Baseball | 2/28/2025 10:18:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Cloud County Community College baseball team lost a pair of one-run decisions to No. 1 Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas on Friday, February 28.

Cloud County suffered a 5-4 loss in the series opener, and then took an 8-7 defeat in the second half of the doubleheader.

The T-Birds plated the first run of the afternoon when redshirt freshman Matthew Evans doubled to left-center, stole a base and scored in the top of the first inning of game one. However, Weatherford tied the game in the bottom half of the frame when Manuel Salas delivered a base hit to center, driving home JC Davis for the first run of the day for the Coyotes.

Cloud County loaded the bases in the top of the third. Redshirt freshman David Simmons drew a two-out walk, scoring sophomore Cam MaCleod to give the T-Birds a 2-1 lead. Freshman Joey Marino followed with a ground ball in the infield, which was thrown away by short stop Uriah Walters trying to get the force out at third, allowing both Evans and sophomore Nolan Freund to score off the throwing error.

Following a scoreless fourth, Weatherford loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning before T-Bird sophomore Caden Marcum walked Walters, allowing Blake Martinez to score from third. Marcum exited with a 4-2 lead having struck out five over four and a third innings.

The Coyotes tacked on two more runs in the fifth when Salas lined a single into center, bringing Trace Mazon and Davis across to tie the game at 4-all.

One batter later, Mason Ashlock hit a sacrifice fly to deep center to score Walters, giving Weatherford the lead at 5-4.

The T-Birds were retired in order over the final two innings to suffer the loss.

Cloud County tallied six hits, while Weatherford was limited to four hits. Freund went 2-for-3 with an RBI and one run. Evans, MaCleod, Marino and sophomore Noah Konings each recorded one hit.

Weatherford opened game two scoring two runs on two hits in the bottom of the first inning. Cloud County answered back in the top of the second when Simmons led off the inning with a double to left field. Marino followed by demolishing a home run to left to tie the game at 2-all.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the sixth when Walters smashed a two-run home run to put the Coyotes ahead 4-2. 

Cloud County responded in the top of the seventh when freshman Lucas Laukkanen's sacrifice bunt scored Konings. Sophomore Austin Coyle followed with a single to left, driving in Vasya Seymour to tie the game at 4-all.

Weatherford put runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the seventh when Mazon singled to right to bring Tyler Moody home to make it 5-4.

Cloud County had a chance to answer in the eighth when two T-Birds reached with one out, but the Coyotes were able to withstand the threat.

The Coyotes loaded the bases and scored two runs with no one out in the bottom part of the eighth. Clark Springs added a one-out sacrifice fly to center field to bring Ashlock across, pushing Weatherford's lead out to 8-4.

The T-Birds attempted a rally in the ninth. Laukkanen led off the inning with a walk. Coyle followed with an infield single to put two runners on the bases. After the Coyotes struck out Evans and Freund, Simmons collected a ground rule to double that scored Laukkanen. Freshman infielder Kaden Budke followed with a single to left, driving in Coyle and Simmons. Budke represented the tying run, but Weatherford regrouped and managed to get sophomore Eric Bradicich to strikeout to end the game.

Sophomore Zach Sharshel took the loss, allowing three runs on two hits in one inning of relief action. Starter Jack MacIntosh went three innings and allowed two runs on three hits.

Simmons went 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Coyle, Konings and Marino had two hits each.

Cloud County and Weatherford will wrap up its three-game series on Saturday at noon.