CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The seventh-ranked NIACC baseball team struggled early against Kirkwood Community College, but fought back in game two to earn a split with the Eagles, 2-10 and 5-1.
NIACC (20-4, 4-2 in the ICCAC) gave up four runs in the first inning and a pair in the second during the game one loss. Lucas Bakker (Fr., Brisbane, Austrailia) was given his first loss of the season, had a strikeout and a walk in four innings. He is now 5-1. Kirkwood (8-19, 2-4 in the ICCAC) had 13 hits against NIACC pitchers in game one.
Nick Tillo (So., Sioux City, IA) had the Trojans best offensive game with a pair of RBI doubles.
NIACC also fell behind early in game two, but Jeremy Cronk (Fr., North Liberty, IA) improved to 4-0 by pitching all seven innings, striking out nine and allowing four hits during the 5-1 win. Kirkwood scored its lone run in the first.
Osvaldo Marin (So., Carolina, Puerto Rico) and AJ Hrubetz (Fr., Mason City, IA) both had two-run homeruns in game two, while Nate Pilacinski (So., Gaylord, MN) and Jose Perez (Fr., Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico) both had a pair of hits. Tyler Peterson (So., Eden Prairie, MN) and Hunter King (Fr., Mason City, IA) both recorded doubles in the second game.
NIACC will have two more games against Kirkwood on Sunday.
