The Neosho County Community College baseball team outscored the Ottawa University Braves 58-8 over a four-game sweep Saturday and Sunday as all four games ended with the 10-run rule in affect.
"It's four wins," Coach Steve Murry said. "I hate to say this, but we are pretty young and inexperienced. We've got a lot of experience this weekend."
Over the course of the weekend, all four starting pitchers went the distance for the Panthers.
"That was really Alex's (DuBord) first real start, and McCae Allen's first real start. It was also Mason and (Brennon Covington's) first start of the year," Murry said. "We feel good about those, but I would have liked to get to some relief pitching, but by the same token, we didn't need them so we'll get those during our scrimmages this week."
On Saturday, the Panthers breezed through the doubleheader 16-0 and 16-4.
Neosho County didn't waste any time jumping on the Ottawa pitching staff. After loading the bases with no out, freshman Nate Vossman knocked a grand slam over the fence to put Neohso County up 4-0.
The Panthers added seven more in the second inning, while limiting Ottawa to a three-hit shutout in the five-inning contest.
In all, Vossman drove in seven runs on three hits. Freshman Nolan Beets and sophomore Aaron Dees also tallied three hits, while as a team, Neosho County pounded out 19 hits.
"I thought the batters did well for the most part," Murry said.
Covington went the distance, striking out four.
In game two, Ottawa struck in the top of the first, but sophomore infielder Josh Norlin sparked a six-running frame with a one-out single in the home half of the first.
Ottawa scored three runs combined in the fourth and fifth innings before Neosho County put the finishes touches on the afternoon with four runs in the fifth and five in the sixth.
Dees went 3-for-3 at the plate with six RBIs, while sophomore outfield Nate Crossman and freshman catcher Luke Kahle collected two hits apiece.
Freshman starter McCae Allen struck out five and walked two over six innings of work.
On Sunday, the story was much the same, as the Panthers scored nine runs before Ottawa plated its first run as the Panthers improved to 6-0 with a 15-4 and 11-0 victories.
The Braves scored three in the third with the help of a couple Neosho County errors, but freshman Kaleb DeLaTorre started bottom of the third with a single. The hit led to two more runs. In the win, Neosho County scored at least one run in the five innings, including three in the bottom of the fifth from a 3-run home run from Beets to end the game.
Norlin was the lone Panther to record a multiple hit game, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
Sophomore Mason Knopp earned his first win of the season, striking out seven.
In the final game of the series, sophomore Alex DuBord shutout Ottawa 11-0 with three strike outs, facing only 17 batters.
After a scoreless first inning, Norlin drove in a pair of runs, but it wasn't until the fourth inning that the Panthers did most of the damage.
Neosho County worked around three errors in the game.
"Marcus (McDaniel) is a good fielder," Murry said. "He worked himself into a fielding slump. He did a good job of making some plays later in the game."
Ottawa went through three pitchers in a nine-run frame. Kahle hit a two-run blast and Norlin also homered in the inning.
Norlin went 3-for-3 with three RBIs.
The Panthers will host Highland (Ill.) Community College on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's doubleheaders get underway at 1 pm, while Sunday's twin bill gets underway at 11 am.
"We don't really know much about them," Murry concluded. "They have a new coach, and they choose us to come up and play so they will come loaded for bear and we'll see what we got."
