Baseball | 4/10/2025 10:26:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 The Cloud County Community College baseball team continued its winning ways on Thursday, April 10 in a non-conference doubleheader against the Highland Community College Scotties. The T-Birds posted 28 runs on 27 hits in a doubleheader sweep of Highland, winning 18-3 in five innings in game one and by a 10-5 margin in seven innings in game two.

Cloud County ran its winning streak up to six straight with the two wins, moving to 6-1 in the month of April and improving their overall record to 29-11.

Sophomore infielder Nolan Freund launched two home runs, including a second inning grand slam, and drove in eight runs in game one. Freund's eight RBI matches the single-game Cloud County record set by Jakob Poturnak in April 2024.

Freund crushed a grand slam in the second inning, scoring Lucas Laukkanen, Austin Coyle and Matthew Evans during a nine-run inning for the T-Birds. Freund later belted a three-run home run in the fourth, helping Cloud County score at least 18 runs in a game for the fourth time this season.

With 15 hits, the T-Birds easily backed freshman right-hander Stocton Timbrook who struck out five in four innings for his second win of the season. Sophomore Andrew MacNeil pitched a scoreless fifth inning, allowing no hits while striking out two batters.

Freund collected Cloud County's first hit of the game with a single to left in the top of the first inning. The third baseman from Kingman, Kansas finished 3-for-4 with two home runs, two runs scored and eight RBI. This season, Freund is slashing .457 with seven home runs, 52 RBI and 45 runs scored. He currently ranks second in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in batting average, second in on-base percentage (.516), first in hits (64), first in RBI, first in total bases (103), second in doubles (16), and fifth in home runs.

Laukkanen added a second inning, three-run homer of his own to deep center field for his fifth bomb of the season. Laukkanen finished the game 2-for-2 with three runs scored and four RBI.

Freshman Joey Marino went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs scored and one RBI. Coyle had a 2-for-3 performance with a double, three runs scored and two RBI. Freshmen Kaden Budke and Vasya Seymour also tallied two hit games.

Cloud County then registered 10+ hits combined with 10+ runs for the 15th time this season in its 10-5 game two victory.

The T-Birds jumped out to an early three-run lead in the first following back-to-back home runs by Freund and Marino. Freund went yard for the third time on the day with a two-run shot that scored Coyle. Marino followed by smacking his fifth long ball of the year with a solo shot to left-center field.

Highland tied the game in the bottom of the third on a run-scoring double by redshirt freshman Dylan Zimmerman and a two-run home run by sophomore Solomon Holmes.

Cloud County responded in the top half of the fourth. Redshirt freshman Luke Clayton singled to score sophomore Easton Mould. Clayton then scored on an RBI single by sophomore Gannon White. Freshman Tony Crow later stole home to push Cloud County's lead to 6-3.

The Scotties cut the deficit to one run in the bottom half of the fourth when sophomore Isaiah White crushed a two-run home run to left-center to make it 6-5.

The T-Birds added three runs in the fifth. Clayton doubled down the left field line to score Marino, while Clayton scored on a wild pitch and sophomore Eric Bradicich scored on a passed ball.

Cloud County capped the scoring in the sixth inning when Marino singled to drive home White.

Marino recorded three hits with a home run, two runs scored and two RBI. Freund added a home run and two RBI. Clayton had a pair of hits with a double, two runs scored and two RBI, while Crow went 2-for-3 with one run scored. Bradicich, Coyle, Mould and White scored one run each.

Freshman Cole Linton got the start for Cloud County, improving to 4-1 on the year. Linton worked the first four innings, allowing five earned runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Sophomore Aaron Boutz and redshirt freshman Hayden Malaise combined to pitch the scoreless fifth. Sophomore Noah Bourgeois threw the final two innings, allowing no runs on one hit with two strikeouts.

Cloud County will conclude its five game road swing with two more games against Highland on Friday, April 11. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm from Highland Community Ballpark.