March 11, 2007

The Northeastern Junior College baseball team won two of three games Sunday and improved to 11-5 on the season.

The Plainsmen finished a suspended game with Otero that was postponed on Saturday due to darkness after 13 innings. On Sunday, winning pitcher Danny Brock retired the three Otero hitters he faced in the top of the 14th. In the bottom of the inning, sophomore Jeff Squier walked and moved to second on a balk. Sophomore Gustavo Velazquez singled to bring in Squier and end the marathon at 6-5.

Brock came on in the relief of starter Ty Cardona in the seventh inning with the score tied at four. Brock surrendered a run in the top of the 13th, but the Plainsmen battled back to tie in the bottom of the inning when Colton Williams knocked in Mike Mendenhall.

Mendenhall finished the game with four hits in his first start of the season in left field.

NJC followed the 14-inning victory over Otero with a two-game split against Williston State of North Dakota.

Freshman John Matey hit a ground ball to the shortstop that was thrown low to first base, allowing Mendenhall to trot home for the 5-4, NJC win.

NJC's Josh Warren scored from second base on a ground ball to short by Squier to tie the game in the fifth.

Lefty Justin Sortino started the game for the Plainsmen, and freshman Justin Mattelka came on in relief in the fourth inning to pick up his first win of the season.

The Plainsmen dropped the second game with Williston, 9-5. Williams started the game for NJC and picked up his first loss of the season. The freshman gave up a three-run homer in the top of the third that opened the floodgates for Williston.

Freshman Jose Collazo led NJC at the plate with two hits and an RBI.