OTTUMWA, Iowa – The Northeast Community College baseball team packed up and headed to Ottumwa, Iowa Saturday and Sunday for a three-game series with NJCAA DI Indian Hills Community College. The Hawks fell in Game 1 by a final score of 10-5 before rallying back with triumphs in Game 2 and Game 3 by final scores of 15-7 and 13-6 to claim the series victory.
Northeast (27-16, 14-6 ICCAC) jumped on top of the Warriors early in in the first contest as Cade Grevengoed (West Des Moines, Iowa) homered to left field in the top of the first inning. Grevengoed would later go on to double in the matchup while Kale Jensen (Central City, Neb.) drove in two RBIs of his own. Three runs from Indian Hills in the sixth inning proved too much to overcome, but the Hawks were determined to right the ship throughout the rest of the series.
Brice Wallar (Papillion, Neb.) had a banner day at the plate in the nightcap Saturday as the freshman tallied four hits and six RBIs that included a homer run and two triples. Grayson Headrick (Littleton, Colo.) contributed three RBIs of his own and a steal of home plate while starting pitcher Oliver Ward (Mill Creek, Wash.) went 6.2 innings on the mound and struck out eight batters. Six runs in the Northeast half of the ninth inning were enough to secure a split of the day.
On Sunday, Aidan Brainard (Littleton, Colo.) took the ball for the Hawks and was able to keep the Warriors offense in check. Brainard tossed six innings, allowed four hits and fanned three batters from Indian Hills. Derek Woolwine (Boulder, Colo.) put together an impressive day in the batters box as the sophomore recorded a home run, three hits and three RBIs in the rubber match of the three-game set. Grevengoed added four RBIs while Jensen and Wallar had two RBIs of their own. Wallar also came on to close for Northeast on the mound and went the final two innings without allowing an earned run.
STAT SHEET GAME 1:
Kale Jensen (Central City, Neb.): 1-3, 2 RBI
Cade Grevengoed (West Des Moines, Iowa): 2-3, HR, R, RBI, BB
Grayson Headrick (Littleton, Colo.): 1-3, R
STAT SHEET GAME 2:
Brice Wallar (Papillion, Neb.): 4-6, HR, 2 3B, R, 6 RBI
Grayson Headrick (Littleton, Colo.): 1-3, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 SB
Oliver Ward (Mill Creek, Wash.): 6.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 8 K
STAT SHEET GAME 3:
Derek Woolwine (Boulder, Colo.): 3-5, HR, 3 R, 3 RBI
Cade Grevengoed (West Des Moines, Iowa): 2-4, 2B, R, 4 RBI
Aidan Brainard (Littleton, Colo.): 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K
HEAR FROM THE HAWKS COACH:
Head Baseball Coach Marcus Clapp on the performances from Brice Wallar and Oliver Ward on Saturday:
“Brice had a good day and was big for us,” Clapp said. “Oliver threw really well and kept them in check also. Good split of the day Saturday to give us a chance to win the series.”
Clapp on how Sunday played out and Northeast claiming the series victory:
“I thought we were very aggressive offensively and pitched well in Game 3!” Clapp said. “It was a good weekend on the road for sure. I’m proud of the way we bounced back after Game 1.”
UP NEXT:
The Hawks will stay on the road this week beginning with a single game against Des Moines Area Community College at 3 p.m. Wednesday in Boone, Iowa.
