The North Central Missouri College baseball team picked up a nine-inning victory in a single game against Missouri Valley’s junior varsity on the road in Marshall on Tuesday.
The Pirates exploded out of the gate, plating two runs in the top of the first, three in the second and two in the third. Missouri Valley, meanwhile, scored two runs in the second. The Pirates would tack on single runs in the fourth and fifth, pushing the advantage to 9-2. Missouri Valley would rally, however, scoring two in the bottom of the fifth. Valley added another run in the sixth and two in the eighth, drawing to within two runs of the Pirates. That was all the closer they would get, however, as Ethan Massman shut down the home team in the bottom of the ninth to earn his first save of the season for the Pirates.
Aspen Taylor was the winning pitcher, throwing the first three frames. Taylor allowed two runs, one earned, on a hit and three walks in his time on the hill. He struck out five in three innings. With the win, Taylor established a 1-0 record on the season.
The Pirates ran rampant on Missouri Valley, literally, stealing nine bases in the game. Cezan Rafaela led the way with three steals and Jordan Bardwell, James Brownsberger, Landon Figg, Turner Herbek, Sean Huggins and AJ Salinas all had one theft each.
Brownsberger was three-for-four with three runs scored and Rafaela was two-for-two with two runs scored. Herbek had a multi-hit game as well, going two-for-three with two RBIs. Salinas had one hit and drove in two runs and Bardwell and Figg each had one RBI and one run scored.
With the win, the Pirates moved to 5-8 overall on the season.
North Central will return to the diamond on Thursday, traveling to Poplar Bluff for a Region 16 doubleheader at Three Rivers Community College. The first pitch for game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. The Pirates will take on Three Rivers in a second doubleheader on Friday, with action in Poplar Bluff beginning at noon.
Following the four-game series at Three Rivers, the Pirates will embark on their annual South Carolina trip.
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