Game 1 - Pioneers 6... Williston State 1
The MCC Pioneers got an excellent pitcher performance from Jacob Walker (Brisbane, Australia) and banged out 10 hits enroute to a 6-1 win in game 1 of a MonDak Conference doubleheader on Saturday in Williston, ND. Walker pitched complete game 7 innings, scattering 5 hits, walking 2, and striking out 5 Tetons. 2B Jessen West (Billings, MT) had a 3-3 effort at the plate, scored twice, and had an RBI.
MCC got on the board with a single run in the 1st inning when SS Jaeden Jordahl (Billings, MT) and LF Grant Gabbert (Thorton, CO) drew back to back walks. Jordahl was thrown out trying to steal 3rd and Gabbert advanced to 2nd. DH Tommy O'Connell (Kalispell, MT) ripped a single to drive in Gabbert. 2 more runs followed in the 2nd inning when RF Wyatt Searcey (Denver, CO) and CF Kruz Slevira (Billings, MT) both singled. 3B Lane Neill (Belgrade, MT) walked to load up the bases. West followed that with a RBI single and the bases remained loaded. Jordahl hit a sacrifice fly to score Slevira and the Pioneers led 3-0.
Williston State got its only run of the game in the 4th inning and the Pioneers quickly got that run back with one of their own in the 5th. West singled again and moved to 2nd on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a C Takumi Kimoto (Brisbane, Australia) single. The Pioneer got 2 insurance runs in the top of the 7th on a West single followed by a RBI double from Jordahl. Gabbert followed that with a RBI double of hit own and the final margin of 6-1.
Inside the Box Score
- The Pioneers committed the only error of the game.
- The Tetons did not have an extra base hit and did not have a stolen base.
- The Pioneers had 2 doubles and one stolen base.
- Each team struck out 5 times.
Game 2 - Pioneers 7... Williston State 13
The Williston State bats woke up quickly after the game one loss racking up 12 runs in the 1st 3 innings enroute to a 12-1 lead. The Pioneers would make it interesting with 6 runs late but it would not be enough in a 13-7 Teton win.
The Teton scored 3 in the 1st inning, 4 more in the 2nd, and then 5 in the 3rd inning to build a 12-1 lead after 3. MCC got a run in the 2nd when Kruz Slevira singled, Spencer Searcey was hit by a pitch, and Wyatt Searcey singled to load the bases. Slevira scored on a ground out double play.
The Pioneers got 2 runs in the bottom of the 4th when Spencer Searcey led the inning off with a triple. RF Matt Burton (Helena, MT) connected with a RBI single, Lane Neill walked, and 2B Dalton Martin singled to load the bases. Burton then scored on a passed ball with 2 outs and the Pioneers could not push home any more runs in the inning.
2 more runs came in the 5th as DH Tyler Tenney (Helena, MT) singled and CF Brady Jones (Manhattan, MT) walked. Burton walked to load the bases again and Dalton Martin hit a 2-out single to score Tenney and Jones but that is all MCC could get in the 5th. The final 2 runs of the game for MCC came in the 6th inning with back to back doubles from Gabbert and C Bryan Roselles (Rapid City, SD). Courtesy runner Jack Corriveau (Kalispell, MT) then stole 3rd and scored on a passed ball to cut the lead to 12-7.
Williston scored a run in the top of the 7th but closed out the Pioneers in the bottom of the inning.
Mike Ohlin (Billings, MT) got the start on the mound and pitched 3 innings (12 R, 10 H, 3 BB, 2 SO) and Mason Peters (Columbia Falls, MT) finished the final 4 innings (R, 4 H, 2 SO).
Inside the Box Score
- MCC committed 6 errors in the game. WSC had only one.
- The Pioneers walked 6 times and were hit by 2 pitches. The Tetons walked 3 times.
- Each team had one stolen base.
- WSC outhit the Pioneers 14-12. Martin, Burton, and Kimoto had 2 hits for MCC.
The Pioneers are a league leading 18-4 in MonDak Conference play and 32-11 overall. MCC can earn the MonDak Conference regular season title with a win today against Dawson in Glendive. The doubleheader begins at 12:00 PM.