Rochester, Mn--
According to Casey Stengel, "good pitching will always stop good hitting and vice-versa."
As teams both wind down the regular season and ramp up for post-season play in baseball around the Minnesota College Athletic Conference, three pitchers took to the mound over the week of May 2-8 seeking to prove the first half of that often-quoted but rarely understood line by the iconic skipper.
In the Northern Division, Joe Kanipes from Hibbing Community College turned in a complete-game performance to be proud of in a 3-2 win over Vermilion Community College on May 7th in Ely. Kanipes allowed only two runs, one earned, on 6 VCC hits over the seven innings of play. Kanipes had to have his best stuff on the day, as Vermilion's Mitchell Amundson gave his team everything he had in a 6-hit performance of his own but was one-upped by Kanipes. With the Hibbing win, Kanipes helped HCC win four of their last six contests.
Not to be outdone, in the Southern Division, Daniel Deitz, a hurler for Anoka Ramsey Community College, threw a 7-inning, five strikeout shutout win against Western Technical College on May 3rd. In securing the important victory for the Golden Rams, Anoka had a mid-week sweep of WTC. Deitz's two-hitter was one of his best performances of the year, striking out five of the 26 batters he faced, while only walking one. He earned his first win of the season, to go along with two saves so far in the 2017 campaign for ARCC.
Last, but not least, in the Central Division, Tyler Anderson and his M-State Spartan teammates trekked north to Thief River Falls to take on Northland Technical and Community College on May 7th in a key division showdown. Anderson did not disappoint, firing a two-hit performance for M-State en route to a 2-0 shutout victory. The efficient sophomore from Fargo faced only 22 batters, striking out two and walking one- he also went 1-for-3 at the plate for good measure.
With the various end-of-season play-in games around the league, the best source of information on MCAC baseball can be found at: www.mcacsports.org
Story courtesy of MCAC Sports