CC-C Wins High Profile Class C Baseball Showdown

Central City-Centura downed Malcolm 8-4 in a matchup of the top two teams in the Class C baseball wildcard standings on Saturday. 

The Clippers  (19-2) scored single runs in the first two innings for a 2-0 lead. But The Kernels (16-0) exploded for five runs in the third. Mason's Gorecki's three run blast was the big blow.

After Malcolm made it a 5-3 game after three, Luke Vakiner hit his first home run of the season in the fourth inning to put CC-C up 7-3. He also had his first double of the season in going 2-3 with three runs batted in and three runs scored. 

Parker Zikmund was 3-4 and scored once. Conner Erickson went 2-3 with an RBI and run scored. The seven through nine hitters combined to go 6-10 with three RBI and six runs scored.

Barrett Fries worked the first three innings for the win. Erickson pitched two innings. Gorecki provided two innings of scoreless relief to close. 

The Kernels' first game of the triangular was closer than the final score might indicate. Central City- Centura was held hitless in the first three innings of a 1-1 game. But the Kernels exploded for eight runs on seven hits in the fourth in a 9-2 win over Centennial.

Erickson's grand slam broke the tie.  Zikmund went 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.  Zikmund also picked up the win with 1.2 innings of one-hit relief. Vakiner got the start and struck out five in two innings of work. Hayden Murphy pitched the final three innings. He allowed one unearned run and no hits. 

Listen to an interview with CC-C coach Brandon Detlefson below. 

Malcolm Triangular
Centennial  000 100 -  1  1  3
Malcolm     303 104  -11  6  3

Centennial (0-10)      001 010 0  -2  2  2
Central City-Centura 100 800 x  -9  8  2

Central City-Centura (16-0) 005 201 0  -8  10  2
Malcolm (19-2)                    111 010 0  -4    7  1