DMACC splits home opener as season is put on hold

 

The Bears split their home opener versus Indian Hills on Friday, which will be their final game for the month due to the continuing spread of the Coronavirus. They intend to return to the field April 3.

 The Bears improved their record to 5-11 and end the month on a win.

 The pitching for DMACC was off to a cold start in the double header as Indian Hills got off to a quick two-run lead in the second inning. Things only seemed to get colder for DMACC from there. The Bears lost their starting pitcher, Ray Ray Douglas, in the first inning, leading to Gannon Manfull to take over and to ultimately be credited with his first loss of the season. 

Errors also began to stack up on DMACC after a pop fly was dropped by left fielder Grant Bohling, leading to a Falcons run. 

The bats were cold as well for the Bears in the first half of the double header. Throughout the game it seemed like DMACC could not get into a solid rhythm to combat with the Falcons’ quick start. The Bears would finish with a total of six hits and three errors while the Falcons ended with 11 hits and four runs.

“We played good defense, just could not get the bats going,”Coach Nic Mishler said. 

By the end of game one, the scoreboard in center field said it all: The Bears lost 4-0 and would return to the dugout to prepare for the second half of their double header.

Game two would be a totally different story as DMACC came out firing. After a quick three outs by the Bears starting pitcher Logan Ymker, the defense was clicking. By the bottom of the second the Bears bats were also connecting. In his first start, catcher Nolan White had an RBI and gave the Bears a 1-0 lead. 

Ymker had a great showing in the game as he took pressure away from the offense with his consistent pitching. The Bears bats in turn would take pressure off of Ymker as they soon would widen their lead to three with back-to-back runs scored in the fifth and sixth inning. 

Ymker, who had held the Falcons to only a single hit going into the seventh inning, looked to close the game. It was here where Ymker gave up the only run of the game and received some encouraging words from coach Mishler at the mound.

“He told me to relax and just trust my stuff,” Ymker said.

Ymker would go onto get two quick outs but it would be pitcher Cole Schumacher with the save, his first of the season, and the Bears would go onto win 3-1. 

“We just have to stay focused and keep working hard”, catcher White said. 

The Bears will stay focused as the rest of this season is not a guarantee.