NCMC Pirates split four-game, two-city weekend series with State Fair Roadrunners

The North Central Missouri College Pirates and State Fair Community College Roadrunners opened a four-game, two-city series on Saturday afternoon, with the ‘Runners traveling to Trenton to play the Pirates at Burleigh Grimes Field.

NCMC dominated the opener, ripping State Fair 10-0 in six innings.  Kylan Easley fired a three-hit shutout to get the victory for the North Central pitching staff, striking out three State Fair batters.  

For the Pirates offense, Derek Hussey, Austin Satterfield, Quinsly Balentien, Jared Fry, and Brendley Martina each had multiple hits, while Balentien launched a home run in a four-run 5th inning outburst.

Game 2 was a back-and-forth affair with State Fair grabbing the 5-4 road win, with a two-run homer by Jacob Clifton (who finished 2-for-4 with 3 RBI’s) turning a 4-3 NCMC lead into a 5-4 SFCC lead in the top of the 8th inning.  In the top of the 7th inning, State Fair’s D.J. McNew tied the game at 3 with a solo homer run with one out.

State Fair starting pitcher Jake McMahill tossed eight innings to get the victory, giving up four hits, nine hits, with 12 strikeouts.  For the Pirates, Lucas Hampton was saddled with the loss, allowing two runs and two hits in 1 1/3 innings of relief work for starting pitcher Blake Collister, who took the no-decision.

Connor Quick had a fourth-inning home run while Michaelle Collado went deep in the fifth inning for the Pirates.

On Sunday afternoon, both the Pirates and Roadrunners traveled to the State Fair campus in Sedalia to continue their weekend series.  Sunday’s opener was a wild affair claimed by the visiting North Central Missouri College Pirates, 17-14.  

Jared Fry had the go-ahead, and game-winning RBI for North Central, breaking a 10-10 tie in the 6th inning with an RBI single.  Brendley Martina drove in five runs and had a 3-for-4 day in the opener, with a run-scoring double in the fifth inning and a grand slam in the sixth. 

State Fair, big inning came in the bottom of the 2nd, when the Roadrunners exploded for six runs.

Wyatt Thomas earned the victory for the Pirates pitching staff, giving up four runs in two innings.  Brenden Garza picked up the save.  Trae Brownell struggled in the starting pitching role, giving up eight runs in 1 2/3 innings.  

In addition to Martina’s grand slam, North Central added home runs from Enrique Madera in the third inning, and Derek Hussey in the fourth.  The Pirates had 15 hits in the win, while State Fair amassed 13 base knocks.

The Pirates were ‘run-ruled’ in Sunday’s nightcap, falling 11-1 to State Fair in a game called after six innings.  Smith-Cotton graduate Chase Plymell earned the victory for the Roadrunners, with six innings of one run, three-hit baseball.  Wade Phillips took the loss for the Pirates, giving up seven runs in 3 2/3 innings.  The Pirate pitching staff had trouble giving State Fair in the park, with three home runs coming in the fourth inning.