Campus News

GC stays hot, gains ground in playoff chase

Lakers sweep Cecil, Catonsville in region doubleheaders

McHenry, MD – Pitchers pitching on three days' rest. Runners taking the extra base at every opportunity. Teams getting hot at just the right time.

Welcome to the NJCAA Division II Region 20 baseball playoff race.

The Lakers are certainly doing everything they can to add to the excitement of the regional race. Garrett College has gone 8-3 since an 0-5 regional start, including Monday's 11-1 and 4-0 sweep of visiting Cecil College, moving the Lakers past Cecil and into the region's eighth and final playoff spot.

Kelan Hoover and Chance Moore – both pitching on 3 days' rest – provided masterful complete-game efforts, yielding a combined 6 hits over 12 innings. Joseph DeSiena backed up Hoover's 5-inning, run-rule victory in Game 1 with 2 doubles and 5 RBI. The Lakers had to get a little more creative in the nightcap, scoring 4 runs in 4 different innings on 4 wild pitches by Cecil hurler Slothing Che.

"Everyone's invested, everybody's on board," Hoover said of the Lakers' playoff push. "Things are starting to click and we're having a good time."

The Lakers (16-21 overall) control their own playoff destiny, thanks in part to last week's region doubleheader sweep of CCBC-Catonsville. GC has region doubleheaders remaining at CCBC-Essex (17-15-1 overall, 10-6 region) on May 5th and College of Southern Maryland (20-18, 8-4) on May 6th.

DeSiena's big game at the plate in the opener supported Hoover's 3-hit, 10-strikeout gem. The Lakers scored a combined 9 runs in the third and fourth innings to invoke the NJCAA's 10-run mercy rule.

The nightcap was much more competitive. GC manufactured single runs in the first, second, fourth and sixth innings while Moore was twirling a 3-hit shutout that included 9 strikeouts and just 1 walk.

"I just wanted to throw strikes and go right at them," said Moore of pitching on 3 days' rest.

The Lakers' Game 2 offensive strategy became clear in the home first. Zach Hallenbeck looped a leadoff single to right, went from first to third on Elijah Hanible's sacrifice bunt when no Seahawk covered third, and scored on a Che wild pitch.

GC followed a similar strategy to score its next 3 runs.

Baron Swanger walked with one out in the second and scored on a trio of Che wild pitches to make it 2-0. DeSiena singled with 1 out in the fourth, went all the way to third on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on a wild pitch. Darrick Broadwater singled, stole second, went to third on an errant throw and came home on a sixth-inning wild pitch to complete the scoring.

"We took advantage of some of Che's wildness," said GC head coach Eric Hallenbeck. "We got guys in scoring position and took the extra base whenever we could."

PSC 13, Garrett College 2

McHenry, MD – Designated hitter Hayden Baldwin slammed 2 homers and drove in 5 runs as the Catamounts beat Garrett College in a 5-inning opener as part of Saturday's doubleheader.

Anthony Swenda (2-for-3, 2 runs) and Caleb Taylor (run) each homered and drove in 3 runs to help spark Potomac State's 9-hit attack.

Robert Kelly pitched a complete-game 5-hitter, walking 4 and whiffing 6, to earn the pitching victory.

Zach Hallenbeck had 2 of GC's 5 hits in the opener while Darrick Broadwater drove in both Laker runs.

GC starting pitcher Dylan McCartney walked 2 batters and hit a third before being lifted without recording an out. Four Laker pitchers combined to yield 9 hits and 6 walks over the 5 innings.

Garrett College 13, PSC 11

McHenry, MD – Darrick Broadwater went 3-for-4, driving in 4 runs and scoring twice, as the Lakers rallied for a 9-0 deficit to stun Potomac State and earn a split of Saturday's doubleheader.

PSC scored 9 runs in the first 2 innings. At that point, the Catamounts – who had scored the final 9 runs in the opener – has put 18 straight runs on the board. They wouldn't score again until the seventh, by which time Garrett had built a 13-9 cushion.

Daniel Garcia (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI) had a 2-run, second-inning single to get the Lakers on the board. Zachary Swingers' 3-run homer as part of a 4-run third helped the Lakers pull within 9-6, and Broadwater's 2-run double in the fourth cut the gap to 9-8.

Garrett took the lead for good as Baron Swiger and Brandon Lucas (2-for-4, run) delivered run-scoring singles in the home fifth.

The Lakers added some insurance with 3 sixth-inning runs. Broadwater – who finished a triple shy of the cycle – homered, and Zach Hallenbeck doubled in the final 2 Laker runs.

Nine different Lakers contributed hits to GC's 13-hit attack.

Lucas picked up the win with 3 2/3 innings of 1-hit relief. He walked 3 and struck out 2.

Patrick Bart went the final 1 1/3 innings to earn a save.

Chase Lautner, who pitched the last 2 innings for PSC, took the loss. He gave up 5 runs (4 earned) on 6 hits and a walk with 2 strikeouts.

Anthony Swenda (2-for-3, 2 walks, 2 runs, 4 RBI) hit Catamount homers in both the first and second innings, giving him 3 for the doubleheader.

Garrett College 11, Catonsville 0

Catonsville, MD – Zach Hallenbeck doubled, scored twice, and drove in 3 runs as Garrett College coasted past CCBC-Catonsville in the opening game of last Thursday's doubleheader.

Brandon Lucas (2 runs, 2 RBI) homered and doubled. Chance Moore (2 doubles, run) and Elijah Hanible (2 runs) were the other Lakers with 2 hits in GC's 10-hit attack.

Hallenbeck, Hanible, Lucas and Moore – the first 4 hitters in the Lakers' lineup – went a combined 8-for-16.

Kelan Hoover allowed 1 hit and 7 walks over 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. Hoover struck out 7.

Patrick Bart pitched a perfect 1 1/3 innings to combine with Hoover on the shutout.

Christian Figueroa had Catonsville's only hit.

Garrett College 5, Catonsville 3

Catonsville, MD – Darrick Broadwater singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth as the Lakers used the extra-inning victory to complete last Thursday's doubleheader sweep.

After notching the first out in the eighth inning, Cardinals reliever Dan Delaney walked Daniel Garcia and then hit Hector Garcia with a pitch. Broadwater followed with his RBI hit, scoring Daniel Garcia, and Joseph DeSiena lofted a sacrifice fly to plate Hector Garcia with an insurance run.

Chance Moore earned a complete-game victory, spacing 10 hits while striking out 3 with no walks.

Hector Garcia's RBI single to cap a 2-run fourth gave Garrett College a 3-2 lead, but Orlando Perez, Jr. doubled home the tying run in the bottom half of the inning for Catonsville.

Zach Hallenbeck was the only Laker with multiple hits, going 2-for-5 with an RBI.