First place Triceratops take two from Lakeland with ease

PARMA, Ohio (athletics.tri-c.edu) – The Ohio Community College Athletic Conference-leading Cuyahoga Community College Triceratops (27-13-1, 11-1 OCCAC) retained their first-place spot with a decisive sweep over Lakeland Community College (10-29, 1-11 OCCAC), April 27.

The sweep pushes the Triceratops' winning streak to 10 consecutive games, with wins in 16 of their last 17 outings. It also sets up a winner-takes-all four game weekend series against Bryant & Stratton College (Ohio) for the OCCAC Division II championship.

Tri-C's offense was virtually unstoppable in the two wins – 9-1 and 15-0 – with eight different players notching an RBI in the two-game slate. As a whole, the Triceratops stayed red hot at the plate. Since returning from injury April 25, Pat Farrell (So./Cleveland, Ohio) has had a base hit in every game, hitting his first home run of the season with a towering three-run blast today. Jamir Ross (R-Fr./Dayton, Ohio) continued his hot streak with four RBIs over both games and a stolen base. Joining Farrell in the home run club was Nathan Hill (So./Medina, Ohio/Toledo), who launched the Triceratops' only home run in game two.

Game one saw a strong pitching performance from Lincoln Briggs (Fr./Medina, Ohio), who pitched 5.1 two-hit innings, allowing only one run and punching out five Lakers. In game two, Spencer Mueller (So./Grafton, Ohio/Findlay) and Kyle Figuray (So.) combined for the five-inning shutout, allowing only three hits across the entire game.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Game One

• Lakeland kicked off the scoring with a line drive solo shot to left field, taking a 1-0 lead through the end of one.
• Briggs shook off the first inning home run to strike out two Lakers in the second and sit down the side in the third.
• After an error advanced Brayden Bortnick (Fr./Mentor, Ohio) to third, a sacrifice fly by Hill knotted the game up 1-1 through three.
• Briggs again got three outs in three batters in the top of the fourth.
• Bortnick put the Triceratops on top, 3-1, with a two RBI single to center field in the bottom of the fourth.
• With two Lakers on the bases and one out, Coach Kaplack summoned Mason Wolf (So./Eastlake, Ohio) from the bullpen, who forced a groundout and a strikeout to get out of the top of the sixth with no damage.
• Ross added an insurance run with an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth and scored on a throwing error by the third baseman. Bortnick, whose batted ball led to the error, scored on a wild pitch. Farrell launched a three-run bomb over the left field wall, giving Tri-C full control of the game with a 9-1 lead.
• Wolf struck out the side in the top of the seventh to end the game and put Tri-C one win closer to the OCCAC title.

Game Two

• Game one's offensive momentum carried to game two, with Hill belting a two-run home run in the bottom of the first to put the Triceratops up 2-0 early.
• An error on the Lakeland pitcher scored Zeylen Yanmaz (Fr./Medina, Ohio) and Ross came in to score on a ground out from Bortnick, making the score 4-0 through two.
• Yanmaz laced a two-run single up the middle to extend the Triceratops' lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Ross would add his own two-RBI single later in the inning.
• Figuray took over on the mound in the top of the fourth, spelling Mueller after three one-hit innings and two strikeouts.
• A Brock Miller (So./Willard, Ohio) RBI single kicked off a massive fifth inning for the Triceratops. Jackson Boles (So.) laced an RBI single of his own through the gap between the shortstop and third baseman to put the Triceratops up double digits. A Ross walk brought in another run. Bortnick sent a double down the third base line, knocking in two more runs. Alex "A.J." Trobenter (Fr./Euclid, Ohio) picked up two RBIs of his own with a single down the first base line. All told, the Triceratops scored seven runs in the fifth, taking a commanding 15-0 lead.
• Two strikeouts in the bottom of the fifth by Figuray sealed the Triceratops sweep.

UP NEXT

The Triceratops will be back in action for an OCCAC-defining series against Bryant & Stratton College (Ohio) this weekend. The series will kick off at Ron Mottl Field, May 1, with the first pitch for the doubleheader scheduled for 5 p.m.

The winner of the four-game slate will take home the OCCAC Division II crown.

FOLLOW THE TRICERATOPS

Keep up with all things Tri-C Athletics by following the Triceratops on Instagram @tri_c_athletics, Facebook @Tri-C Athletics and X @TriCAthletics.

You can follow the softball team on Instagram @tricbaseball.