North Lake Falls to North Arkansas in District Tournament

MESQUITE, Texas – Dallas College North Lake's baseball team fell 7-1 to North Arkansas College in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III South Central District Tournament Wednesday at Dallas College Eastfield.

The Blazers' season came to an end at 21-31. North Arkansas (37-12) advances to play Eastfield (42-11) at 10 a.m. Thursday.

North Lake struck first when Blake Butler's sacrifice fly in the second inning scored Noah Angus, who had a one-out single earlier in the inning.

Blazers starting pitcher Hunter Greenwell kept the Pioneers quiet for the first four innings until North Arkansas broke through with five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Quince Venghaus doubled home a run. Garrett Fitts' RBI groundout scored Chris Duncan to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead. Dylan Carrell singled to right to score Venghaus. Bo Crites added a two-run double to bump the lead to 5-1.

North Lake's Jake Williams doubled for the second time with two outs in the sixth, but was stranded to keep it a four-run game.

Venghaus had a two-run home run to left in North Arkansas' next at-bat, pushing the lead to six.

Alex Murphy and Garrett Gregory both singled in North Lake's seventh, but the Blazers could not capitalize. Carter Mach legged out an infield single to third in the eighth, and Williams reached base on an error, but the Blazers couldn't push a run across.

North Arkansas starter Evan Gaunt set the Blazers down in order in the ninth to put the game away.

Gaunt went the distance, allowing a run on 10 hits, no walks and five strikeouts in the win. Greenwell took the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks in 4.1 innings. Noe Saracay pitched one inning of scoreless relief for the Blazers, giving up one hit, while striking out two.

Williams went 2-for-4. Murphy was 2-for-4. Danny Berenthy and Gregory both went 2-for-5. Mach and Angus each went 1-for-4.

North Arkansas' Logan Files was 2-for-3 with a walk. Anthony Soria was 2-for-4. Carrell was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Venghaus was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Crites went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

It was the second year in a row the Pioneers ended the Blazers' season in the district tournament.