FREEPORT, Ill. — Milwaukee Area Technical College baseball ended its 2026 season with a split Sunday at Highland, outlasting the Cougars 8–7 in the opener before a 15–4, five‑inning loss in the finale capped a 23–32 overall campaign. The Stormers showed the same mix of resilience and volatility that defined their entire spring, fighting through Game 1 before defensive struggles caught up to them in Game 2.

The finish came with a roster stretched to its limit. MATC entered the weekend with around only a dozen healthy position players and 10 available arms after a season filled with injuries and multiple season‑ending losses. The Stormers still closed the year 12–11 at home, 7–21 on the road and 4–0 on neutral fields.

"It was a tough year," MATC head coach Caleb Bounds said. "It's not the year we expected when we started, but we had a ton of injuries. It was definitely the most injuries I've ever dealt with as a coach, but our guys did a great job stepping up and fighting all season long. A lot of young guys got experience, and it should help us going into next year."

Game 1: Stormers 8, Highland 7
MATC opened its final regular‑season doubleheader with one of its grittiest road wins of the spring, outlasting Highland 8–7 in a game defined by momentum swings, timely hitting and a bullpen that refused to bend.

"It was great to get one more win yesterday against Highland," Bounds said. "I thought we came out with a lot of fight and heart in Game 1. Our offense did a great job scoring early and often to get us a lead." 

The Stormers struck first with a three‑run opening inning built on contact and pressure. Easton Morehouse led off with a single, and Carson Sieler followed with an RBI single to make it 1–0. Sieler later scored on a wild pitch, and Gavin Garnica added an RBI single to push the margin to 3–0. Highland answered with a four‑run bottom half, as starter Manny Sostre struggled with command before escaping a bases‑loaded jam to limit the damage.

MATC kept responding. Blake Bugher opened the fourth with a leadoff double, and with two outs, Jaiden Jung ripped a two‑run double to put the Stormers back in front 5–4. Highland tied it again, but reliever Zakary Vanlerberghe steadied the inning after inheriting two runners with no outs.

The Stormers answered again in the fifth. A hit‑by‑pitch to Hayden Fellows and a walk to Garnica set the table, and Bugher delivered an RBI single to break the 5–5 tie. Brady Johnson walked to load the bases, and Austin Arnold forced home another run with a bases‑loaded walk. A wild pitch stretched the lead to 8–5.

Vanlerberghe returned in the fifth and worked out of a two‑out, bases‑loaded jam to keep MATC in front. Highland pulled within 8–7 in the sixth, prompting the Stormers to turn to Max Nottingham. The right‑hander delivered the game's defining sequence, stranding runners on second and third with one out before firing a perfect seventh to earn the save. He finished with 1.2 innings of hitless, scoreless relief, while Vanlerberghe earned the win.

"Max [Nottingham] did a great job shutting the door at the end to pick up his sixth save of the season," Bounds said of his closer.

Jung led the Stormers with a two‑RBI double. Sieler and Bugher each collected two hits, one RBI and one run scored. Morehouse added a single and scored twice, and Garnica reached three times on two walks and an RBI single.

Game 2: Highland 15, Stormers 4 (5 innings)
MATC's second game unraveled quickly, and the Stormers never recovered, falling 15–4 in five innings. Six defensive errors led to 10 unearned runs, and Highland controlled every inning after the first.

"Unfortunately, Game 2 didn't go our way," Bounds said. "We just had way too many errors, and Highland did a great job capitalizing on our mistakes." 

The Stormers actually opened with momentum, jumping ahead 2–0 in the top of the first. Easton Morehouse and Jaiden Jung set the tone with back‑to‑back singles, Carson Sieler lifted a sacrifice fly to score the first run, and Jung came home on a wild pitch. But that early spark was the last clean inning MATC played. Highland answered immediately with two runs of its own, both scoring on an error after a pair of doubles put runners in scoring position. 

Three walks in the second set up a bases‑loaded, one‑out situation, and an RBI fielder's choice put Highland ahead 3–2. The hosts added four more runs in the third on three singles, three walks and another defensive miscue.
The fourth inning broke the game open. Highland sent 14 batters to the plate and scored eight runs on eight singles, aided by two errors, a walk and a hit‑by‑pitch. Ten of the 15 runs were unearned.

MATC added two runs in the fifth. Johnson doubled and scored on an RBI triple from Easton Stewart, and Morehouse singled and later scored on a passed ball.

Isaiah Head took the loss, allowing six runs (four earned) over 2.1 innings. Bralen Mitcham and Nolan Litkowiec each allowed five runs (three earned) in relief, and Vinny Cameranesi recorded the final out.