Feb. 14 Cisco College at Cisco, Texas

The Roadrunners dropped a pair of games to the Cisco College Wranglers 12-2 and 13-2 on Friday, Feb. 14, in Cisco, Texas.

The Roadrunners scored first with a single run in the top of the first inning. The Wranglers answered with four runs in the bottom of the second inning. SFCC scored again in the top of the third inning. Cisco took control of the game with six runs in the bottom of the third.

Six Roadrunners had one hit each in the game. Sophomore infielder Kole Ficken of Boonville drove in a run for SFCC. Sophomore infielder Brett Holden of St. Joseph and redshirt freshman outfielder Tommy Ruether of St. Louis each scored a run for the Roadrunners.

Freshman pitcher Andrew Clark of Belton got the start on the mound for SFCC. He pitched two innings. He gave up seven runs, five of which were earned. He struck out three and was given the loss on the mound.

In game two, the Wranglers got on the scoreboard first with four runs in the bottom of the second. They added a run in the bottom of the third. SFCC got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth with a single run; Cisco answered with a run in the bottom of the inning. The Roadrunners put another run on the board in the top of the fifth. The Wranglers took control with five runs in the bottom of the inning and two more in the bottom the sixth.

Ficken led SFCC offensively with three hits including a double and a home run. He also drove in a run. Redshirt freshman infielder Clayton Meyer of Sedalia had a double and a run scored.

Freshman pitcher Connor Barnes of Boonville got the start on the mound for SFCC. He pitched 4 1/3 innings and struck out five. He gave up nine runs, eight of which were earned on 12 hits. He was given the pitching loss.

"We are getting hits, but we can't get hits when we need them," said Head Coach Jud Kindle. "I thought our defense improved since last week. We have another opportunity to play tomorrow, that's a good thing about baseball."

Feb. 15 Ranger College at Ranger, Texas

SFCC swept a doubleheader at Ranger College in Ranger, Texas, by scores of 15-6 and 6-1 on Saturday, Feb. 15. The victories were the first of the season for SFCC.

The Roadrunners got their offense going with two big innings, scoring seven runs in the fourth inning and adding six more in the sixth inning to secure the victory.

Sophomore infielder/pitcher Jake Lufft of Blue Springs led the offensive charge blasting a pair of home runs, driving in five runs and scoring three times. Freshman outfielder/pitcher Brady Strickert of Blue Springs belted a grand slam in the game. Sophomore outfielder Brice Pannier of Sedalia also went deep in the game and drove in four runs. Ruether had a pair of hits. Ficken scored three runs. Holden, Strickert and Pannier also scored two runs. As a team SFCC put together 12 hits.

"I think our guys are finally starting to settle in a little bit offensively," said Kindle. "We haven't had a lot of live at bats this year. I also think playing multiple games will be good to kind of help them get their timing at the plate."

Sophomore pitcher Peyton Seiz of Holden was the starting pitcher for SFCC. He pitched 3 2/3 innings. He gave up five runs on nine hits and struck out four to earn the victory on the mound.

In game two, SFCC had eight players record one hit each. Meyer and Ruether each had a double. Ruether and Ficken drove in a pair of runs each. Holden scored a pair of runs.

"The second game was an all-around good performance," said Kindle. "We played extremely good defense and got a phenomenal start from (freshman pitcher) Jared Stephens."

The Neosho product pitched 6 2/3 innings. Stephens scattered four hits, allowed one run and struck out eight.

Feb. 16 National Park College at Hot Springs, Arkansas

SFCC (3-5) wrapped up a six-game road trip splitting a pair of games losing the first game 3-2 before bouncing back to claim the second 7-6 on Sunday, Feb. 16 against National Park College in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The first game was tied at two heading into the bottom of the seventh inning when the Nighthawks hit a walk-off solo home run.

Ruether had a pair of doubles in game one and scored a run. Lufft had a pair of hits and drove in a run. Ficken also had a double. Strickert hit a home run and drove in a run.

Freshman pitcher Antonio Escano of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was the starting pitcher for SFCC. He threw four innings and gave up one run and struck out seven. Sophomore pitcher Garrett Morrow of Grain Valley got the loss in relief. He allowed one hit and struck out one.

"National Park College got more timely hits in game one," said Kindle. "We didn't get the timely hitting we needed in order to be successful."

In game two, SFCC got the offense going with 13 hits as a team. Ruether was the catalyst for the offense, recording three hits and two RBIs. Pannier hit a home run and drove in two runs. He also scored twice. Holden, Ficken, Strickert, and Meyer had a pair of hits each.

Freshman pitcher Rylie Rokusek of Holden got the start and the win on the mound for SFCC. He pitched four innings, while allowing three runs. Lufft pitched 1 2/3 innings to pick up the save and he struck out one.

"We needed that win," said Kindle. "We were able to get it done with a solid pitching performance and a little more timely hitting in the second game."

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics