April 16 North Arkansas College at Sedalia, Missouri
The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners swept the North Arkansas College Pioneers 13-2 and 10-0 on Tuesday, April 16 inside Liberty Park Stadium-Dey Field.
In game one, freshman pitcher/infielder Jake Lufft led the Roadrunners offensively with three hits; two of which were home runs. He also drove in five runs and scored three times. Freshman infielder Malik Stevenson contributed two doubles and a single and scored twice. Sophomore outfielder Brady Holden had a pair of hits, including a triple, three runs scored, and three runs batted in. Freshman infielder/outfielder Anthony Gunn added two hits, one of which was a double. He also scored twice and drove in a pair of runs. Freshman outfielder Brice Pannier scored two runs.
Freshman pitcher Peyton Soria got the start on the mound for SFCC. He pitched four and one-third innings. He allowed two runs (zero earned) on four hits to pick up the victory.
"We got a pretty good start from Soria," said Roadrunners Baseball Head Coach Jud Kindle. "He did a pretty good job of throwing strikes. Offensively, we got off to a good start and hit the ball well."
In game two, sophomore infielder Gavin Jones had a pair of hits, one of which was a double. He also scored a run and drove in two. Freshman infielder Brett Holden recorded a double and a triple, scored a pair of runs and drove in one. Freshman catcher Trey Nichols had a double and drove in three runs. Lufft hit his third home run on the day. He drove in two more runs and scored twice.
"He (Lufft) has bought into what we're trying to teach at the plate," said Kindle. "He is not trying to do too much and he's letting his natural swing take over."
Three SFCC pitchers combined to toss a one hit shutout. Freshman Matt Perego got the start on the mound. He allowed one hit and struck out four in three innings. Freshman Garrett Morrow pitched one inning and recorded two strikeouts to get the win in relief. Lufft pitched the final inning and struck out one.
April 18 Crowder College at Sedalia, Missouri
SFCC split a pair of Region 16 contests against Crowder College from Neosho, Missouri on Thursday, April 18. The Roadrunners lost the first game 2-1 before bouncing back to upset the ninth-ranked team in the NJCAA Division I Baseball Rankings 2-0 inside Liberty Park Stadium-Dey Field.
"Crowder is a top-notch program," said Kindle. "Both games were hard-fought pitchers' duels. It was a good feeling to get the win in game two."
In game one, the SFCC offense was held to just three hits. Lufft had a pair of hits, including a double. Freshman utility player Ian Jacobs had a hit and one run. Sophomore catcher Blake Ford had a run batted in.
Sophomore pitcher Logan Bexten got the start on the mound for the Roadrunners. He pitched six and two-thirds innings. Bexten allowed two runs, one earned on six hits and he struck out three. Freshman pitcher Austin Brooks pitched a third of an inning in relief and recorded a strikeout to finish the seven inning contest.
In game two, which was a nine inning contest, SFCC was held to just three hits, but they made the most of them. Freshman infielder Brett Holden had a hit and a run batted in. Pannier had a double and a run scored. Lufft also drove in a run.
Sophomore pitcher Bill Cain had an outstanding outing on the mound for SFCC. He tossed a complete game shutout. Cain scattered six hits and struck out 10, while earning the victory for the Roadrunners.
"Bill was phenomenal," said Kindle. "He was able to command the strike zone and didn't allow any walks. You can't do it much better."
April 20 Crowder College at Neosho, Missouri
The Roadrunners split a doubleheader against the ninth-ranked Crowder College Roughriders in Neosho, Missouri on Saturday, April 20. SFCC won the first game 9-2 in seven innings, before falling in game two 15-7 in seven innings. The games were part of the Region 16 schedule for both teams.
In game one, sophomore outfielder Hayden Bradford had a pair of hits, a run scored, two walks, and stole three bases. Jacobs contributed a pair of hits. Pannier also had a pair of hits to go along with two runs scored and a run batted in. Freshman infielder Brett Holden had two hits, three RBI, and he also contributed two stolen bases. Jones had a home run and three RBI in game one.
Sophomore pitcher Jack Schmedding got the start for SFCC. He pitched a complete game; allowed two runs on five hits and struck out four in the win.
"The games weren't very pretty," said Kindle. "We took care of business the first game and hit the ball extremely well."
In game two, Ford led the SFCC offense with a pair of hits, including a double. He also drove in two runs. Freshman infielder Drew Perez contributed a double and two runs scored. Bradford and sophomore outfielder Brady Holden drove in a run each.
"We made a couple errors early in game two that cost us," said Kindle. "I am proud of the way our guys fought. We never gave up in the second game."
Sophomore pitcher Conner Burnett got the start for SFCC in game two. He pitched two-thirds of an inning. Burnett allowed six runs; one earned on six hits in the loss.
The Roadrunners record currently stands at 25-16.
David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics