• DMACC splits two games against North Central Texas College on Feb. 17
• Bears split two games against Dallas College Eastfield on Feb. 18
• Sophomores Joe Husak and Cooper Smith pick up victories

The DMACC baseball team came away with a split in four games February 17 and 18 at Gainesville, Texas. The Bears divided a pair of games against North Central Texas College (NCTC) on Feb. 17, winning the opener, 5-4, and dropping the second game, 3-1. On Feb. 18, DMACC divided two games against Dallas College Eastfield (DCE), losing the first game, 4-3, and winning the second game, 4-3.

The split gives the Bears a 4-4 record this season.

Sophomore Reed Stallman of Alburnett homered and drove in two games in DMACC's win in the opener on Feb.17. The Bears trailed 3-1 after three innings but scored twice in the fifth and twice in the sixth to get the win.

Stallman and sophomores Brodie Kresser of Jesup and Gage Franck of Marion paced DMACC's 10-hit attack with two hits apiece and Franck, sophomore Mitchell Cummins of Chanhassen, Minn., and freshman Tomas Lee of Minnetonka, Minn., drove in one run apiece. Sophomore Cy Patterson of Council Bluffs had a double in the win.

Sophomore Joe Husak of Cambridge pitched the first five innings and improved to 2-0 with the win. He allowed four runs on six hits, struck out four and walked five. Freshman Chance Key of Waverly earned his first save of the season behind two innings on the mound. He struck out three of the seven batters he faced.

Stallman's home run in the fourth accounted for DMACC's lone run in the second game. And the Bears were limited to just four hits. In addition to Stallman's homer, Franck doubled and Lee and freshman Noah Thein of DeWitt each singled.

Freshman J.C. Dermody of Council Bluffs threw two and a third innings and fell to 1-1 for the season with the loss. He allowed two runs on five hits, struck out two and walked three. Freshman Vinny Mauro of Norwalk went two and two-thirds innings and gave up a run on two hits. He walked one batter. Freshman Ty Madison of Omaha, Neb., pitched one inning, allowing one hit and walking two batters.

Sophomore Aiden Brown of Des Moines homered and Cummins doubled in DMACC's loss in the opener on Feb. 18. The Bears led 3-0 after four and a half innings, but DCE scored made it a 3-1 game with a run in the bottom of the fifth and scored three times in the seventh to get the win.

Kresser hit a pair of singles to account for two of the Bears' five hits.

Sophomore Drew Scherbenske of Rapid City, S.D., worked the first five innings, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out seven and walked one. Sophomore Zach Hoehn of Waseca, Minn., pitched two-thirds of an inning and freshman Zach Kain of Urbandale went a third of an inning and neither surrendered any hits, walked any batters or recorded any strikeouts. Freshman Camden Kaufman of Waukee went just a third of an inning and suffered the loss. He allowed three runs on two hits and struck out one batter.

Franck singled and homered and drove in three runs to lift DMACC to the win in the second game on Feb. 18. The Bears scored all four of their runs in the top of the third after trailing 2-0. DCE tallied twice in the bottom of the second and added another run in the bottom of the seventh.

Lee and Cummins each doubled for DMACC and Cummins drove in a run.

Sophomore Cooper Smith of Johnston pitched three and two-thirds innings and earned his first win of the season. He allowed two runs on two hits, struck out two and walked four. Kain went a third of an inning, giving up one hit, striking out one batter and walking one. Freshman Jacob Sjuts of Humphrey, Neb., threw two innings and gave up one run on one hit. He struck out four batters and walked one. Freshman Jai Jensen of Clinton earned the save behind one inning on the mound. He gave up one hit, struck out three and walked one.

The DMACC baseball team travels to Enid, Okla., for four games on Feb. 24 and 25. The Bears will face Barton Community College (BCC) and Northern Oklahoma College-Enid (NOCE) on Feb. 24 and will play NOCE and Seminole State College (SSC) on Feb. 25.