On Monday, May 6, the Grand Rapids Community College baseball team, became the No. 20 ranked team in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 2 Poll.
That same day, GRCC was supposed to face Lansing Community College in an away game in Lansing for their final game of the regular season, but unfortunately, the game was canceled for an unknown reason.
GRCC still held position in the playoffs though, as on Friday, May 10, GRCC took down the Triceratops of Cuyahoga Community College, 9-7, and 14-5 in a two-game doubleheader at the Farmers Insurance Complex on the campus of Davenport University in Caledonia.
The Triceratops are ranked 2nd in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) standings and are also the seventh seed in the NJCAA Region XII (12) Tournament coming into this first round series versus the Raiders.
Game One
Hitting
In the bottom of the first inning, after CCC took an early 4-0 lead, GRCC sophomore third baseman Dylan Nguyen doubled down the left field line, scoring freshman shortstop Chad Fisher Jr. and sophomore center fielder Trevin Laming, 4-2 Triceratops.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, freshman designated hitter Camden Seth tripled down the right field line, scoring freshman catcher Joey Hysell, 4-3 Triceratops. Also in the fourth, freshman second baseman Austin Gates flew out to right field, scoring Seth, tying the game at 4-4.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, GRCC took their first lead of the game thanks to a solo home run by freshman first baseman Jacob Pitt, making it 5-4 Raiders. Also in the fifth, Hysell singled to left field, scoring freshman left fielder Ty Sandwick, 6-4 Raiders.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Fisher singled to right field, scoring Gates, 7-4 Raiders.
In the bottom of eighth inning, Fisher once again singled, this time to shortstop, scoring Laming, 8-4 Raiders. Also in the eighth, sophomore right fielder Aaron Bess singled to right field, scoring Fisher, 9-4 Raiders.
Three runs were scored by CCC in the ninth but it wasn’t enough as GRCC won 9-7.
Pitching
Sophomore right-handed pitcher Lucas McKinney got the start for the Raiders, improving to 8-1 on the season. McKinney pitched 6.1 innings and threw eight strikeouts, giving up four runs on six hits and one walk.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Logan VanSurksum came into the game in the seventh inning in relief of McKinney, throwing 2.2 innings and three strikeouts, giving up 3 runs on six hits and no walks.
Game Two
Hitting
In the top of the first inning, Nguyen got the Raiders on the board early thanks to a double down the left field line, scoring Bess and Fisher, 2-0 Raiders. Also in the first, Nguyen advanced home and scored on a wild pitch, 3-0 Raiders.
After the Triceratops got on the board in the bottom of the first with two runs scored, in the third Nguyen once again doubled down the left field line, once again scoring Bess and Fisher, 5-2 Raiders.
The Triceratops answered back with three runs of their own in the third and fourth innings to tie the game 5-5, but this led to a double to left center by Gates in the sixth, scoring freshman third baseman Xavier Allen and Sandwick, 7-5 Raiders. Also in the sixth, Laming singled to left center, scoring Gates, 8-5 Raiders. Fisher also singled in the sixth, advancing to third on a throwing error by the first baseman, scoring Laming, 9-5 Raiders.
In the seventh inning, Sandwick tripled to left center, scoring Pitt, 10-5 Raiders. Also in the seventh, Hysell singled up the middle, allowing Sandwick to score, 11-5 Raiders. Allen joined the scoring party in the seventh inning as he doubled to center field, scoring Hysell, 12-5 Raiders.
In the eighth, Nguyen put the candle on top of the birthday cake with a two-run home run to left field, scoring Fisher, 14-5, which was the final score.
Pitching
Seth got the start for the Raiders, throwing 4.1 innings and three strikeouts, giving up five runs on eight hits and two walks.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Andrew Pohlmann came into the game in the fifth in relief of Seth, improving to 1-2 on the season. Pohlmann threw 3.2 innings and five strikeouts, giving up no runs on two hits and one walk.
Up Next
Now 35-10 and 20-0 in the conference, GRCC will face the 30-19 Jets of Jackson College in the semifinals of the NJCAA Region XII Tournament on Thursday May 16 at 11 a.m. on the campus of Jackson College in Summit Township.
If GRCC qualifies, they will play for the championship between the dates of Saturday, May 25 and Saturday, June 1 in the NJCAA Division II World Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma.
