On April 2, Académie de Baseball du Canada (ABC) defeated Mercer County Community College 13–2 at MCCC’s baseball field. ABC scored in every inning except the second.
MCCC entered the game with a 21–6 season record, while ABC came in at 11–7 with one tie.
Prior to the game, Russ Stupienski, Head Baseball Coach at MCCC, stated that their goal was to “Come out with some energy and some focus…Hopefully, cut down on some errors and not walk too many people.”
Ray Calari, Head Coach of Académie de Baseball du Canada, explained that their team comprises high school students from various schools.
Before the game, he said, “I just want to put on a good show and not get embarrassed.”
A pivotal moment occurred in the third inning when ABC walked MCCC infielder Jordan Raba. ABC’s starting pitcher, Mathias McKenna, was on the mound. When infielder Jake Pope, who is currently batting .362, came up to bat, presenting a lefty-on-lefty matchup, Pope struck out, ending the inning.
Discussing his starter, Calari said, “Mathias McKenna is a crafty lefty that knows how to pitch.”
MCCC infielder Donny Gallagher, who was Player of the Week at the time, was commended by Stupienski, saying, “At the beginning of the season he didn’t have the greatest of starts so he didn’t get to play much, but now it’s going his way and hopefully he can keep it up.”
By the end of the fourth inning, ABC led 4–1, giving the Vikings hope for a comeback.
After the game, Stupienski expressed frustration with his team, saying, “They thought that because this was a travel type team that they were going to walk out there and beat the crap out of them.”
The game concluded with a 13–2 score after both teams added one run in the seventh inning.
Walking with a big smile on his face, ABC player Lucas St-Laurent said, “Our performance today was really impressive. We were smashing the ball at the bat, and the pitcher was doing their job well.”
Lukas Mullen, catcher for the Vikings, said, “We played pretty crappy and our mindset coming into the game could have been a lot better. I think also, given the weather, we let the cold get to us, whereas the other team pushed through it.”
Although the day was sunny, significant wind and temperatures in the upper 40s made conditions challenging. After the first three innings, the sun disappeared, leaving the field cold and gloomy.
Post-game, Calari remarked, “I think we played a lot better than I expected. We are a younger team, but we got on [the Viking] and surprised them. As the game went on, our guys got more confident.”
Stupienski shared his final thoughts on the game, saying, “Despite today, I think we are a good team and we will use this as a little speed bump. We will learn from this and move on.”
The MCCC baseball team has since bounced back. They are currently in first place in Region 19 with a record a 14-1 record in conference, 31-13 overall.
