HAWKS BASEBALL STARTS SEASON WITH A BANG

ENID, Okla. – The Northeast Community College baseball team traveled to Enid, Oklahoma to play in the first two days of a four-game set with Northern Oklahoma College-Enid. The Hawks were victorious in both showdowns as they took Game 1 by a final score of 8-3 and Game 2 by a final score of 17-16.

The Hawks (2-0) gave the Opening Day nod to Nate Zyzda (Sioux City, Iowa), who had not pitched in a competitive game for Northeast in more than a year due to injury. Zyzda not only completed his incredible road to recovery by just starting the matchup, but his effort on the mound carried the Hawks to victory in Game 1. Taylor Gill (Orem, Utah) picked right back up where he left off during his first year in a Northeast uniform as he blasted his first home run of the year.

There have only been two games thus far this season, but the craziness of Game 2 in this series will be hard to top throughout the rest of the campaign. Northeast jumped out to a huge 15-1 lead before the Jets rallied all the way back to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Hawks didn't let the huge comeback phase them as Derek Woolwine (Boulder, Colo.) was a hero for Northeast with a two-RBI single in the top of the eighth inning. That single proved enough to give the Hawks the honor of completing the first day of the season without a blemish on their schedule.

STAT SHEET GAME 1:

Taylor Gill (Orem, Utah): 2-5, HR, RBI, 2 R

Tom Shakespeare (Canberra, Australia): 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI

Grayson Headrick (Littleton, Colo.): 3-4, 2B, R

STAT SHEET GAME 2:

Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo.): 3-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

Kaden Young (Columbus, Neb.): 2-2, 3 RBI, 2 R

Jackson Horn (Papillion, Neb.): 2-4, HR, 2 RBI, 4 R

HEAR FROM THE HAWKS COACH:

Head baseball coach Marcus Clapp on Nate Zyzda returning to the mound with dominance:

"It was good for him to just know all his hard work and recovery paid off," Clapp said. "He had a solid first outing today. He put us in a spot to win!"

Clapp on the wild Game 2:

"Well, I didn't like that we had a 15-1 lead and had to win in extras, but it was a win and that's the main part," Clapp said. "It shows our kids battled through a rough couple of innings but found a way to win! They showed some toughness and found a way to get it done!"

UP NEXT:

The Hawks will wrap up their series with Northern Oklahoma College-Enid with two games starting at 12 p.m. tomorrow in Enid, Oklahoma.

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