OAK CREEK, Wis. — Milwaukee Area Technical College baseball sent its 13 sophomores out with a win Thursday, closing the home portion of the regular season with a 13–9 victory over College of Lake County in nine innings. As a result, the Stormers extended their win streak to three games, finished 12–11 at home and improved to 22–31 overall behind a complete performance in all three phases.

"It's always nice to get a win, especially on a big day like today with it being our Sophomore Day," head coach Caleb Bounds said. "I'm super proud of the guys and I thought they did a really good job battling all game long."

MATC's offense proved potent as they went on to collect 13 hits in the nine‑inning matchup. Five players recorded multi‑hit games, eight of nine starters had at least one hit and all nine reached base. The decisive stretch came in the seventh inning, when the Stormers protected an 8–6 lead and broke the game open with a four‑run surge highlighted by a two‑RBI triple from Easton Morehouse that pushed the margin to 11–6.

MATC spent much of the afternoon trading blows with CLC and answering every early push. The Stormers erased a 1–0 deficit in the first, then fell behind 2–1 in the third before stringing together a three‑run response to move ahead 4–2. CLC countered with three runs in the fourth to briefly reclaim a 5–4 lead, but MATC answered immediately. Jaiden Jung delivered the biggest swing of the frame with a two‑run homer to right that extended his own single‑season program record with his ninth long ball of the year. Gavin Garnica followed with a two‑out RBI double to stretch the margin to 7–5 and cap a back‑and‑forth stretch that shaped the rest of the game.

"We kept answering every time CLC tried to get close or even take the lead," Bounds said. "We answered right back every time, and that was really good to see."

The Stormers continued to build from there. Austin Arnold's two‑out RBI single in the fifth made it 8–5, and although CLC trimmed the margin to 8–6 in the sixth on a rundown play, the bullpen steadied things. Connor Ziman entered in the seventh and, after hitting two batters, induced a 3–6 double play on a sharp grounder to first to escape the jam and preserve the lead.

MATC turned that momentum into its biggest inning of the day. With one out in the seventh, an infield error, a walk to Blake Bugher and a perfectly placed drag bunt from Riley Emons loaded the bases for Arnold, whose sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 9–6. Morehouse followed with a two‑RBI triple into the right‑center gap to extend the advantage, and Carson Sieler added a run‑scoring single up the middle to cap the four‑run frame.

"The first pitch was off the plate, so I knew the pitcher was going to come back with something I could hit," Morehouse said. "I got my pitch and was able to barrel it up to bring home two of my guys and break things open."

CLC hit a leadoff solo homer in the eighth, but the Stormers answered again when Emons lined an RBI single to make it 13–7. CLC added two runs in the ninth on a two‑out double, but closer Alex Dvorak induced a flyout on the next batter to seal the win.

"I think it was awesome how much of a collective effort today was," Morehouse said. "It's a testament to the work ethic of this team. Things didn't always go our way this season, but the guys showed up every single day with a great attitude and kept putting in the work."

Jung reached five times and powered the offense with two hits, three walks, three runs scored and two RBIs. Morehouse added two hits, a triple and two RBIs. Sieler finished with two hits, two RBIs and a stolen base. Brady Johnson delivered two hits, scored twice, drove in a run and stole a base. Arnold added two hits, two RBIs, a sacrifice fly and a stolen base. Garnica doubled, singled and drove in a run, while Emons added a hit, an RBI and a stolen base. Tyler Lee singled, scored once and stole a base, and Bugher contributed an RBI and two runs scored.

Jake Lequia struck out 10 in his final home start, working six innings to earn the win and finish the regular season at 4–4. He allowed six earned runs on nine hits and three walks. Ziman followed with two steady innings, giving up one earned run on one hit with three strikeouts. Dvorak handled the ninth, allowing two earned runs on one hit and two walks while adding a strikeout.

UP NEXT
MATC (22–31) closes its regular season Friday with a Region 4 road doubleheader at Olive‑Harvey College in Chicago. First pitch for Game 1 is scheduled for 12 p.m., with Game 2 to follow at 2:30 p.m.