The Hesston College baseball team dropped a four-game series to Northern Oklahoma College – Tonkawa. After falling in a pair of games at home on Saturday (Mar. 8), the Larks traveled to Tonkawa, Okla. for another doubleheader on Sunday (Mar. 9). The Larks will be back in action on Thursday (Mar. 13) as the take on Minnesota Post Grad at 1 p.m.
Game 1 – Hesston College 6, NOC-Tonkawa 8
The Mavericks scored the first runs of the game in the third inning and led 5-0 entering the bottom of the sixth. The Larks made a late surge to take the game into extra innings, but the Mavericks ended up taking the win. Chris Cammllarie put the Larks on the board in the sixth with a two-run homer to left field. Back-to-back doubles from Kaleb Cain and Jett Millsap sparked a four-run seventh inning to tie things up. Millsap would later cross the plate on a wild pitch and Kaleb Wise added an RBI single. The final run of the inning came on a base loaded walk to Cammlarie to send things to extra innings. The Mavericks scored twice in the top of the inning and held off the Lark bats to take the first game of the series.
Millsap went 3-for-5 in the contest with a double and an RBI and Lucas Dunn also recorded three hits.
Zach Guntle made a strong start on the mound going 3.1 innings and allowing four runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four. Christian Buchanan made his first relief appearance of the season tossing two hitless innings allowing only one run and striking out a pair.
Game 2 – Hesston College 2, NOC-Tonkawa 8
The Mavericks held a slim 3-2 lead entering the fifth inning in the night cap before scoring five runs across the final three innings to earn the sweep. The Larks score both of their runs in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run homer to left by Trentis Lane. The Mavericks plated two runs in the fifth and sixth innings and added one more in the seventh.
Lane finished the game with a 2-for-3 line at the plate while Luke Richard, Dunn and Millsap also recorded hits.
Yuya Omata made the start for Hesston tossing four innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and striking out one. Jack Louis made his first career appearance on the mound allowing one run in one inning.
Game 3 – Hesston College 0, NOC-Tonkawa 14
The Larks struggled on the mound and at the plate in this contest as they recorded only one hit on offense and allowed 10 hits and five errors on defense. After a scoreless first inning, the Mavericks scored six in the second, one in the third and seven in the fourth to take the game in five innings.
Millsap recorded the lone hit for Hesston. Richard earned the start for the Larks tossing two innings and allowing six runs on six hits and a walk with one strikeout. Carson Kane went 1.1 innings in relief allowing eight runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks.
Game 4 – Hesston College 2, NOC-Tonkawa 15
The Larks struggles continued in the final game of the series as they recorded three hits while allowing 13. Hesston plated runs in the fourth on an RBI single from Kelvin Malone and the sixth on a double by Sincere Lozano.
In addition to the RBI hits by Malone and Lozano, Lane also finished 1-for-2 with a double.
Brayden Haire made the start for Hesston tossing one inning and allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits. Wise also made a relief appearance going 2.1 frames and allowing three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three batters.
