QUINCY, Ill. – Starting the weekend with three wins against Moberly in four matchups, the Milwaukee Area Technical College baseball team managed to end the weekend on another high note by bouncing back to earn a split during Sunday's doubleheader at John Woods Community College.

MATC dropped its opening matchup against the Blazers 4-1 before bouncing back to earn a 7-3 victory in the second game of its doubleheader. The four-run win over John Wood in Game 2 helped the Stormers improve their record to 6-3 on the year.

"I was pleased with the way the boys bounced back after a tough Game 1," MATC head baseball coach Caleb Bounds said. "It's never easy playing six games in three days, but they did a great job finishing the weekend strong. I feel we are pretty prepared for region play this upcoming weekend."

Game 1: John Wood 4, Stormers 1 (7 Innings)

• Marco Falletti broke the 0-0 tie with a solo shot in the second
• John Wood quickly countered with an RBI single in the second to even the score 1-1
• MATC was limited to three total hits over the course of the final five innings
• The Blazers broke the 1-1 tie by scoring one run in the third before adding two insurance runs in the sixth
• Michael Merline was handed the loss on the rubber, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits with five strikeouts over 5 and ⅔ innings
• Falletti paced the Stormers with two hits, one RBI and one run scored
• Lucas Hernandez went 1-for-1 with a single

Game 2: Stormers 7, John Wood 3 (7 Innings)

• MATC fell behind 2-0 after one inning of play
• The Stormers got on the scoreboard following an RBI single by Lucas Hernandez in the second
• Marco Falletti gave MATC a 3-2 lead in the third after hitting an RBI single that would wind up scoring two in part by a throwing error by John Wood's left fielder
• The Blazers got an RBI single in the fifth to things back up at three runs apiece
• Falletti remained red-hot at the plate and broke the 3-3 tie in the sixth by smacking a grand slam over the left field fence
• Patrick Wajda recorded back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the sixth and seventh innings to shut the door on a John Wood's comeback attempt
• Falletti led the way at the plate, going 3-for-4 with five RBIs and one grand slam
• Wajda picked up the win in relief, surrendering one unearned run on one hit with six strikeouts over three innings
• Starter Jakeb Lequia went four innings, giving up two runs (one earned) with five strikeouts
• Robert Crawford III, Brady Johnson, Ryan Quello each had one single apiece
• Hernandez barreled two singles and scored once

Over the course of this past weekend against Moberly and John Wood, Falletti was unworldly at the plate.

In 23 plate appearances across six games, Falletti went 15-for-23 (.652 avg.) with 18 RBIs and six stolen bases. He totaled six extra base hits, including three doubles, one triple and a pair of homers, one of which was a grand slam. Falletti also drew three walks and was hit by three separate pitches, all of which helped him finish the weekend with a .724 on-base percentage.

"Falletti has been a terror in the middle of the order for us," Bounds said. "He has been able to do a ton of damage to help propel us to the 6-3 start to the season."

UP NEXT
MATC (6-3) will host Harper College for a doubleheader starting at noon Saturday.