OAK CREEK, Wis. — Milwaukee Area Technical College baseball couldn't overcome an early eight‑run deficit but played competitive baseball over the final seven innings in a 12–4 loss to Kankakee Community College on Friday afternoon. The home defeat dropped MATC to 13–21 overall and 7–7 at home this season.

Kankakee seized control early, striking for eight runs across the first two innings behind a pair of home runs and a bases-clearing three‑RBI double. MATC starter Trey Jones worked the opening two frames, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits with one walk.

"Trey unfortunately didn't have his best stuff today, and KCC is a really good hitting team," MATC head coach Caleb Bounds said. "After that, [Ethan] Engelbrecht came in and did a really good job. He gave us four strong innings, and then [Alex] Dvorak came in and did the same thing. I like the way we fought, but I'm not big on moral victories."

From there, the Stormers' pitching staff delivered one of its steadier collective efforts of the season. Right‑hander Ethan Engelbrecht provided a major lift in relief, tossing four strong innings with six strikeouts while allowing just three earned runs on five hits and a walk. Alex Dvorak followed with his sharpest home outing of the year, working three innings and giving up only one earned run on two hits with four strikeouts.

Offensively, MATC found its rhythm in the middle innings after being held hitless through four frames by KCC starter Joe Catalano, who struck out seven and allowed just one hit across four dominant innings.
"We have to put together better at‑bats early on," Bounds said. "I think we started with five of our first six outs being strikeouts. After that, we settled in and kind of figured it out."

The Stormers broke through in the fifth when Easton Morehouse doubled and later scored on Riley Emons' RBI single. MATC added two more in the sixth, capitalizing on a leadoff walk to Carson Sieler and a double from Jaiden Jung to put runners on second and third. Sieler scored on a wild pitch during Peyton Jibben's at‑bat, and Jung later came home on Jibben's RBI groundout. The Stormers continued to apply pressure in the seventh, stringing together three straight singles from Bugher, Sieler and Jung, with Jung driving in a run to make it 11–4.

Kankakee added its final run on a wild pitch in the ninth, but MATC's bullpen and late‑game offense kept the contest competitive after the early surge by the Cavaliers.

Bugher paced the Stormers at the plate, going 2‑for‑3 with a double, a walk, a stolen base and a run scored. Jung added two hits, including an RBI single, and scored once. Morehouse chipped in a double, a single and a run, while Jibben contributed a single, an RBI and a stolen base as MATC's offense found its rhythm in the middle innings.