Opening Day in the Books for MMI Baseball
Game 1: MMI 4 Roane State CC 0
The MMI Tigers opened up the 2015 baseball season at home Friday afternoon, strolling to a 4-0 victory in game one of a doubleheader against the Roane State Community College Raiders. Sophomore Joe Hudson pitched a complete game, surrendering just four hits and striking out two batters to earn the win.
Marion got into the scoring column in the bottom of the second inning. Carson McGregory led off with a double to right field. Chase Hamrick sacrificed McGregory to third. Freshman catcher Justin Bisharat forced an error on the Raider's shortstop and had two men on for Blake Teel, who blasted a double to left field and scored McGregory. Jackson Cofer followed with an RBI, scoring Bisharat and giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
The Tigers rallied for two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Cofer started with a base hit up the middle. Zachary Neumann forced an infield error and was able to take second base on an errant throw which scored Cofer. Jonah Todd moved Neumann to third and Samuel Farley got a base hit to left field to score the Tiger's fourth and final run of the game.
Game 2: MMI 5 Roane State CC 6
Struggles on the mound got the Tigers behind early with the Raiders taking a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the first inning. Dax Winningham, Marion's starter in game two, settled down and got three quick outs in the second inning. MMI tied the game in the bottom of the inning after Steven Ward doubled to left centerfield and was brought in by Zachary Neumann.
The Raiders regained the lead, 2-1, in the top of the third inning. They added two more runs in the top of the fifth inning off relief pitcher J.P. Ratliffe. Marion rallied in the bottom of the fifth, scoring four runs to take a 5-4 lead. Christopher Brannon led the inning off with a base hit and was bunted over to second by catcher Zachary Seagle. Alex Reyna earned a walk. Jonah Todd got a base hit up the middle to score Brannon. Samuel Farley followed suit, scoring Reyna and leaving runners on first and third. Carson McGregory continued his hot day at the plate with another base hit, scoring Todd. Chales Lewis hit a deep fly to right field at the next at bat which scored Farley and gave the home squad the one-run lead.
Unfortunately for Marion, that lead was short lived as the Raiders scored twice off relief pitcher Jackson Cofer in the sixth to regain the lead 6-5. Marion attempted a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting two runners into scoring position, but couldn't get the hit needed to force extra innings.
Marion will face Roane State CC again on Saturday afternoon in a 12:00/2:00 doubleheader at the Scott G. Davis Stadium