Grand Rapids Sweeps Jacks in Both Baseball and Softball

ALPENA — It was a difficult weekend for Alpena Community College athletics. The No. 1 teams in the MCCAA Northern Conference in both baseball and softball came to town — and proved why it owns that spot in the standings.

Grand Rapids Community College swept the Lumberjack baseball team in a four-game series at Alpena while also taking all four games from the ACC softball program over the two-day stretch. The Raiders hold first place in the conference in both sports, and the results showed it.

Baseball: Swept at Home

The Lumberjack baseball team entered the weekend having battled through a demanding conference schedule with a winning record, but the Raiders' offense was too much to overcome across all four games.

In Thursday's doubleheader, GRCC took the opener 10-1 before adding a 13-3 decision in the nightcap. Friday brought more of the same, with the Raiders winning 12-7 in the first game and completing the sweep with a 12-8 final in the second contest.

Despite the sweep, the Lumberjacks showed some offensive life, particularly in the weekend's final two games — scoring seven and eight runs respectively against a stout Raiders squad. Over the four-game series, ACC batted .278 as a team, collecting 32 hits with six doubles and three home runs. Marcus Castellon was the standout at the plate, going 7-for-10 with two doubles, a home run, six RBI, and three runs scored. Isaac Zocco went 6-for-14 (.429) with five runs scored, while Nate Gould added a 4-for-9 (.444) performance at the dish.

The Lumberjacks now stand at 11-34-1 overall and 9-12 in MCCAA Northern Conference play.

Softball: Swept in Alpena

The ACC softball team played all four games of its series against the Raiders on its home grounds as well, though GRCC was designated as the home team for Thursday's doubleheader. The results were the same either way — the Raiders took Thursday's games 10-2 and 9-1 before returning Friday to close out the sweep with a 22-2 win and a 17-3 final.

Over the series, the Lumberjacks batted .238 as a team with 20 hits, including five doubles and two triples. Alaina Neubecker paced the offense, going 7-for-11 (.636) with two doubles, a triple, and an RBI. Dakota Rachow added a .364 average with four hits, two doubles, a triple, and two RBI, and Kirsten Neubecker also hit .364, collecting four hits and three RBI.

The weekend's losses drop the Lumberjacks to 4-29 overall and 4-17 in conference play.

GRCC: The Standard in the Conference

The Raiders have made it clear that they are the team everyone else is chasing. Holding first place in the MCCAA Northern Conference in both baseball and softball, GRCC enters the final stretch of the regular season playing at the level expected of a conference frontrunner.

Looking Ahead

The Lumberjack baseball team doesn't have much time to regroup. The squad hosts Lansing Community College today in a home contest before both baseball and softball make the trip to Saginaw to play Delta College on Thursday, Apr. 30.