Baseballers split with Lake Michigan

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

The LCC baseball team split a pair of games against the Lake Michigan College Red Hawks on Thursday, April 4 at Municipal Park in Lansing.

LCC dominated the first game, 17-1 in five innings, and lost the second game, 11-9.

LCC Head Coach Steven Cutter said the score difference between the two games was more a product of the games than a loss of focus or anything else.

“We prepare the same way for every game and work hard to limit distractions like the scoreboard and other noise,” Cutter said.

These two games move the Stars’ conference record to 5-2 and overall record to 16-9 on the season.

In the first game, the Stars’ freshman pitcher Easton Remick pitched all five innings, He recorded nine strikeouts and only allowed two hits to the Red Hawks.

The Stars had a strong outing at the plate in the first game and scored 11 runs in the first inning alone.

Freshmen Kevin Davis and Conner Prahl both hit home runs in the first game for LCC, and combined for seven RBIs. Sophomore Ryan Radek went three for three at the plate in game one.

The second game was a different story, as the Red Hawks took a 6-1 lead through the first three innings.

Despite the deficit LCC faced, Cutter said the team's approach stays consistent and the batters don’t get overly aggressive at the plate.

“Our offense is one of the best in the country and we are averaging 10 runs per game this season,” Cutter said. “We are very close to breaking through as a team.”

LCC went through three pitchers in game two, starting with freshman Sean Bartlett, who pitched two innings and allowed five runs. Sophomore Braden LaRusso allowed six runs in two and a third innings and took the loss.

Freshman pitcher Zach Demianenko had two strikeouts and allowed two hits in two and two-thirds scoreless innings for the Stars.

On the batting side, Davis hit another home run for the Stars and had two RBIs. Sophomore Clay Emeigh went two for two at the plate and had two RBIs.

The Stars’ next two games will be on the road against Lake Michigan College on Saturday, April 6. LCC has a schedule filled with games this April and Cutter said he will continue to take it one game at a time as the team continuously improves.

“We have 24 games in 25 days this month and our group is doing a great job of trusting our process and continuing to stack the bricks of success,” Cutter said. “We have had some big wins and a few tough losses, but that is all typical with an inexperienced team.”