The North Central Missouri College Pirates picked up momentum into a mid-March trip to Myrtle Beach, winning their home opener on Thursday afternoon by a score of 9-2 over #20 ranked Iowa Central.
In the game at Burleigh Grimes Field, Keven Franco pitched the first four innings for NCMC, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out four in a scoreless effort. Jay Greco earned the win out of the Pirates ‘pen, tossing five innings of five hit, two run baseball, striking out one batter and giving up an eighth-inning homer.
For the North Central offense, Noah Bodenhausen and Tanner Sears both had two hits, including a home run for Sears, who had 2 RBI’s in the win. Arturo Brito and Jackson Boenker each had a hit and a run scored, with Braedyn Brewer, hitting in the “3 hole”, going 1 for 4 with a run scored. North Central did commit three errors and strike out 12 times in the contest.
Iowa Central’s Tritons, in dropping to 7-4 on the season, had a 3-for-3 day from Brock Johnson. Derek Kay launched a two-run homer in the eighth inning, with Ben DeTaeye adding a pair of hits.
The Pirates, on Monday afternoon, opened play at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach with a pair of setbacks against Florence-Darlington Tech, dropping North Central’s season record to 5-6. The finals were 6-3 and 10-2. NCMC will play two more games on Tuesday against South Carolina-Sumter, with game times slated for 12 noon and 2:30.
