May 10, 2007

The Northeastern Junior College baseball team advanced to the second round of the Region IX tournament with a 10-2 win over McCook on Thursday. The Plainsmen ended the game by run-rule when Mike Mendenhall tripled to knock in Josh Warren and put NJC in the lead by eight going into the seventh inning.

The Plainsmen beat McCook for the fifth time this season, but McCook had won the most recent two contests between the two teams.

Freshman Darren Chavez from Monarch High School closed the door in McCook with a shutout seventh inning. But the story of the day on the mound for NJC was sophomore right hander Derrick Townsend. The Baton Rouge, La., native picked up the win by tossing six innings and giving up just four hits and two runs.

NJC takes on host and top-seeded Lamar at 11 a.m. on Friday. KPMX will broadcast the action.

Warren sparked the NJC offense early when the Laramie, Wyo., native led off the bottom half of the first inning with a single to left. Jeff Squier, Sam Feiner and Danny Brock all followed with singles and each scored a run. Colton Williams put the Plainsmen up 4-0 when he knocked in Brock with a single. All nine hitters came to the plate for NJC in the first.

Northeastern scored twice more in the fourth when sophomore Langston Frison and Warren each stole a base and scored on a single by Feiner.

The Plainsmen tacked on three more runs in the fifth when Frison walked, Warren singled and Mendenhall singled to bring Frison home. Squier followed with a single and Feiner was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brock and Rhett Welsh drew back-to-back walks to knock in Mendenhall and Squier.

The Plainsmen wrapped out 12 hits in all with Warren, Mendenhall, Squier and Feiner collecting two hits apiece. Warren scored three times and stole a base while Squier and Frison scored twice and stole a base apiece.