NMJC (BB) Opens Tournament of Champions with 2 Wins

The NMJC baseball team defeated Seminole State and No. 15 Wabash Valley on Friday to improve to 6-3 on the season. 

Game 1

The T-Birds defeated Seminole State Friday morning 3-1 to even the season series at 2-2.

Catcher Lachlan Maude opened up the scoring for a third time this season with a solo homer to give NMJC a 1-0 advantage. Maude drove in another run on an RBI fielder's choice in the top of the seventh. Jeter Battles knocked in another run in the inning on an RBI single to center to make the score 3-0. 

Starting pitcher Cade Smith allowed zero runs, gave up three hits and struck out a career-high 11 batters in six and 2/3 innings. 

The Trojans got on the board in the bottom of the eighth with an RBI double to make the score 3-1 in favor of the T-Birds.  

Moises Lamon came in relief of Smith allowing one earned run in 1 2/3 of work. Santana Hernandez closed the final 2/3 of an inning to earn his first save of the season.  

Center fielder Casen Savage was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Left Fielder Travis Vlasek went 1-for-3 with a double. Right fielder Jeter Battles was 1-for-2 with an RBI. 

The Thunderbirds finished the morning with seven hits and two errors. 

Game 2

The Thunderbirds scored three runs in the sixth to defeat Wabash Valley by a score of 9-8.

Julius Ramirez opened up the scoring for the Thunderbirds with a fielder's choice groundout that scored a run and gave NMJC a 1-0 lead after the first inning. 

Luis Urias drove in a run in the second inning on an RBI single with a second run scoring on a throwing error. Back-to-back singles pushed the lead to 5-0. Ramirez drove in his second run of the day on a sac fly to left field and Travis Vlasek added one more in the second with a single to center that brought NMJC ahead 6-0. 

Seminole State racked up two runs in the third and another pair of runs in the fifth to pull within two, 6-4. The Trojans hit a grand slam in the sixth to take the 8-6 lead for the first time in the game. 

The T-Birds were up to bat in the bottom of the sixth and with two outs. NMJC went on to score on an RBI single by Callum Donelly, a wild pitch, and an RBI single by Travis Vlasek to push the Thunderbirds back in front 9-8. The T-Birds went three up three down over the next three innings to secure a one-run win over Seminole.

Starting pitcher Donovan Becerra went three innings allowing two hits, four walks, and one earned run.

Brandon Stewart was the fourth pitcher on the mound for NMJC Friday night. The Sweeny, Texas native earned the win pitching three scoreless with two strikeouts and no hits allowed.  

First baseman Lane Arroyos went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run. Right fielder Callum Donnelly was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.  Left fielder Travis Vlasek went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

Catcher Jorge De Los Santos recorded a triple, and two runs scored. DH Julius Ramirez finished with two RBIs.

The Thunderbirds ended the night with nine hits.