- KCC gets a grand slam home run in bottom of the 12th for 8-7 win
- NECC scores in the bottom of the eighth to top DMACC, 8-7
- Losses eliminate Bears from NJCAA Region 11 tournament
The 2023 season came to an end for the DMACC baseball team following back-to-back losses to Kirkwood Community College (KCC) and Northeast (Neb.) Community College (NECC) in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 11 baseball tournament May 11 at West Burlington.
KCC got a grand slam home run from left fielder Miles Risley in the bottom of the 12th inning to defeat the Bears, 8-7, in a first-round game. The blast came after the Bears had taken a 7-4 lead with three runs in the top of the inning.
NECC overcame a 6-5 DMACC lead with runs in the bottom of the sixth and bottom of the eighth to hand the Bears another 8-7 loss.
DMACC closed the season at 31-25. The Bears were 1-2 against KCC during the regular season and 2-1 against NECC.
DMACC led KCC 1-0 after four innings and trailed 4-2 after six innings in the loss. The Bears got an RBI double from freshman Dillon Kuehl of Urbandale and a two-run triple from sophomore Gage Franck of Marion in opening up a 7-4 lead in the top of the 12th. Two singles and a hit batsman set the stage for Risley in the bottom of the inning.
Kuehl, Franck and freshman Jaylen Ziegler of Urbandale led DMACC's 14-hit attack with three hits apiece. Freshman Kannon Coakley of Maquoketa had two hits and led DMACC in RBIs with three. Kuehl and Franck each drove in two runs.
Freshman Ty Madison of Omaha, Neb., pitched the first five and a third innings for DMACC, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out six and walked two. Freshman Jai Jensen of Clinton went two and a third innings, allowing one hit, striking out five and walking two and freshman Eli Lehrman of Anamosa allowed one hit and struck out one in a third of an inning on the mound. Sophomore Zach Hoehn of Waseca, Minn., pitched three innings and allowed three runs on one hit and struck out six. Freshman Camden Kaufman of Waukee relieved Hoehn with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th and surrendered the home run to Risley. He fell to 2-3 with the loss.
NECC opened up a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first in its win over DMACC. The Hawks made it a 5-1 game with a run in the bottom of the second after DMACC tallied a run in the top of the inning. The Bears then took 7-5 lead with three runs in the third, two in the fourth and one in the fifth. NECC closed to 7-6 with the run in the bottom of the fifth and then tied it in the bottom of the sixth before getting the win with its run in the bottom of the eighth.
Sophomore Brodie Kresser of Jesup and freshman Noah Thein of DeWitt paced DMACC with two hits apiece and Thein and Zeigler drove in two runs apiece.
Sophomore Joe Husak of Cambridge pitched the first five innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits. He struck out five and walked three. Freshman Jacob Sjuts of Humphrey, Neb., went three innings and fell to 1-1 with the loss. He allowed one run on four hits, struck out two and walked one.