EDMOND, Okla. – Trailing 2-0 after one inning of play and 3-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth, the Cloud County Community College baseball team would use the big innings in both the fourth and fifth innings to secure an 11-6 neutral-site victory over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M in seven-innings at the University of Central Oklahoma Junior College Jamboree in Edmond, Okla., on Saturday.
Cloud County remains perfect on the year, improving to 4-0 on the season while the Golden Norsemen split Saturday action to move to 1-1 on the year after seeing their first two games of the season postponed due to weather.
A shaky start by the T-Birds would see NEO take advantage of a hit batter, walk, and two-out error to plate three runs on just one hit in the top of the first inning and put the T-Birds in a 3-0 hole before even having a chance at the plate. A lineout and pair of strikeouts would put down CCCC in order as NEO would hold a 3-0 lead after one inning of play before seeing both teams go quietly in the second.
After retiring the Golden Norsemen in order in the top of the third, Cloud County would threaten on the offensive end in the bottom of the inning as back-to-back leadoff walks would put two runners on with no outs. Nine-hole hitter Alex Rice would then lay down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position and bring up the top of the T-Bird lineup, but Northeastern Oklahoma A&M would find a way to induce a groundout and fly out to escape the inning without any damage and strand both runners.
More trouble would await CCCC in the top of the fourth as two quick outs would make way for back-to-back singles and an RBI double to allow the Golden Norsemen to extend their lead to 4-0 and would be followed by a walk to load the bases. Starting T-Bird pitcher Josh Laukkanen would manage to work himself out of the jam however and limit the damage to just the one run as a fly out would end the threat.
With the meat of their lineup due up in the bottom of the fourth, Cloud County would get things going with a Clayton Loranger walk as a passed ball and wild pitch would move the sophomore from first to third. A Ty Nelson walk would bring up Davis Pratt as the Edmonton, Alberta native would get CCCC on the board with an RBI single that would also move Nelson to second. After another passed ball would move the runners, Trevor Stevens would get in on the action with an RBI single to keep the fourth-inning rally going as the T-Birds would show no signs of stopping following a pitching change from NEO. Back-to-back walks would tie the game up at 3-3 and force a second change with no outs and the bases loaded. A fielder's choice would cut down Stevens at home, but keep the bases loaded with one out as an RBI groundout from Jaden Parsons and Connor Laux bunt single would give CCCC the lead at 5-3. One more run would come across as the T-Birds would get Rice home on a wild pitch to cap off a six-run inning to take their first lead of the game.
NEO would look to respond in the top of the fifth as a leadoff walk and passed ball as another T-Bird error would allow a run to score and force a pitching change for CCCC. Things would appear as though Cloud County would escape the inning without any more damage as a groundout and strikeout would put two outs on the board, but the Golden Norsemen would rally with a walk, stolen base and triple to tie the game at 6-6. Relief pitcher Trey Asher would then end the inning with his second strikeout of the frame to keep things tied up at 6-6 and bring a hot T-Bird lineup back to the dish.
Cloud County would lead things off with a Stevens single and get a stolen base after a strikeout, calling for a pinch runner in Ed Scott to try and allow CCCC to reclaim the lead. Griffin Larsen would do so with a triple and see Noah Olson bring him home on the next at-bat with an RBI single. Rice would then lay down an RBI bunt single to put Cloud County up 9-6 as the T-Birds would tack on one more run to go up 10-6 heading to the top of the sixth.
Braden Pierce would then come on in relief of Asher and work around a one-out single to end the inning on an 4-3 double-play that would keep NEO from getting anything going offensively in the inning and bring the T-Birds up once more. CCCC would then get aggressive on the base paths, turning a Pratt walk into a runner in scoring position on a stolen base as Larsen would deliver a two-out RBI ground-rule double to add another insurance run. The inning would end on a groundout on the next batter, but put Cloud County just three outs away from their fourth-straight win to open the season.
Finishing things off wouldn't come as easy as the T-Birds hoped as two walks to begin the inning would put two aboard for NEO before a double-steal would see the lead runner cut down at third for an important first out for CCCC. The very next pitch would result in a strikeout for Cloud County with the game coming to a close in the next at-bat following a fly out to Olson.
Eight different players would contribute to Cloud County's 10-hit outing as Laux and Larson would lead the T-Birds with two hits each. The three extra-base hits for the T-Birds would come off the bat off Larsen and Olson, with Larsen hitting a double and triple to drive in two runs while also scoring twice.
Asher would earn the win in relief of Laukkanen after throwing one inning and allowing one run and striking out two. Laukkanen would work himself out of trouble throughout the day to strikeout four in four innings while allowing just four hits to 22 batters faced on the afternoon. Pierce finished things off on the mound by tossing a scoreless final two innings and striking out two as the T-Bird pitching staff would strikeout eight in the contest.
--cloudtbirds.com--