- Sophomore Trey Franck drives in two runs in an 8-1 win in the opener
- Freshman Ben Hites improves to 3-0 with the win
- Dakota County TC scores seven runs in the seventh to win the nightcap
The DMACC baseball team stands at 11-12 for the season after splitting a doubleheader against Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) March 10 at the DMACC baseball diamond.
Big innings were the key in both games. DMACC, which got two singles and two runs batted in from sophomore Trey Franck of Marion, scored eight runs in the fifth inning for an 8-1 win in the opener and DCTC used a seven-run rally in the seventh inning of the second game to come away with an 8-6 victory.
DCTC took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of the opener and that advantage held up until the fifth inning when the Bears rallied for eight runs. Freshman Drew Owen of Alleman joined Franck with two hits in the game, including a double, and he drove in one run as did freshman Drake Obermueller of Iowa City.
Freshman Ben Hites of Oak Creek, Wis., pitched the first five innings and stayed unbeaten at 3-0 with the win. He allowed one run on five hits, struck out three batters and walked two. Freshman Jacob Luster of Huxley went two innings, allowing one hit and striking out one batter.
DMACC took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the second game and led 4-1 after three innings and 6-1 after six innings before DCTC rallied in the seventh.
Obermueller and sophomore Blake Crancer of Normal, Ill., led the Bears with two hits apiece including a double and a home run from Crancer, who drove in three of DMACC's six runs. Owen added a triple to the DMACC attack.
Freshman Grayson Kirsch of Marion pitched the first five innings for the Bears, allowing one run on three hits with six strikeouts and two walks. Freshman Greg Noel of Morehead, Minn., pitched one inning and retired three of the four batters he faced and sophomore Rhett Pleggenkuhle of Van Meter allowed three runs with one strikeout and a walk in two-thirds of an inning on the mound. He suffered the loss to fall to 0-2 for the season. Redshirt freshman Jack Bunnell of Eddyville gave up a run and walked one batter but was not credited with any innings pitched and sophomore Andrew Theiss of Clear Lake allowed two runs on one hit in pitching a third of an inning.
The DMACC baseball team begins play in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) March 14 when the Bears face Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) in a doubleheader at Fort Dodge. The two teams will also play a single game on March 15 at Fort Dodge. ICCC is 16-1 and is ranked 16th in the Division II poll from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
