OAK CREEK, Wis. — Milwaukee Area Technical College baseball dropped a tight nine‑inning matchup Thursday afternoon, falling 3–2 at home to Bryant & Stratton in a rescheduled Region 4 contest.
The loss dropped the Stormers to 13–20 overall and 7–6 at home, while extending their losing streak to four games. Despite the result, head coach
Caleb Bounds said the game reflected the kind of competitive environment he wants his team in.
"That was a great baseball game, and those are the games you want to play in — where it comes down to the last inning and both teams have an opportunity to win," Bounds said.
MATC struck first in the bottom of the second, when
Hayden Fellows singled, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a
Gavin Garnica RBI double to the right‑center gap.
Starter
Isaiah Head settled in early, facing just four batters in each of the first three innings before navigating a bases‑loaded, two‑out jam in the fourth with a popout to center. But Bryant finally broke through in the fifth, turning a leadoff walk and a single into immediate pressure. The Bobcats tied the game 1-1 on a wild pitch during a fielder's‑choice at‑bat, then added another run on a passed ball with a runner still at third and no outs. After a lineout for the first out, a single put runners on the corners, and a sacrifice fly stretched the lead to 3–1. Bryant added another single before the inning ended on a dropped third strike that MATC converted into an out.
Bounds pointed to that inning as the difference.
"At the end of the day we weren't able to execute," he said. "Bryant & Stratton executed three times in the fifth inning, and that was the ballgame."
Offensively, the Stormers created multiple prime scoring opportunities but struggled to convert, finishing with 12 strikeouts, including 10 with runners on base.
Their first major chance to take control came in the bottom of the third, when they put runners on first and second with no outs before striking out three straight times to end the inning.
MATC threatened again in the bottom of the eighth, opening the frame with a
Carson Sieler single and a
Jaiden Jung hit‑by‑pitch to put two on with no outs. But Bryant escaped again as the Stormers went strikeout, strikeout, groundout, stranding runners on the corners.
The Stormers mounted one final push in the bottom of the ninth.
Easton Morehouse ripped a leadoff double and scored one batter later on another Garnica RBI double, trimming the deficit to 3–2. With the tying run on second and nobody out, MATC appeared poised to extend the game, but a lineout, flyout, and strikeout ended the rally with Garnica stranded at second.
Even in defeat, Bounds saw encouraging signs.
"I liked what I saw, and I thought the team played well," he said. "We were able to get one there in the bottom of the ninth, but we just couldn't get that final run."
Garnica paced the offense, finishing 2‑for‑4 with a double and two RBIs. Morehouse added a double and a run scored, while Fellows went 1‑for‑4 with a run and a stolen base. Sieler,
Tyler Lee, and
Blake Bugher each singled, with Bugher also drawing two walks and stealing two bases.
On the mound, Head took the loss after allowing three earned runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts over five innings.
Jerry Vasek faced two batters in the sixth, issuing a walk and a hit‑by‑pitch before giving way to
Zakary Vanlerberghe, who was outstanding in relief. Vanlerberghe escaped a first‑and‑second, no‑outs jam in the sixth and went on to throw four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and two walks.
Bounds praised his bullpen's reliability.
"Vanlerberghe has been doing it all year, and he's earned that role," he said. "He's earned that spot, and he's going to keep doing it. Head has been a starter for us the last couple of weeks now, and he's been doing really well too."
UP NEXT
MATC (13–20) returns to action Friday at 3 p.m., hosting Kankakee Community College at Oak Creek for another nine‑inning contest in a game rescheduled from April 12.
