Baseball Splits with Mountain View, Wins Series

DALLAS – Dallas College North Lake's baseball team split a doubleheader at Dallas College Mountain View Sunday, winning the first game, 7-3, before falling in the nightcap, 6-2.

The win gave North Lake its second straight Dallas Athletic Conference series victory. The Blazers won the series opener Wednesday, 3-1, as Jake Nicholson improved to 2-0 after giving up an unearned run on nine hits and a walk, while striking out three in 6 2/3 innings. Maxwell Gidden earned the save, allowing a hit and three walks, while recording two punchouts in 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief.

The series shifted to a twin bill Sunday due to heavy rain which made field conditions unplayable Friday and Saturday.

In Sunday's opener, the Blazers (12-12, 5-1 DAC) took a 3-0 lead in the first inning on Michael Holden's RBI double to left and Eric De Anda's two-run double to center. Huston Cornish homered to right on a full count in the bottom half of the inning for the Lions (7-10, 1-5). Mountain View cut it to 3-2 on Zeke Velasquez's run-scoring single to left in the fifth.

North Lake gave itself a five-run cushion in the seventh, scoring two runs on an error, Noah Angus' RBI single to left and Joseph Binder's RBI double to center. Mountain View picked up its last run in the ninth on Velasquez's RBI single to center.

Blazers starter Davin Askew (3-1) pitched five innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks, and struck out six. Branden Kirtley worked the final four innings for his second save, fanning a season-high eight, and allowing a run on two hits and four walks.

Holden was 4-for-5 with an RBI. De Anda was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a pair of walks. Robert Farr went 2-for-5.

Velasquez was 2-for-5 with two RBI, and Cornish went 2-for-3 with two walks and an RBI for the Lions.

In the second game, Mountain View jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the third. The Lions scored three in the second on Aiden Flores' two-run single and an error. They added two more in the third on an error and Tyler Harvey's sacrifice fly to center to score Marlan Lavalais. Greg Willis scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the fifth to make it 6-0.

North Lake scored both of its runs in the ninth on Leo Salas' RBI single to left and Angus' RBI single to center.

Salas was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Joseph Binder singled twice and walked in three at-bats. De Anda was 2-for-4. Lincoln Skinner, Angus and Holden each went 1-for-4.

Flores went 3-for-3 with a walk, and drove in two runs for the Lions. Willis was 1-for-3. Cornish had a hit in five plate appearances.

Lions starter Jace Maynard (2-1) went seven innings, allowing four hits, a walk and no runs, and struck out three in the win. Payton Wooley tossed one inning of shutout relief, giving up one hit and no walks.

North Lake's Conner Chase went 4 2/3 innings in relief, allowing two hits, an unearned run and two walks, while striking out three.

The Blazers host Joliet Junior College Wednesday and McCook Community College in a doubleheader Friday.