled Carter home to make it 8-0.
MCC drew three walks in the seventh and scored two runs on an Otero error and plated the final run on a sacrifice fly from freshman Dalton Berg (Frederick, Colo.).
Tait Anderson pitched the final four innings and allowed two hits, one walk and struck out three.
MCC had 11 hits with three by Smith and two each by Wouters, Reyburn and Regan. Wouters had three RBIs in the game.
GAME 2 – McCook 7, Otero 3: After Otero took a 1-0 first-inning lead on a triple and sacrifice fly, MCC tied the game in the second on a Rattler error, a stolen base and an RBI-single by sophomore Owen Glover (Elderslie, New South Wales).
The Rattlers led 2-1 on a solo homer leading off the second off MCC starter Landon Molloy but the Indians took the lead with two runs in the third. Cory Wouters lined a one-out single, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI single by C.J. Williams (freshman, Brampton, Ontario). Williams made it 3-2 when he scored on an RBI-double by Tyler Reyburn.
MCC added a run in the fourth on a leadoff walk by freshman Landon McKillip (Lamoni, Iowa), who stole second, advanced to third on a catcher’s error and scored on a single by Nathan Hutchison to give MCC a 4-2 lead. Otero got that run back in the bottom of the inning on a walk, a passed ball and a single.
The Indians got two-out single by Hutchison in the sixth to score Mason Regan, who’d singled with two outs.
MCC added two more in the eighth on a Glover single, a wild pitch and a Rattler error, a squeeze bunt by McKillip to make it a 6-3 game and another error for the final margin of 7-3.
Malloy went seven innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs on two walks and five strikeouts. Jean Duran pitched the final two innings of scoreless relief. After surrendering a leadoff walk in the eighth, he struck out three straight Rattlers. He gave up back-to-back singles to start the ninth, got a flyout and a strikeout but walked a batter to load the bases before retiring the final hitter on a flyout to right field.
MCC outhit Otero 13-8 and took advantage of six Otero errors in the game. Glover led the offense with three hits and the Indians got two-hit games from Hutchison, Dalton Berg, C.J. Williams and Reyburn.