Needing two victories to rip the NJCAA Division II, Region XVI title from East Central, the NCMC Pirates took ECC to extra innings on Saturday afternoon before falling by a final score of 6-5, ending NCMC’s season in the championship round in Moberly.
The teams battled back-and-forth in a tense duel, with the Pirates taking a 2-0 advantage through the first 1 1/2 innings, before East Central rallied against NCMC starter Eric Torrero in the second, plating three runs. The Pirates tied the game with a single tally in the 5th, with the teams trading two run rallies late, with East Central’s uprising in the 6th, and North Central answering in the 7th. A single run by East Central won the region title in the bottom of the 11th inning.
Region XVI Player of the Year Julio Guerrero of the Pirates was 3-for 4 with a pair of RBI’s, with left fielder Landon Wells going 3-for-5 with two runs scored. First baseman Jordi Ventura scored twice and added a home run.
The loss dropped the Pirates final record for the 2024 spring season to 26-25. Joining Player of the Year Julio Guerrero as Region XVI first-team selections from NCMC were Alan Martinez, Jordi Ventura, and Wilmer Jimenez.
Second-team selections from the Pirates were Kevin Toala, Rawlins Brant, Justin Dameron, Shodai Nishihara, and Alejandro Paz, with Guerrero joining Truman Bodenhausen as All-Defensive Team honorees from NCMC.
North Central went 2-2 in the double-elimination post-season tournament at Moberly Area Community College, defeating #3 seed Moberly on Thursday afternoon 5-3, before splitting a pair of games on Friday, losing to East Central 8-3 before eliminating Hesston College from the tournament with an 11-0, five inning triumph.
