The Lamar Community College baseball team opened up strong against Colorado State University’s Club Team in the season opener on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Merchants Park.
The doubleheader was played on a perfect day for baseball with weather in the sixty-degree range.
The Runnin’ Lopes pitched lights out in game one for a combined effort no-hitter in a 4-1 victory.
The second inning was all the ‘Lopes needed to win the game as they pushed across two runs.
After a smoked double in the left-centerfield gap by Jack Stamper, Draven Adame came to bat and singled to left field, bringing in Stamper for the first run of the season.
Adame would then proceed to score on a triple by Sam Scarborough off of the right-field wall.
In the fourth inning, Ayden Karraker walked, which setup another Stamper double to give the Lopes a 3-0 lead.
On the mound, Darin Cook, the ‘Lopes starting pitcher, fired no-hit baseball through four innings before being replaced by Ryan Hoff.
Hoff, a freshman this season, also threw no-hit baseball, surrendering only one unearned run in the fifth.
In the bottom half of the inning, LCC got the run back.
Owen Reynolds drew a walk and would later score on a throwing error from the catcher.
Christian Peery, also a freshman, earned his first save in his collegiate career, with a hitless seventh inning.
LCC had six hits in the opener and committed three errors.
In the second game, LCC won 7-2 to complete the sweep.
The ‘Lopes started another freshman on the mound as Keven Mackintosh, a lefty from Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora, pitched three innings and allowed one run (earned). He struck out five and walked one.
In the bottom of third, LCC erupted for a three-run explosion from the offense.
Scott Savage, a sophomore outfielder, started off the inning with a solo home run over the left-field wall.
Adame would single the next at-bat. After a sacrifice bunt from Scarborough, and a single from Josh Crites, the ‘Lopes had runners on first and third. Stamper would line out to center to score Adame. Reynolds would triple to the right field gap to give LCC a 3-1 lead.
The’Lopes ran into some trouble in the fifth inning. Johnny Ramirez was given the tough task of getting out of the bases-loaded jam.
Ramirez fooled two CSU hitters, striking them out in the fifth to maintain the ‘Lopes lead at 3-2.
Ramirez would proceed to keep the score the same in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom half of the sixth, the ‘Lopes exploded for four more runs to build a 7-2 lead.
Reynolds doubled to start the inning, which was followed by a Kennedy Badgett with a single.
Kavan Andrew, who replaced a hurt Karraker, tripled to score two runs. Savage then singled to score Andrew.
After another single from Adame, Scarborough would ground out to second base, but it was enough to score Savage on the play.
The ‘Lopes would close the game with a scoreless seventh to bring their record to 2-0 on the young season.
On deck for the Runnin’ Lopes will be a pair of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 11-12) against the Clarendon College Bulldogs, a member of the WJCAC.
The last time the ‘Lopes and Bulldogs faced one another was in Texas where the two split at one game apiece.
The doubleheader on Saturday will begin at 1 o’clock and the doubleheader on Sunday will start at 12 noon.
