YOUNG AND PITCHING STAFF CARRY HAWKS TO SATURDAY SWEEP OF LAKE REGION STATE COLLEGE

NORFOLK, Neb. – The No. 10 ranked Northeast Community College baseball team hosted their first Saturday home game of the season against Lake Region State College at Norfolk Veterans Memorial Field in Norfolk. The team treated their home fans to two big-time showings, winning Game 1 by a final score of 12-4 and taking the victory in Game 2 over the Royals 15-5.

In Game 1 Preston Tenney (Parker, Colo.) took the mound for the Hawks (18-2) and contributed six solid innings. Kaden Young (Columbus, Neb.), Taylor Gill (Orem, Utah) and Maximo De Leon (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) all blasted homers to give the Hawks an 8-0 lead after three innings and they cruised the rest of the way.

Game 2 started off shaky for the Hawks, but Brandon Nicks (Omaha, Neb.) entered the game in the second inning and calmed the tide. Maxim Fullerton (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) came up huge for the Hawks as he went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Young tallied three more RBIs after three in Game 1 and a single from Gill scored two to finish the game in the sixth inning.

STAT SHEET GAME 1

•          Kaden Young (Columbus, Neb.): 2-4 HR, 3 RBIs

•          Zane Zielinski (Chicago, Ill.): 3-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB

•          Samuel Manwarren (Overland Park, Kan.): 2-3, 2B, 2 RBIs

•          Preston Tenney (Parker, Colo.): 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K

STAT SHEET GAME 1

•          Kaden Young (Columbus, Neb.): 2-4, 3 RBIs

•          Samuel Manwarren (Overland Park, Kan.): 2-3, 2B

•          Maxim Fullerton (Steamboat Springs, Colo.): 3-4, 2B

•          Brandon Nicks (Omaha, Neb.): 4.1 IP, 4 H, ER, 4 K

HEAR FROM THE HAWKS COACH

Head baseball coach Marcus Clapp's thoughts on Kaden Young's performance at the plate against in both games:

"He's had some games where that's what he's able to do and he's had some games where he gets big and long and it doesn't turn out that way," Clapp said. "He's like anybody. He's got a good swing. When he trusts it, stays simple and stays middle, that's what's going to happen."

Clapp's thoughts on his pitching staff's performance:

"I thought we did good," Clapp said. "Again, when we focus on us and do what we're capable of doing we're pretty good on the mound. When we hurt ourselves, get in three-ball counts, fall behind, walk people and hit guys we put ourselves in tough spots. That's anybody. It's common sense, but that's kind of been our issue a little bit. Today we came in and threw strikes. I thought (Brandon) Nicks came in and did a really good job. I thought we did well overall."

Clapp's thoughts facing Lake Region State College again tomorrow and what he wants to see from his team:

"Again, it's just got to be about us," Clapp said. "We're going to talk here in a second (as a team) about how no matter what the score of the first game is or what happens in the first game we have to flush it and start all over again. It took us a little bit to get going in the second game today. We have to learn how to play a whole day and one game at a time."

UP NEXT

The Hawks will be back home to finish their series against Lake Region State College for another doubleheader. The games are scheduled for 12 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Norfolk Veterans Memorial Field in Norfolk.  

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