April 1 St. Charles Community College at Sedalia
The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners extended their winning streak to six games by sweeping an important Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference doubleheader 3-0 and 13-3 against the St. Charles Community College Cougars from Cottleville, Missouri on Monday, April 1 at Liberty Park Stadium-Dey Field. The second game ended after six innings because of the run rule.
In game one, SFCC got a solid pitching effort from sophomore Jack Schmedding. Schmedding tossed a complete game. He scattered five hits and struck out nine in the seven inning contest.
"Jack carried us in that game for sure," said Roadrunners Baseball Head Coach Jud Kindle. "He threw strikes and didn't get himself in trouble. That's what you have to do against a team that's that disciplined offensively."
The Roadrunners were led offensively by sophomore infielder Gavin Jones, who contributed a home run and a double, to go along with two RBIs and two runs scored.
"Gavin's two strike approach has been a lot better lately," said Kindle. "He was able to take advantage of a hanging breaking ball." (The pitch Jones hit the home run on.)
Sophomore infielder Kyle Clark contributed a hit and a run scored. Freshman infielder/outfielder Anthony Gunn also had a pair of hits.
In game two SFCC used a six run fifth inning to break open a close game.
"Our plate discipline was very good," said Kindle. "We didn't try to do too much in that inning. We found ways to be successful with two strikes during a lot of our at-bats."
Sophomore outfielder Hayden Bradford had a pair of hits and scored two runs to lead a balanced offensive attack that featured 10 hits as a team. SFCC drew 12 walks.
Gunn scored three runs and walked three times. Jones also walked three times. Freshman infielder Brett Holden drove in three runs and scored twice. Sophomore catcher Blake Ford scored a pair of runs and walked twice. Clark also walked twice. Freshman infielder Blake Barnes, freshman utility player Ian Jacobs and Ford all had a double. Freshman outfielder Brice Pannier registered a triple.
Sophomore Bill Cain got the start on the mound for the Roadrunners in game two. He pitched three innings. He allowed three runs; two earned and struck out four. Cain was given a no decision. Sophomore pitcher Kaleb Kauffman pitched two innings in relief to earn the victory. He struck out two.
April 2 St. Charles Community College at St. Louis
SFCC finished a four-game sweep of the St. Charles Community College Cougars on Tuesday, April 2 with another doubleheader sweep by scores of 13-2 in six innings and 15-14 in 10 innings. The games were moved to Maryville University in St. Louis.
In game one, freshman pitcher/infielder Jake Lufft contributed three hits, including a home run and three RBI. He also scored three runs. Pannier also had three hits, including a home run. He also scored twice and drove in three runs. Jones had a pair of hits, including a double and two runs scored. Jacobs had two hits. Freshman infielder Drew Perez registered a pair of doubles and three runs batted in. Clark added a triple.
Sophomore pitcher Logan Bexten picked up the victory on the mound for SFCC. He pitched five innings and allowed one run on four hits.
"We played really well in game one," said Kindle. "We got a good pitching performance to go along with some timely hitting."
In game two, Lufft, Ford and Jones all had three hits. Lufft hit a double, a triple, and a home run. He drove in four runs. Jones hit a pair of home runs, a double and he drove in four runs. Ford hit a double and a home run and drove in a run. Jones and Ford scored three runs each. Sophomore outfielder Brady Holden had a pair of hits and two RBI. Jacobs had two hits, including a double, a run scored and an RBI. Clark and freshman infielder Brett Holden each had a double.
Sophomore pitcher Conner Burnett got the start on the mound for SFCC. He pitched five innings, gave up six runs, five earned and struck out six. Lufft pitched the final inning to get the win in relief. He struck out two batters.
"We struggled defensively in game two," said Kindle. "It is extremely tough to sweep anyone. This was a big weekend for us. St. Charles was right at the top of the Region."
April 6 Jefferson College Hillsboro, Missouri
The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners traveled to Hillsboro, Missouri on Saturday, April 6 and dropped a pair of games 8-2 and 6-3. The games were part of the Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference schedules for both teams.
In game one, the SFCC offense was held to two runs on six hits. Lufft had a pair of hits, including a double. Bradford had a hit and a stolen base. Jones also had a hit. Freshman catcher Trey Nichols hit a home run. He also drove in a run. Freshman infielder Brett Holden contributed a double and a run scored.
Schmedding got the start on the mound for SFCC. He gave up seven runs, only five of which were earned on six hits and struck out four. He was given the pitching loss.
In game two, Jones had a pair of hits and two RBI. Perez contributed two hits. Bradford and Lufft had a hit and a run scored each.
Freshman pitcher Matt Perego got the start on the mound for SFCC. He pitched four and two-thirds innings and gave up three runs on six hits and struck out five. Cain pitched three and one-third innings. He gave up three runs and struck out five. Cain was tagged with the pitching loss.
The Roadrunners record currently stands at 20-13 on the season.
David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics