March 30, North Central Missouri College at Dey Field in Liberty Park Stadium
The Roadrunners baseball team played host to the North Central Missouri College (NCMC) Pirates from Trenton. SFCC swept the doubleheader 8-2 and 7-4 in key Region 16 contests.
In game one, each team scored a single run in the first inning. The Pirates added a single run in the top of the third inning to take the lead. The Roadrunners responded with four runs in the bottom of the third inning and added three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to close out the scoring in game one.
Freshman infielder Gavin Jones led the SFCC offense with two hits; he had two home runs and drove in five runs to go along with two runs scored. Sophomore utility player Zack Ehlen recorded two hits, one of which was a double, and hit a home run. Ehlen scored twice and drove in a run.
Freshman pitcher Conner Burnett (4-1) went the distance on the mound for the Roadrunners. He allowed two runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked one.
In game two, SFCC got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the bottom of the first inning of a nine-inning contest. NCMC tied the game with two runs in the top of the third. SFCC answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and tacked on two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Each team scored a run in the sixth inning. North Central added one run in the top the seventh to finish the scoring.
Sophomore outfielder Tyler Crane recorded three hits in game two, one of which was a double, and scored two runs. Ehlen added two hits and scored twice. Jones had two hits, including a double. Freshman catcher/ first baseman Kyle Clark drove in a pair of runs. Sophomore first baseman Jacob Mitchell also drove in a pair of runs.
Sophomore pitcher Josiah Imhoff (2-2) got the start on the mound for SFCC. He pitched 6.2 innings, gave up four runs on nine hits and struck out two. Sophomore relief pitcher Connor Jonas pitched the final 2.1 innings to record his first save of the season.
March 31 North Central Missouri College at Trenton
SFCC traveled to Trenton to take on the NCMC Pirates. SFCC (23-10, 15-5 in Region 16) lost the first game of the doubleheader 6-3 before bouncing back to win game two 11-1. The 23 regular season victories ties the record for wins in a season since the resumption of the program.
In game one, North Central scored four runs in the bottom the second inning. State Fair got on the scoreboard with a single run in the top of the fourth. The NCMC responded with a single run in the bottom of the inning and added another run in the sixth inning. SFCC added two runs in the top of the seventh-inning, but the comeback attempt fell short.
North Central held State Fair to only three hits in game one. Ehlen registered a hit. Freshman outfielder P.J. Esposito registered a hit along with Clark. Clark and sophomore infielder Steven Bradbury drove in one run each. Crane, Clark and sophomore infielder Chase Swisher each scored a run.
Sophomore pitcher Chase Plymell (3-4) got the start on the mound for SFCC. He pitched five innings, allowing eight hits, five runs and only one earned. He struck out five.
In game two, North Central opened the scoring with a single run in the bottom of the second inning. State Fair responded with a run in the top of the third to tie the game. State Fair exploded for seven runs in the top of the fourth and added three runs in the top of the fifth to invoke 10-run rule after five innings.
Esposito led the Roadrunners offensively with two hits and three runs batted in and scored twice. Crane, Jones and Bradbury drove in two runs each.
Sophomore pitcher Jake McMahill (7-0) pitched a complete game for SFCC. He scattered three hits and allowed one unearned run.
"We played good baseball all the way around this weekend," said Head Coach Jud Kindle. "Our pitching was definitely a positive. We had four good starts from our starting pitchers and our bullpen also pitched well. We struggled a bit defensively in the game that we lost."
David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics