OAK CREEK, Wis. — MATC baseball saw its four‑game winning streak halted Thursday, dropping both games of a cold, rain‑induced home doubleheader to Rock Valley. The Stormers fell 11–1 in the opener and 5–3 in the nightcap, slipping to 10–14 overall and 4–4 at home this season.
MATC struggled to keep pace offensively in Game 1, getting outhit 11–4 while surrendering four separate multi‑run innings that allowed Rock Valley to pull away late. Game 2 turned on a single frame as well, as the Stormers allowed a five‑run third inning that included five walks, one hit‑by‑pitch and back‑to‑back solo home runs — a surge that proved too much to overcome in the 36‑degree, on‑and‑off rain.
"Whenever you go up against a really good team like Rock Valley, your mistakes are amplified," MATC head coach
Caleb Bounds said. "We kind of imploded at times, and things show up differently in the box score when you don't handle those moments. We just have to be better, but tip your cap to Rock Valley."
Game 1: Rock Valley 11, MATC 1 (7 innings)
Rock Valley controlled the opener from the early innings and steadily pulled away, using four multi‑run frames and clean defense to hand MATC an 11–1 loss. The Stormers were outhit 11–4, committed three errors and never recovered from a series of missed chances on a cold, gray afternoon in Oak Creek.
The Golden Eagles opened the scoring in the first, pushing across an unearned run after MATC committed back‑to‑back defensive errors with two outs. The Stormers nearly answered in the bottom of the second when Peyton Jibben and
Easton Morehouse delivered consecutive singles and executed a double steal to put runners on second and third with no outs. But MATC went down on two strikeouts and a groundout, leaving both runners stranded.
"We have to do a better job executing," Bounds said. "We told our hitters we need an approach. If we execute in those moments, the wins will start to pile up."
Rock Valley added two runs in the third on three singles and a fielder's choice, extending the lead to 3–0 against starter Jakob Lequia, who pitched well but received little support behind him. After a scoreless fourth, the Golden Eagles broke the game open in the fifth with a sacrifice fly and a two‑run triple to make it 6–0.
Nolan Litkowiec entered with runners on the corners and two outs and ended the inning with a strikeout looking.
"Lequia did an excellent job, and that's what we expect out of one of our aces," Bounds said. "We just didn't play very good defense behind him, and we didn't score any runs. Tip your cap to Rock Valley's pitcher. He did a great job, but we had opportunities and didn't take advantage."
Rock Valley kept applying pressure, scoring twice more in the sixth on a two‑out RBI triple and RBI single. Three more unearned runs in the seventh pushed the margin to 11–0 in favor of Rock Valley.
MATC's only spark arrived in its final at‑bat, with Jibben turning on a pitch and sending a solo shot over the left‑field wall to break up the shutout. Beyond that swing, the Stormers went quietly, retiring in order in the fourth, fifth and sixth and failing to mount any sustained pressure.
Lequia took the loss despite allowing only two earned runs. He worked 4.2 innings, giving up six runs (two earned) on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Litkowiec allowed two earned runs over 1.1 innings, and Vinny Cameranesi surrendered three unearned runs in the seventh.
Jibben paced MATC at the plate, going 2‑for‑3 with a solo homer. Morehouse added a single and a walk, and
Jaiden Jung doubled in three plate appearances.
Game 2: Rock Valley 5, MATC 3 (7 innings)
The nightcap unfolded in harsher conditions, with temperatures dipping to 36 degrees and intermittent rain sweeping across the field. MATC battled through the elements and kept the game tight, but a five‑run third inning by Rock Valley proved decisive in a 5–3 loss that completed the sweep.
MATC struck first and carried early momentum behind starter
Ethan Engelbrecht, who worked out of two major jams in the opening frames. After a single and a walk put runners on the corners with two outs in the first, Engelbrecht ended the threat with a strikeout. One inning later, he faced a bases‑loaded, no‑out situation and escaped unscathed by recording three straight outs, two of them strikeouts, to keep the game scoreless.
MATC capitalized in the bottom of the second. Jibben, working a 2–2 count, turned on a pitch and launched a solo home run to left, giving the Stormers a 1–0 lead.
But the game flipped sharply in the third.
Engelbrecht surrendered back‑to‑back solo home runs to open the inning, giving Rock Valley a 2–1 lead. He retired the next two hitters, but the inning unraveled from there. A hit‑by‑pitch and two walks loaded the bases, and another walk forced in a run. Vanlerberghe entered in relief and limited the damage, though a bloop single to left plated two more before he ended the inning with a strikeout to leave the bases loaded. Rock Valley exited the frame with a 5–1 advantage.
"Whenever Engelbrecht is great, it's because he's in the strike zone competing," Bounds said. "Where he gets into trouble is when it's self‑inflicted. His batting average against is around .150, which is crazy, but he had four free bases in one inning. That's where things break open. He has to keep working and command the zone better."
MATC slowly tried to chip away. Jung led off the bottom of the third with a single and later scored on Jibben's two‑out RBI double to cut the deficit to 5–2. The Stormers pulled even closer in the sixth when
Tyler Lee drew a one‑out walk and came around on Jung's RBI double to make it 5–3.
MATC mounted one final push in the seventh. After two quick outs,
Hayden Fellows and
Lucas Hernandez worked back‑to‑back walks, bringing the winning run to the plate in
Brady Johnson. But after a called strike, Rock Valley's catcher back‑picked Hernandez at first to end the game.
"The back‑pick was unfortunate," Bounds said. "That situation can't happen, but I understand what Hernandez was trying to do — he was the tying run and wanted as big a lead as possible. There's a fine line between being aggressive and being overly aggressive, and their catcher saw it and made a great, timely play to end the game."
Vanlerberghe was outstanding in relief, throwing 4.1 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Engelbrecht took the loss, finishing with five earned runs on five hits, six walks, one hit‑by‑pitch and four strikeouts over 2.2 innings.
"Vanlerberghe did an amazing job, and I'm really proud of him," Bounds said. "He's in his second season here, but he missed all of last year with an injury. To see him finally come into his own and do what we always believed he could do is awesome. It stinks it didn't result in a win, but he absolutely gave us a chance."
Jibben paced the Stormers at the plate, going 2‑for‑3 with a solo homer and two RBIs. Jung added two hits, including an RBI double and a run scored. Morehouse and
Riley Emons each added a single.
UP NEXT
MATC (10–14) returns home Saturday for a Region 4 doubleheader against Moraine Valley Community College in Oak Creek. First pitch is scheduled for noon, with Game 2 to follow at 2:30 p.m.
