Game 1 - Pioneers 12... Central Lakes-Brainerd 3
The MCC Pioneers hung 4 runs in each of the 2nd and 3rd innings to cruise to a dominating 12-3 win over Central Lakes-Brainerd on Sunday morning in Tucson, Arizona. the veteran crew of CF Jake Lacey (Gillette, WY), 3B Tim Holyk (Nanaimo, BC), and RF Ian Krump (Rapid City, SD) did the majority of the damage in the game. Lacey was 1-3 with a double, 2 RBi, and 2 runs scored. Holyk finished 2-3 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored while Krump also pitched in a 2-4 effort with a triple and 4 RBI.
The Pioneers took advantage of 5 Central Lakes errors in the game and scored in the bottom of the 1st when SS Jaeden Jordahl (Billings, MT) walked and reached 2nd on an error on a Lacey ground ball to 2nd base. He then scored on Krump's grounder to the pitcher. The Pioneers loaded the bases in the 2nd inning after back to back errors by Central lakes and scored when Lacey walked making it 2-0. Holyk then hit a 2-run single to centerfield making it 4-0. 1B Kaleb Breeze (West Valley City, UT) then drove in Lacey with a base hit of his own and a commanding 5-0 lead. Central Lakes scored in the top of the 3rd on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.
MCC added 4 more in the 3rd inning after loadking up the bases and another 2-run single to left field by Holyk. Jordahl scored on an error during the play to make it 8-1 and Krump followed that up with an RBI single to leftfield and a 9-1 lead. Central Lakes picked up a run in the 4th and 5th inning to cul the lead to 9-3 before the Pioneers put up a 3-spot in the bottom of the 5th for the final margin. C Karter Yancey (St. Anthony, ID) doubled to start the inning. Ryota Kusumoto took over as a pinch runner for Yancey and scored on a Lacey double to rightfield. After a Holyk walk, Krump tripled to centerfield bringing in Lacey and Holyk for the final 12-3 margin.
Caeden Riley (Torrington, WY) got the start on the mound for the Pioneers. He went 4 innings and allowed only 2 runs on 3 hits. Riley struck out 4 and walked 2 batters. Jay Neugebauer (Rapid City, SD) got the next 2 innings and allowed a run on a hit, striking out 3 and walking 1. Wyatt Searcy (Littleton, CO) pitched the final inning and gave up 2 hits.
MCC had 9 hits in the game, struck out 8 times, and had 3 walks. Central Lakes had 6 hits, struck out 7 times, and had 3 walks. The Pioneers committed only 1 error.
Game 2 - Pioneers 21... Northland CC 8
The MCC Pioneers pounded 5 home runs and 5 doubles in a 16-hit performance in a 21-8 win over Northland CC on Sunday afternoon. The Pioneers scored 4 runs in the 2nd, 7 more in each of the 3rd and 4th innings, and then finished things off with 3 more in the 5th to polish off Northland.
C Karter Yancey had a big afternoon at the plate going 3-5 with a home run and a double. He drove in 4 runs and also scored twice. LF Grant Gabbert also had 3 hits going 3-4 with 2 doubles, driving in 2 runs and scoring twice himself. DH Ryota Kusumoto went 2-3 with 4 RBI and 3 runs scored after pounding his first home run of the season. RF Ian Krump went deep for a 3-run blast and Tim Holyk homered again going 2-4 with 3 RBI and a run scored. 1B Kaleb Breeze homered going 1-3 at the plate with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. 2B Tyler Tenney (Helena, MT) was 2-3 with a double, an RBI, and 2 runs scored. SS Jaeden Jordahl and OF Mason Flanary (Rexburg, ID) had the other base hits for the Pioneers.
Northland struck first in the 2nd inning with 2 runs. The Pioneers tacked on 4 in the top of the 2nd starting off with a Breeze home run. Kusomoto singled and scored on a Yancey double to tie the game at 2-2. Jordahl and Yancey then scored on a Holyk ground ball that was booted by the Northland shortstop and a 4-2 lead. In the 3rd inning, Tenney singled and Gabbert doubled putting runners on 2nd and 3rd. Tenney scored on a ground ball out by Breeze. Kusomoto walked and Yancey hit a 3-run blast to left field and a 8-2 Pioneer lead. Jordahl then singled and Lacey walked putting runners on 1st and 2nd. Tim Holyk then hit a 3-run blast to leftfield and the Pioneers lead 11-2.
Yancey then led off the 4th inning with a single and Lacey walked. After Holyk flied out for the 2nd out of the inning, Krump hit a 3-run shot to left and a 14-2 lead. Tenney then doubled and scored on a double by Gabbert. Breeze walked and then Kusomoto hit a 3-run shot to centerfield and the Pioneers led 18-2. Northland picked up 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th to cut the lead to 18-5 but the Pioneers were not done scoring. Flanary doubled in the 5th and Holyk walked. Tommy O'Connell (Kalispell, MT) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tenney was then hit by a pitch to score Flanary. Gabbert walked to bring in another run and Kusomoto walked to bring in the final run for MCC. Northland then scored 3 runs in the 5th inning for the final 21-8 margin.
Cameron Murphy (Torrington, WY) was the starting pitcher for MCC and went 4 full innings. Murphy gave up 8 hits and 5 runs in the game, striking out 5 and walking 3. He was relieved by Josh Banderob (Great Falls, MT) in the 5th inning and Banderob allowed 3 runs on 3 hits, walking 2 batters and striking out 2 others.
Game 3 - Pioneers 7... Northland CC 3
MCC completed a 3-game Sunday sweep in Tucson, Arizona with a 7-3 victory over Northland CC. The win moved the Pioneer record to 5-6 on the young season and they will play a doubleheader on Tuesday against Western Technical College in Tucson.
DH Chase Reimer (Gillette, WY) went 3-3 on the day with an RBI and 2 runs scored and CF Brady Jones (Manhattan, MT) swung a hot bat with a 2-3 effort that included a double, 3 RBI's, and 2 runs scored. LF Matt Burton (Helena, MT) had the other hit for the Pioneers as he went 1-3 with 3 RBI.
Riverland took a 2-0 lead in the top of the 2nd inning but the Pioneers answered with 3 of their own in the bottom of the 2nd after Jones doubled on a line shot to centerfield that scored Wyatt Searcy (Littleton, CO) and Reimer to tie the game at 2-2. Burton then hit a ground ball to the shortstop that wasn't fielded properly and Jones scored on the error to give the Pioneers a 3-2 lead.
Riverland tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the 4th but MCC rallied with 3 in the bottom half of the inning to take an insurmountable lead. Searcy walked and moved to 2nd on a single by Reimer. Jones then singled to right driving in Searcy. Burton cracked a 2-run double to left that scored Reimer and Jones and a 6-3 advantage. In the bottom of the 5th Kam Kostial (Rexburg, ID) walked and moved to 2nd on a ground out to shortstop by Searcy. He advanced to 3rd on a groundout by Bridger Erickson (St. Anthony, ID) and scored on a single to rightfield by Reimer.
Mason Flanary took the mound for game 3 and went 5 innings on the afternoon. He gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and he walked 3 Northland batters and struck out 2. Noah Aliff (Centralia, WA) pitched the last 2 innings and gave up 2 hits and no runs. He walked one and struck out 3.