Baseball Picks up First Win of Season on Day 1 in Joplin

Joplin, MO – The Hastings College baseball team dropped its first game to Graceland 4-3 before knocking off Central Methodist 4-3 to pick up win No. 1 on the 2023 campaign on Saturday.

After falling behind 3-0 in game one, it seemed as though the momentum was shifting in the Broncos favor in the fifth after Dylan Otto got hit by a pitch with one out and then James Velasquez came up and belted a two run home run to make it 3-2. The inning wasn't over as Jace Valdez kept the inning alive with a two out single to center. Then Tristan Martinez single to left putting runners on first and second. Jaden Stone singled up the middle to plate pinch runner Trent Smith to tie the game 3-3.

The Yellow Jackets countered with a home run from Jacob Lopez in the bottom of the fifth to regain the lead at 4-3. In the sixth, Hastings had the bases loaded with one out but Velasquez grounded into a double play to end the threat and then were sat down in order in the seventh losing game one 4-3.

Velasquez went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored while Valdez, Martinez and Eli Merritt each had two hits.

Game two against Central Methodist came down to one big inning for the Broncos to secure its first win of the season.

Hastings fell behind 2-0 due to an error in the second inning but it was the bottom of the third where the Broncos made their noise. Thomas Hartman began the inning with a single to left. Two batters later, Jace Valdez singled into the hole at short putting runners on first and second with one out. Martinez then singled to left to bring home Hartman to make it a 2-1 ball game. Jaden Stone then smacked a two RBI triple to center to give Hastings the 3-2 lead. Eli Merritt then brought home Stone with an RBI single to make it 4-2.

Then it was up to the pitching and the defense to hold the lead as James Velasquez worked a scoreless fourth but did give up a run in the fifth on a sac fly to make it 4-3. He then turned it over to Alex Fichter after five innings of work. Fichter gave up a leadoff double in the sixth and after a sac bunt moved the runner to third, he got a strikeout and a ground out to end the threat as Hastings held on to its one run lead. Fichter then worked a clean seventh to secure the win and his first career save.

Stone finished the game going 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored while Valdez went 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Velasquez went 5.0 innings giving up three runs on five hits while striking out six. Fichter worked the final 2.0 innings giving up just one hit for the save.

The Broncos are now 1-5 on the year and will be back in action Sunday Feb. 19 and will take on Dakota State at 10 am and then finish the trip against Columbia at 3:00 pm in Joplin, MO.