Northeast baseball caps historic season at the NJCAA DII Baseball World Series

ENID, Okla. – The Northeast Community College baseball team had its season come to an end on Tuesday night, falling to Mesa Community College in an elimination game, 8-6 in extra innings at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Okla.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Hawks (36-20) faced an elimination game against Lincoln Land Community College at Failing Field on the campus of Northern Oklahoma College-Enid. Northeast came away with the win, 8-5 after a dominant pitching performance from lefty starter Lane Koetter (Grand Junction, Colo.).

In the nightcap, 10 innings wasn't enough for the Hawks as Mesa scored two runs in the top of the 10^th inning.

However, it was the Hawks that got on the scoreboard first, taking a 2-0 lead after the first inning. Mesa eventually made a small comeback, but three runs in the bottom of the sixth by the Hawks put them back in the drivers seat.

The game didn't go as planned for Northeast as Mesa forced extra innings and eventually added two runs in the top of the eighth, before adding the final two runs to down the Hawks.

Drew Smith (Elkhorn, Neb.) did the most damage at the plate for Northeast, going 3-for-4, with three stolen bases, two runs, a double, a walk and an RBI. Bryce Walker (Papillion, Neb.) followed with a clutch home run, two runs scored, while drawing three walks.

Jayden Sinju (Murray, Utah) and Christian Dumont (Bellevue, Neb.) each added two hits.

Alex Potter (Parker, Colo.) was dealt the loss. He threw four innings in relief, giving up four earned runs off five hits, while walking three batters and striking out two.

In the first elimination game of the day, the Hawks took a demanding 6-1 run after five innings and never looked back, despite a three-run ninth inning by the Loggers.

Koetter grabbed the win on the mound, tossing six innings, while allowing only an earned run off six hits. The lefty walked four batters and struck out three.

Smith and Walker each had a double, while Walker added two RBI.

The Hawks lose 15 sophomores to graduation. Nine of those sophomores have signed to further their academic and athletic career at a four-year institution.

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.