- Sophomores Brock Moore and Trey Franck homer in DMACC's win in the opener
- Franck, freshman Drew Owen and sophomore Austin Anderson homer in a 17-12 win in the second game
- The wins go to sophomores Jordan Leininger and Sebastian Talaga
Sophomores Brock Moore of Urbandale and Trey Franck of Marion blasted three-run home runs in the bottom of the seventh innings as the DMACC baseball team overcame a 7-2 deficit to defeat Ellsworth Community College (ECC), 9-7, in the first game of a doubleheader April 8 at the DMACC baseball team.
Franck, freshman Drew Owen of Alleman and sophomore Austin Anderson of Marion hit home runs in a 17-12 win in the second game.
With the wins, the Bears improved to 19-17 overall, 7-3 in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) and ran their winning streak to six consecutive games.
The Bears trailed throughout the opener, 2-0 after the first inning, 4-0 after the second inning, 6-2 after five innings and 7-2 as they came to bat in the bottom of the seventh. Freshman Brayden Foster of Alleman started the game-winning rally with a base on balls and moved to second when sophomore Adam Leininger of Fargo, N.D., was it by a pitch. Freshman Drew Owen of Alleman singled Foster home and Moore followed with a home run over the center field fence to make it a 7-6 game.
Following a pitching change, freshman Drake Obermueller of Iowa City kept the rally going with a base on balls and after sophomore Austin Andersen of Marion struck out, freshman Jacob Luster of Huxley reached on an infield single, sending Obermueller to second. Sophomore Jake Espeland of Des Moines then entered the game as a pinch runner for Luster and after sophomore Cole Baumgart of Clarinda struck out, Franck blasted a 3-2 pitch over the fence in right center to give the Bears the win.
Leininger and Franck paced DMACC at the plate with two hits apiece and Foster and Baumgart added doubles to the Bears' attack. Owen drove in a pair of DMACC runs.
Freshman Izzaq Zrust of Ladd, Ill., pitched the first two and a third innings for the Bears, allowing four runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk. Sophomore Jordan Leininger of Fargo, N.D., went four and two-thirds innings and improved to 3-2 with the win. He allowed three runs on six hits, struck out three and walked one.
DMACC trailed early in the second game, 4-2 after one inning, 6-3 after two innings, 8-7 after three innings and 9-7 when the Bears came to bat in the bottom of the fourth. There they rallied for eight runs to take a 15-9 lead and they led the rest of the way. ECC made it a 15-10 game with a run in the top of the fifth but DMACC scored twice in the bottom of the sixth for a 17-8 advantage and ECC closed it out with two runs in the top of the eighth.
Foster and Owen led the Bears at the plate with three hits, including a double from Foster and a double and a home run by Owen. Moore, Anderson, Franck and sophomore Martin Smith of Boone had two hits apiece. Additional extra-base hits included a double from Baumgart, a triple and home runs from Anderson and Franck.
Owen led DMACC in RBIs with five, Baumgart had three and Moore and Franck had two apiece.
Freshman Grayson Kirsch of Marion started on the mound for the Bears and went three and two-thirds innings. He allowed nine runs on 10 hits, struck out four and walked two. Sophomore Sebastian Talaga of Palo Hills, Ill., pitched an inning and two-thirds and got the win in his first decision of the season. He allowed one run, struck out four and walked two. Redshirt freshman Jack Bunnell of Eddyville pitched two innings, allowing two runs with four strikeouts and two walks and redshirt freshman Teeghen Rath of Cedar Falls struck out three batters in an inning and two-thirds.
The DMACC baseball team will face North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) in a single game April 10 and a doubleheader on April 11. All three games will be played at the DMACC baseball diamond. NIACC is 6-27 overall and 3-6 in the ICCAC.