• DMACC uses a two-run eighth inning to win the opener, 5-3
• NECC takes the nightcap, 6-5, on a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh
• Sophomore Jackson Horras get the DMACC victory

The DMACC baseball team pushed across two runs in the top of the eighth inning to hand Northeast (Neb,) Community College (NECC) a 5-3 loss in the first game of a doubleheader April 4 at Norfolk, Neb. NECC won the second game, 6-5, with a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh.

The split gives DMACC a 17-14 overall record and a 5-6 mark in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC).

NECC led the Bears 3-0 after two innings of the opener, but DMACC tied it with two runs in the top of the sixth and a run in the top of the seventh. The eighth-inning rally gave the Bears the win.

Sophomores Jaylen Ziegler of Urbandale, Cory Bantam of Woodbine and Noah Thein of Dewitt paced DMACC's 11-hit attack with two hits apiece, including a triple by Ziegler and doubles from Bantam and Thein and all three drove in one run apiece. Sophomore Cael Boever of Sioux City also doubled for the Bears.

Sophomore Jackson Horras of Pekin leveled his record at 1-1 with the win. He pitched seven innings, allowing three runs on four hits with seven strikeouts. Freshman Brennan Haman of West Fargo, N.D., pitched the eighth inning and retired all three batters he faced.

DMACC trailed 3-2 after two innings of the second game before scoring three runs in the top of the third for a 5-3 lead. That advantage stood until the seventh when NECC rallied for the win.

The Bears were limited to just four hits, including two from Boever, who singled and doubled, and a two-run home run from Bantam. Sophomore Maddox Johnston of Chanhassen, Minn., also drove in a run for DMACC.

Freshman Carter Woollums of Johnston pitched the first six inning and allowed five runs on eight hits. He struck out two and walked one. Sophomore Eli Lehrman of Anamosa went a third of an inning and suffered the loss to fall to 1-2 for the season. He allowed one earned run. Sophomore Max Martin of Franklin, Wis., surrendered a base hit to the only batter he faced.

The DMACC baseball team will face Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) in a three-game series April 6 and 7 at Centerville. The two teams will play a doubleheader on April 6 and a single game on April 7. IHCC is a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I program. The Warriors are 23-7 overall and 8-3 in Division I of the ICCAC.