Game 1 - Pioneers 4... Bismarck State 8
The MCC Pioneers fell in to a 5-0 hole after 1.5 innings, battled back to trail 5-4 before finally falling 8-4 in the MonDak Conference opening to Bismarck State on Saturday in Miles City. BSC tallied 4 runs in the top of the 1st, added another in the top of the 2nd before the Pioneers could mount a rally.
Trailing by 5 going to the bottom of the 2nd, MCC got 2 runs after a RF Ian Krump (Rapid City, SD) single and 1B Kaleb Breeze (West Valley City, UT) was hit by a pitch to put runners on 1st and 2nd. 2B Tyler Tenney (Helena, MT) bunted and reached on an error to load the bases. LF Grant Gabbert (Thorton, CO)then hit in to a double play that scored Krump. DH Clay Prell (Miles City, MT) singled in Breeze to make the score 5-2. With 2 outs in the 3rd, Tim Holyk (Nanaimo, BC) hit a smashing triple to CF and Krump followed that up with a big time bomb to cut the lead to 5-4. The Pioneers could not mount any other offense in the game and saw the Mystics tack on 3 more for the final tally of 8-4.
MCC had only 6 hits in the game led by a 2-3 (HR, 2 RBI) effort by Krump who was the only player with multiple hits. Prell had the only other RBI.
Cameron Murphy (Torrington, WY) started on the mound and went 5 innings. Murphy allowed 7 runs on 7 hits while allowing 2 walks and striking out 2. Noah Aliff (Centralia, WA) pitched the 6th inning in perfect fashion. Patrick Dietz (Manhattan, MT) finished the 7th inning and gave up a run on 2 hits, while adding a strikeout.
Game 2 - Pioneers 5... Bismarck State 6
Bismarck State took early command of MonDak Conference play by sweeping the MCC Pioneers on Saturday afternoon. The Mystics jumped on MCC early again by plating 3 runs in the top of the 2nd inning. MCC quickly rallied with a run in the 2nd and 3 in the 3rd to take a quick 4-3 lead.
After a quick 2 outs in the 2nd inning, C Karter Yancey (St. Anthony, ID) doubled to centerfield and was replaced on 2nd by courtesy runner Mason Flanary (Rexburg, ID). DH Clay Prell walked and Grant Gabbert singled to centerfield scoring Flanary to make the score 3-1. The bottom of the 3rd was led off by a rightfield home run by Tim Holyk. Ian Krump followed that up with a single and was sacrificed to 2nd by 1B Bridger Erickson (St. Anthony, ID). 2B Ryota Kusumoto (Australia) promply singled to right scoring Krump. After an error by the Mystic catcher that moved Kusumoto to 3rd, Prell had an RBI single to give the Pioneers a 4-3 lead.
The Mystics quickly took the lead back in the 4th with 2 runs to make it 5-4. BSC added an insurance run in the 5th that proved to be the difference. The Pioneers did get a run in the 6th inning after Grant Gabbert singled and was moved to 3rd on a single by SS Jaeden Jordahl (Billings, MT). CF Jake Lacey (Gillette, WY) grounded in to a fielder's choice that scored Gabbert to make it 6-5. The Pioneers could not push in another run to keep the game alive.
Gabbert ended the night at 3-4 (RBI, Run) and Holyk was 2-3 (RBI, Run) and were the only Pioneers with mulitple hits.
Jeremy Gee (Brigham City, UT) started and gave up 5 runs on 8 hits in 3.1 innings. Gee had a strikeout and a walk. Jay Neugebauer knocked out the next 2 innings with 5 strikouts. He allowed a run on 3 hits. Noah Aliff closed out the final 1.2 innings by allowing 2 hits and had a strikeout.
Due to weather in ND, the Pioneers will host the Mystics on Sunday at 1:00 and 3:30 PM MST.