The Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) baseball team split a doubleheader with Marshalltown Community College (MCC) March 21 at the DMACC baseball diamond, winning the opener, 7-5, and dropping the nightcap, 10-4.
The split gives the Bears an 8-6 record.
Sophomore Austin Murr of Stillwater, Minn., had two hits, including his fifth home run of the season, and drove in a pair of runs for DMACC in the opener. Sophomore Roman Vega of Buffalo, Minn., also drove in two runs and sophomore Calen Schwabe of Thompson, N.D., freshman Carter Troncin of Urbandale and freshman T.J. Mahoney of Des Moines had one RBI apiece.
MCC took a 4-0 lead in the first inning and led 5-2 after two innings, but DMACC chipped away and managed a 6-5 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth. The Bears added their final run in the sixth when freshman Dylan Voves of Mason City reached on an error and scored on a sacrifice fly by Murr, who was the only DMACC batter with more than one hit in the game.
Freshman Will Moritz of West Des Moines pitched the first three innings for the Bears, allowing five runs on three hits. He struck out three and walked three. Freshman Nathaniel Gorczyca of Omaha, Neb., worked an inning and two-thirds, allowing one hit and walking two batters and freshman Hayden Thompsen of Maple Grove surrendered one hit, struck out one batter and walked one in one inning on the mound, earning the win. Sophomore Jakob Richardson of Cave Creek, Ariz., threw an inning and a third and came away with his first save of the season. He struck out four and walked two.
Sophomore Evan Salmon of Urbandale had a pair of hits and drove in two runs for DMACC in the second game. MCC took a 3-0 lead in the first and used a four-run rally in the sixth to open up a 7-2 advantage. The Tigers made it a 10-2 game with three runs in the top of the seventh and DMACC added its final two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Voves and Murr collected one RBI apiece in the game.
Freshman Garret Reisz of Council Bluffs pitched the first four innings for the Bears and suffered the loss in his first decision of the season. He allowed three runs on five hits, struck out three and walked one. Freshman Keaton Duckett of Johnston pitched one inning, striking out one batter and Troncin worked an inning, allowing four runs on three hits, striking out one batter and walking two. Freshman Kaden Peterson of Luther threw one inning, allowing three runs on two hits. He struck out three batters and walked one.
The DMACC baseball team will open Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) play with doubleheaders against Ellsworth Community College (ECC) today and March 23 at the DMACC baseball diamond. Game time is 1 p.m. each day. ECC brings a 4-16 record into the series.