| CEU’s Colby Read slides safely into home on a wild pitch as Josh Sturgis tries not to get run over. |
Fighting to stay out of the SWAC cellar, CEU split the weekend’s four games with CNCC to keep a two game lead over their opponent. Friday afternoon’s first game took 12 innings to come to a conclusion with CEU taking it 3-2. The second game ended CNCC over CEU 5-2. Saturday afternoon saw CNCC make short work of the Eagles in a 5 inning 11-1 blow-out, but then CEU came back in the second game and won 2-1.
CEU’s ace Riley Gordon took the mound in the first game for the Eagles. He gave up a pair of unearned runs in the first and then pitched a shutout ball for11 more innings. He got the complete game win.
In the 11th he had bases loaded and no outs before coming back with three straight strike outs to get himself out of the jam. Josh Barber rewarded the effort with a game winning hit in the 12th to finally end it.
They played well in the second game Friday, but came up just short. But on Saturday afternoon, the team seemed like they just could not find any of the solid play that they had had the day before. Fielding errors gave CNCC an eight run lead before the end of the second inning. “Everything that could go wrong, did,” explained Coach Scott Madsen.”Our pitching was solid, but no one made the plays to get the outs.”
Luckily the Eagles had one more chance to redeem themselves and they regrouped for the final game.
| Trevor Thompson applies a tag to a CNCC runner as he dives safely back. |
Kyle Graham pitched a complete game for the win. Matt Park came through with his bat and hit a blast over the fence in the sixth to give the Eagles the lead and a win.
This weekend number one SLCC roars into town to test the Eagles.
“If our fielding would be as solid as our pitching and hitting has been of late, we stand a chance to steal a game or two from them,” commented Madsen.
Game times for the weekend series are Friday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. and Saturday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. Games are played in north price at the Carlson-Colosimo Park at the Atwood ball complex.