Roadrunner Baseball Sweeps Weekend Games with Three Rivers

On March 24, the Roadrunners hosted the Three Rivers Community College Raiders from Poplar Bluff in a key Region 16 doubleheader at home.SFCC swept the doubleheader by scores of 6-0 in 7 innings and 5-4 in 11 innings.

In game one, SFCC scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and added one more in the bottom the second inning. SFCC tacked on single runs in the fourth and sixth innings.

Clark led the SFCC offense with three RBIs. Sophomore infielder Bradbury recorded a pair of hits, and first baseman Jacob Mitchell recorded two hits. Mitchell also scored a run and drove in a run. Freshman infielder Gavin Jones drove in a run. Esposito stole a pair of bases.

Freshman pitcher Conner Burnett (3-1) went the distance on the mound for SFCC. He scattered four hits and struck out one.

In game two of the doubleheader, each team scored a run in the first inning. Three Rivers took the lead with a pair of runs in the third and added one more the fourth inning. SFCC scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings and tied the game with a single run in the ninth inning. SFCC won the game in the bottom of the 11th courtesy of a walk-off base hit from Mitchell that chased home sophomore utility player Zack Ehlen with the game-winning run.

"It wasn't the best game that we have played, but our guys really fought hard through the whole game," said head coach Jud Kindle. "We were able to win some innings down the stretch of game two and put some pressure on Three Rivers defensively. We were able to get it done. Our pitching is what got us two victories today. We have to be a little better defensively."

Clark continued his hot hitting with three hits and two RBIs. Mitchell also contributed three hits and two RBIs. Ehlen, Bradbury and Jones had two hits each. Bradbury scored three times.

Sophomore pitcher Josiah Imhoff started on the mound in game two for the Roadrunners. He pitched five innings, giving up four runs, only two earned runs on seven hits. He struck out four. Sophomore pitcher Brett Wilbanks (1-2) got the win in relief for SFCC, tossing a scoreless final inning.

March 25, Three Rivers Community College at Dey Field in Liberty Park Stadium

The Roadrunners took the field again against Three Rivers Community College Raiders. SFCC (20-9, 12-4 in Region 16) swept the doubleheader 8-3 and 13-7 to finish the weekend sweep and extend their winning streak to six games.

In game one, the Raiders scored three runs in the top of the first inning. Roadrunners responded with four runs in the bottom of the second and three in the third to take control of the seven-inning game. SFCC added a single run in the fifth inning to close out the scoring.

Ehlen and sophomore outfielder Tyler Crane registered a pair of hits each for SFCC. Crane drove in a pair of runs and stole one of the Roadrunners' seven total stolen bases in the game. Ehlen scored two runs. Esposito drove in a pair of runs. Sophomore catcher Blake Ford stole two bases.

Sophomore pitcher Chase Plymell (3-3) went the distance on the mound for the Roadrunners. He allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out six. He recorded his third victory of the year.

In game two, Three Rivers opened the scoring with four runs in the top the second inning. SFCC's offense exploded for six runs in the bottom of the third. The Raiders added two more runs in the top of the fourth. SFCC, once again, had the answer scoring three runs in the bottom of the inning. Both teams scored a run in the sixth inning. SFCC added three runs in the bottom of the seventh to close out the scoring in the nine-inning contest.

Mitchell paced the Roadrunners offensively with two home runs and seven RBIs. Esposito contributed four hits and three RBIs. Clark had a pair of hits and two runs scored. SFCC pounded out 13 hits as a team in game two.

Sophomore pitcher Jake McMahill (6-0) got the start on the mound for SFCC. He pitched six innings, allowing six hits and seven runs en route to the victory. He struck out three and walked three.

David Rohrbach, SFCC Athletics