Northeast baseball falls short on Saturday

TONKAWA, Okla. – The No. 11 Northeast Community College baseball team fell by one run in both games on Saturday to No. 20 Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa, 5-4 and 3-2 in Tonkawa, Okla.

The Mavericks took a 2-1 lead after the first inning, but the Hawks (3-3) were able to tie the game 2-2 after the third inning. NOC-Tonkawa responded with back-to-back runs in the bottom of the third and fourth innings and again in the sixth to hold a 5-2 lead over Northeast.

Brennen Bales stepped to the plate in the top of the seventh and belted his third home run of the season to bring the Hawks within a run. However, the Mavericks were able to get two quick outs to keep the Hawks off the scoreboard.

Derek Botaletto (Omaha, Neb.) went 3-for-3 with a double, run and an RBI. Jayden Sinju (Murray, Utah) was 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Bales went 1-for-4 with a run, home run and two RBI.

Nate Zyzda (Sioux City, Iowa) was tagged with the loss after tossing five innings, allowing three earned runs off five outs, while walking two batters and striking out one.

After tying the game once again in the top of the third, the Mavericks picked up a run in the bottom of the third and never looked back, while holding the Hawks to only five hits in the final game on Saturday.

Botaletto went 2-for-4 with a double and Sinju was 1-for-2 with a run, an RBI and a home run.

Jeremy Schneider (Lovell, Wyo.) took the loss on the mound after throwing five innings, allowing two earned runs off six hits, while striking out two and walking one.

The Hawks return to the diamond at 12 p.m. tomorrow for another doubleheader against NOC-Tonkawa.

For all news related to Northeast Community College athletics, visit northeasthawks.com for complete coverage. Fans can also follow the Hawks on Twitter @NortheastHawks for game-day coverage.