Campus News

Raptors cool off Garrett with sweep

Lakers had been 8-2 over their previous 10 baseball contests

Zach Hallenback

Rockville, MD – Montgomery College rallied to defeat visiting Garrett College, 8-7, and complete a sweep of Saturday’s baseball doubleheader as the Lakers’ hopes for hosting a playoff sub-regional took a critical hit.

The Raptors – 7-1 winners in the opener – overcame 3-0, 6-3, and 7-6 deficits in the nightcap, earning the win as Will McDonnell hit a two-run homer in the home fifth. McDonnell finished with two homers and three RBI.

Garrett (25-25 overall, 10-8 NJCAA Division II Region 20) dropped from fourth to fifth place in the region standings with the losses. Starting the last week of the regular season, the Lakers can still finish anywhere from fourth to 10th in the region, with the top eight teams qualifying for the playoffs.

“We control our own destiny,” said GC head coach Eric Hallenbeck. “We don’t have to worry about winning and scoreboard-watching. We’ve got six games left [as of Tuesday] and four of them are at home. Hopefully that will be an advantage for us.

GC had won eight of its previous 10 games heading into the doubleheader with Montgomery. That had boosted the Lakers into fourth place, which is the final slot for hosting a sub-regional.

Angel Oquendo (double, two runs, three RBI), Easton Rhoten (double, two runs), and Jacob Kennel (two doubles, run, RBI) each had two hits for the Lakers in the nightcap. Zach Hallenbeck and Chance Ritchey each had a hit, a run, and drove in a run.

Eddie Frye (3-1) earned the win with three innings of one-hit relief for the Raptors.

Garrett closes the regular season with division doubleheaders against CCBC-Essex, first-place Frederick Community College, and CCBC-Dundalk. The Lakers would have to win at least four of those six games to avoid a road playoff opener.

Montgomery 7, GC 1

Rockville, MD – Van Rosenbaum (two runs, two RBI) and Trey Mason (run, RBI) each collected three singles as the Raptors banged out 16 hits in Saturday’s opener.

The Raptors broke a 1-1 tie with a four-run third inning as unbeaten Jared Hurlburt (5-0) combined with Daerek Sawyer on a three-hitter.

Easton Rhoten (run), Colby Schmitz (double), and Zach Hallenbeck each had a hit for Garrett.

Garrett 6, WCCC 1

Youngwood, PA – Stefan Machkovski (2-1) yielded one unearned run over five innings for the win while Alphonso Westbrook earned his fourth save with two shutout innings last Friday as the Lakers topped host Westmoreland County Community College.

Machkovski gave up five hits with six strikeouts and two walks while Westbrook allowed just one walk over his two innings pitched.

Easton Rhoten (run, RBI) led GC’s 11-hit attack with a pair of doubles while Chance Ritchey (double, two runs, two RBI), Angel Oquendo (double, run, RBI), and Jonathan Padgett (run) each had two hits. Ty Giblin reached base twice with a double and a walk.

Jacob Smith’s run-scoring sacrifice fly in the home seventh ruined GC’s shutout bid.