NTCC Baseball Falls to Navarro

Rains forced the Northeast Texas Community College series with Navarro to change this past week. NTCC was to host Navarro on Thursday, but showers on Wednesday made the field unplayable, so the Eagles traveled to Navarro on Friday for the first two games of the series. NTCC and Navarro still had to make up a game from the first round when they lost out on games due to weather. Navarro won Game 1 of the day 5-2 and then took Game 2, 10-5.

Despite ten hits in the game, the Eagles’ offense could not capitalize on out-hitting Navarro in Game 1. NTCC would get on the board first in the top of the first when Luke McBride (Nashville, AR HS) doubled and later scored on a single by Sawyre Thornhill (Huntington HS) to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.

Navarro answered back with two runs in the bottom of the first to bring the score to 2-1 Bulldogs. Both teams would go scoreless in the second and third innings before scoring each in the fourth. In the fourth, Nico Baumbach (Euless Trinity HS) cut into the lead when he blasted a solo home run to tie the game at 2-2.

Navarro scored one run in the bottom of the fourth to regain the lead 3-2. Navarro would add two final runs in the sixth inning, and the Eagles went scoreless after the fourth, with the Bulldogs holding on to win 5-2.

Chance Bolter (Plano HS) got the start for NTCC and went five innings giving up three runs on five hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Chase Richter (Cypress Woods HS) pitched one inning of relief for the Eagles in Game 1.

Game 2 of the day, NTCC would again out-hit Navarro 9-8 but would lose the game 10-5 due to errors and well-timed hits. Navarro plated three runs in the first, two runs in the fifth, and one run in the sixth to lead 6-0 before NTCC got going in the seventh inning. The Eagles would score four runs, all with two outs, in the inning to cut the lead to 6-4.

The Eagle rally started when Jake Chapman (Boerne HS) singled to the left, followed by a double from Cameron Loy (Mansfield HS). Kade Wood (Atlanta HS) followed that up with a single to right to keep things going. Khalon Clayton (Kilgore HS) reached when the pitch hit him to load the bases for Cole Modgling (Medina Valley HS) to clear the bases when he doubled to right field.

The Bulldogs scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull away from NTCC. The Eagles tried to mount a comeback in the top of the ninth when Clayton singled with one out and then stole second base. Luke McBride would drive in the game’s final run when singled to right field to bring the score to 10-5.

Mikel Howell (Huntsville HS) would start for NTCC and go six innings before giving way to Justin Lambright (Trenton HS). The two pitchers would combine to strike out seven, walk four and give up eight hits with only five of the ten runs scored, counting as earned runs due to errors in the field.

Eagles Baseball Splits with Navarro College

Northeast Texas Community College and Navarro College met up on the diamond at NTCC on Saturday after rains early in the week forced some changes to the schedule. NTCC would defeat Navarro 9-5 before falling 17-5 in Game 2. 

The Bulldogs got on the board first, plating one run in the top of the first inning to lead 1-0. The lead was brief as the Eagles scored three runs to capture the lead at 3-1 after one inning of play. Sawyre Thornhill (Huntington HS) had a big day at the plate, and it all started with a three-run home run in the first inning when he hit a deep shot to right field, scoring Cole Modgling (Medina Valley HS) and Luke McBride (Nashville, AR HS).

Navarro would add two more runs in the third to tie the game at 3-3, but that was short-lived again as NTCC answered right back in the bottom half of the inning, adding two more runs for the Eagles.

McBride and Thornhill would both have singles to start the inning and make their way around the bases to help NTCC regain the lead. Cameron Loy (Mansfield HS) would get the runners home with a single two-RBI to left field to bring the score to 5-3 NTCC.

Navarro would score one run in the fourth inning, and NTCC answered with two runs to bring the game to 7-4, and the bulldogs tried to get closer, adding one more in the sixth to get cut the score to 7-5. NTCC put the game away in the six innings when Thornhill hit his second home run of the game, scoring McBride, who reached on a single to center to make score 9-5.

McBride would go three for four with one RBI and three runs scored. Thornhill had five RBI going three for three with a walk with two of the three hits as home runs to right field. Loy added a nice day for the Eagles and going three for four with a walk to help pace the Eagles offense in game one.

Logan Asay (Frisco Wakeland HS) got the start and win on the mound in game one against Navarro. He pitched four innings giving up four runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Camden Sargent (Brazosport Christian HS) picked up the save, adding three more strikeouts over three innings in relief.

While things went the Eagles way in game one, game two saw NTCC fall behind early, and they could not fight their way back from the deficit. 

 Navarro got on the board with one run in the first, one run in the second inning, and two runs in the third to take a 4-0 lead before NTCC would try to answer back.

The Eagles cut into the lead in the bottom of the third, scoring two runs to bring the game to 4-2. Modgling would double to center field to start the inning, and Thornhill went deep for the third time that day and got the Eagles on the board with the two-run home run.

Navarro answered right back with two more runs in the fourth inning to lead 6-2. The Eagles added two runs in the bottom of the fourth when Noah Miller doubled to left field and then scored when Jett Forrest tripled to right/center field. Forrest would score when Modgling singled to right-field to cut the lead to 6-4.

A big five-run inning by the Bulldogs from Navarro in the fifth inning put the game out of reach as the Eagles would manage just one run in the bottom of the fifth and could not answer back when Navarro scored three runs in the sixth and three runs in the seventh to lead 17-5. Loy added the final Eagle run in the fifth when he homered to right field. Modgling led the Eagles offense in game two going three for four. 

Five NTCC pitchers combine for twelve strikeouts in the game but untimely walks and errors tagged on to the fourteen hits by Navarro proved too much for the Eagles offense to overcome.

NTCC will travel to North Central Texas College on Monday, April 12, for a non-conference game before returning to conference play against Panola College on Thursday. The Eagles will host the Ponies at 3:00 pm in a single game.