Warriors sees first trip to national tournament end after 2 games
The East Central Community College Warriors concluded their extraordinary 2023 baseball season with a heartbreaking loss against the Frederick Community College Cougars, 11-10, at the NJCAA DII World Series in Enid, Oklahoma. Despite the loss, the Warriors had a remarkable journey that saw them earn both the MACCC and NJCAA Region 23 championships, finishing the season with 37 wins and 20 losses.
The showdown with the Cougars was intense from the start, with a flurry of runs throughout the game. Cade Hall made his mark in the first inning, pushing the Warriors into an early lead with a two-run double. Brady McGee extended the advantage to 3-0 in the top of the third, driving in Mo Little with a ground out. The Cougars fought back, scoring a run in both the fifth and sixth innings to narrow the deficit to 3-2. However, in the top of the seventh, ECCC’s Ramie Harrison crushed a two-run homer to right, growing the Warriors’ lead to 5-2.
Frederick Community College hit back in the bottom of the frame with a three-run home run, leveling the score at 5-5. After not much action in the eighth, the Warriors got the bats hot in the top of the ninth. Leighton Jenkins kick-started the inning with a lead-off single, followed by Harrison drawing a walk. Once again, Cade Hall stepped up to the plate, clearing the bases with a triple to centerfield. Reid Hall then brought his brother home with a single to left field. Eli Collins added two more runs with a double, giving ECCC a 10-5 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.
The Cougars made an impressive rally in the bottom half of the ninth, scoring six runs on six hits, snatching victory from the Warriors with a final score of 11-10.
Cade Hall and his brother led the charge at the plate for East Central, each contributing two hits, with Cade Hall delivering the most runs for the team with four RBIs. Collins, Jenkins, Little, Harrison, McGee, and Hayze West also made notable contributions, each securing a hit in the game.
On the pitching front, Mason Willis started on the mound for the Warriors, impressively striking out six batters during his six and one-third inning outing. Willis conceded four runs on eight hits. Parker Martin stepped in for two and one-third innings, surrendering six runs on five hits and recording one strikeout. Luis Cano closed out the game with a tight 11-pitch appearance.
ECCC 2, Southeastern Iowa 12
In the second game of the NJCAA Division II National Championship, the Warriors of East Central Community College played catch-up against Southeastern Iowa, ultimately falling to the Blackhawks, 12-2.
The Blackhawks wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, followed by an additional two in the second. However, the Warriors battled back in the bottom of the second inning. Ramie Harrison led off with a solid single, and Cade Hall followed suit, putting two runners on base. Manning Huffman then delivered a hard-hit double to right field, bringing both runners home and narrowing the Blackhawk lead to just three runs, making it 5-2.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, the Blackhawk offense continued to hit in the top of the fourth inning, scoring two more runs on RBI singles. In the top of the fifth, they added five additional runs to their tally. Despite their best efforts, the Warriors could not generate any more runs, resulting in the 12-2 run-rule victory for the Blackhawks after five innings.
Luke Cooley took the mound as the starting pitcher for the Warriors and ultimately suffered the loss. Cooley threw three and two-thirds innings, allowing seven runs while managing to strike out three batters. Dagan Martin, Grant Edwards, and Parker Martin all made appearances in relief but had limited outings. Offensively, Harrison, Huffman, Cade Hall, and Reid Hall were the only Warriors who managed to connect for hits.
