NMCC closes out Malden Invitational with two wins

Friday, April 25, 2014
New Madrid County Central senior Dylan Milisits delivers a pitch Saturday against Holcomb during the Malden Invitational. (Brent Shipman Photo)

MALDEN -- Highlighted by a monster 11-run inning against Holcomb, the New Madrid County Central Eagles closed out the Malden Invitational with a pair of wins courtesy of the Hornets and Bloomfield Wildcats

"It's good," NMCC head coach Joseph McClarty said. "You come over here and play four games in two days and come out of this thing 3-1. We played a good Bloomfield team this morning and a good Holcomb team as well."

The Eagles responded to their 8-4 loss to Bernie in their final game Friday by opening Saturday with a 2-0 win over Bloomfield. Starting pitcher Garrison Keene pitches 6 2/3 innings in the pitching duel before Gage Silman came in and secure a one out save.

Both runs came in the second inning with Tyler Sprouse hitting an RBI double to plate the eventual winning run.

Dylan Milisits singled soon after to plate Sprouse to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.

NMCC's second similarly close until an 11-run fifth secured the Eagles a 16-4 win via the mercy rule.

A double to left field by Keene scored two runs in the top of the first and capped a three-run rally that ensured the the Eagles never trailed. The Hornets came back and scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first toi close back within a run at 3-2.

Two scoreless innings followed before NMCC got two insurance runs in the fourth to move up 5-2.

Back up in the fifth the Eagles put together easily the highlight of their day as they scored a total of 11 runs to blow the games open. They recorded five straight hits to open the inning and scored 10 of their runs off two separate pitchers before the Hornets could secure their first out.

After 10 hits, an error, a hit batter and a walk, Holcomb finally secured three straight outs, but by then trailed 16-2.

The Hornets rallied for two runs in the bottom of the frame, but NMCc was able to secure the final out of the inning on a pickoff at second base with a 12-run advantage still intact.

"(Holcomb) went to the final four last year and have some good ball players and coaches," McClarty said. "You're at the end of this thing and you're out of pitching. Our bats were just a little bit better than their bats today. That's all it boils down to.

He added, "We finally got aggressive in swinging the bat. We're doing a better job of that and I couldn't be more round of them."

In winning three of their four games over Friday and Saturday the Eagles move back to the .500 mark on the season at 6-6. They'll travel to Kennett today to play the Indians at 4 p.m.

In other Saturday action at the Malden Invitational, the Portageville Bulldogs suffered two one-run losses. They fell to host Malden 4-3 to open the day before ending their tournament weekend with a 9-8 loss to Cooter.

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