Mason Reynolds (Fate, Texas)

NTCC Baseball Wins High Scoring Game with Eastfield

Northeast Texas Community College hosted Eastfield College in a non-conference, single game on March 27, ending with a 16-11 win. The Eagles bounced back offensively after splitting a weekend series with Panola, where they only scored five runs in two games.

NTCC would score in seven of eight innings that they batted, including a big seven-run fifth inning to match a seven-run top half of the fifth by Eastfield.

Both teams would score a run in the first inning, with Eastfield on the board first. NTCC answered the challenge when Seth Cox (Fairview, Texas) hit a two-out single to the left and stole second base. Caron Lorch (Cypress, Texas) would single to right field to score Cox and even 1-1.

The Eagles would add two runs in the second inning after keeping Eastfield off the scoreboard in their half of the inning. Paxton Ponder (Frisco, Texas) and Nathan Harmon (Highland Village, Texas) would reach on back-to-back walks. Cale Edmonds (Risin, AR) would move the runners up with a Sacrifice Bunt. Then, Adrian Dominguez (Ontario, Canada) would draw a two-out walk to load the bases for NTCC. Raef Wright (Burleson, Texas) would single to score Ponder, and then Bryce Johnson (Fairview, Texas) would get hit by the pitch to score Harmon and move the Eagle lead to 3-1.

After another scoreless inning in the top of the third, the Eagles got things going again in the bottom when the pitch hit Lorch to lead off. Bennie Qualls (Humble, TX) would come into a run for Lorch and advanced to second on a ground out to the third base. Harmon singled to put a runner on the corners for the Eagles, and Qualls came in to score off a hit between the pitcher and first base.

With the Eagles now up 4-1, Eastfield cut into the lead scoring one run in the top of the fourth inning to bring the score to 4-2. However, NTCC once again answered the score by Eastfield with a run in their half of the inning to increase the lead to 5-2. Dominguez would single to right-center field to lead off the inning and later scored on a Sacrifice Fly to the left by Qualls.

Both teams got hot in the fifth inning, each scoring seven runs. Four straight walks to start the bottom of the fifth, followed by another hit by the pitch by Johnson. Seth Cox would hit a double to plate a few runs, and the Eagles took advantage of a fielder’s choice and another walk that inning to score again.

The sixth inning had both teams match the run production. After five complete and the score of 12-9 in the Eagle’s favor, Eastfield scored two runs to cut the lead for NTCC to one run, 12-11. However, NTCC would not be denied and scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to pull away for good in the game and lead 14-11. The Eagle Eighth inning saw NTCC put the final dagger in when Si Schumacher (Carthage, Texas) reached on a leadoff walk, and then Dominguez capped off a good day at the plate with a double to left field to plate Schumacher. Dominguez would score when Raef Wright followed that double-up with one of his own to the right-center gap.

Offensively, NTCC would score sixteen runs on eleven hits, fifteen walks, and just four strikeouts on the day. Multiple Eagles would have two hit days, Dominguez, Harmon, Cox, and then Wright added one more for a three-for-four performance with two walks and four RBIs.

Mason Reynolds (Fate, Texas) would get the start and go three innings giving up just one run on four hits and two strikeouts before sharing the load with the bullpen. The pitching staff for the Eagles combined to strike out seven batters on the day.