April 14, 2007

The Northeastern Junior College baseball team improved to 20-14 on the season and 9-7 in Region IX play on Saturday.

Sophomore third-baseman Jeff Squier singled home Josh Warren and Mike Mendenhall in the bottom of the sixth inning to seal the first game of the doubleheader. Squier, the 2005 graduate of Sterling High School, was 2-for-2 with a walk to lead the Plainsmen to the 2-0 victory.

Warren kick started the winning rally with a double down the right-field line. Mendenhall singled to left and advanced to second when freshman Rhett Welsh walked. Squier delivered the game-winning blow with two outs in the inning following two consecutive NJC strikeouts.

The win snapped NJC's four-game losing streak in Region IX, and it came against Lamar ace Willie Kessler who owned the best E.R.A. in the nation coming in.

Freshman Arvin Perez and sophomore Jesus Colon combined for the shutout. Colon picked up the win with two innings of relief. Perez cruised through five innings but left the game due to a blister on the index finger of his pitching hand.

Lamar battled back to take Game Two from the Plainsmen, 2-0.

Northeastern had just three hits in the game. Squier and Welsh each doubled while sophomore Langston Frison singled.

NJC starting pitcher Ty Cardona surrendered just four hits in six innings. The freshman was doomed by a solo home run in the fourth inning and an RBI-single in the fifth.