NORFOLK, Neb. – The No. 19 Northeast Community College baseball team traveled to Fort Dodge, Iowa Wednesday for a ranked showdown with No. 7 Iowa Central Community College. The Hawks fell in the tight contest by a final score of 7-6.
Northeast (31-18-18-8 ICCAC) gave the ball to Nick Vilims (Evergreen, Colo.) in a duel of two of the top squads from the ICCAC. The sophomore went five innings on the mound, allowed just four hits and struck out six batters from the Tritons to put the Hawks right in the ballgame. Neither team got on the board until the top of the fourth inning when Derek Woolwine (Boulder, Colo.) launched a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Kale Jensen (Central City, Neb.). Northeast went on to add two runs in the sixth frame and three runs in the seventh inning. Woolwine finished the day with two RBIs and two walks on a day where the Hawks scored six runs on six hits. Iowa Central pushed three runs across in the eighth frame and two more in the bottom of the ninth inning to take the victory in the tight battle.
STAT SHEET:
Derek Woolwine (Boulder, Colo.): 1-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Kale Jensen (Central City, Neb.): 1-3, 2B, 3 R, RBI, 2 BB
Nick Vilims (Evergreen, Colo.): 5 IP, 4 H, ER, 6 K
HEAR FROM THE HAWKS COACH:
Head Baseball Coach Marcus Clapp on the start from Nick Vilims and the ballgame as a whole:
“I thought Vilims threw well,” Clapp said. “We gave up five runs in the last two innings. Have to close games out. We had too many free bases again and left guys in scoring position. I didn’t think we executed well. We let that one get away. We’ll practice tomorrow and get ready for NIACC.”
UP NEXT:
The Hawks will return home and will host North Iowa Area Community College in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at Norfolk Veterans Memorial Baseball Field in Norfolk.
