SMC Eliminated From JUCO Tourney

Grand Junction, CO -- The SMC Pioneers put up a fight to the finish, but ended their 2009 JUCO World Series appearance Wednesday night on a 15-12 loss to Santa Fe College and a 5th place finish.

The Pioneers ended their fourth trip to the Series in nine years, and their sixth overall, with a season record 55-9.

SMC opened up the game Wednesday night against Santa Fe in the second inning with a grand slam from pitcher and outfielder Marty Gantt (North Augusta HS / North Augusta, SC) to put the Pioneers up 5-0.

Freshman O.B. Johnson (Brookland-Cayce HS / Gaston, SC) followed that up later in the inning with a single to center field, bringing in sophomore Arturo Mogrezutt (Easley HS / Easley, SC).

Santa Fe was able to put up four points before Gantt scored again on his own homerun in the fifth inning. Sophomore Steve Cochrane (Mission Viejo HS / Mission Viejo, CA) homered to left field to put another point on the board for the Pioneers, before Santa Fe moved ahead by another six runs in the bottom of the inning.

In the sixth inning, sophomore Robert Pritcher (James Island HS / Charleston, SC) brought in sophomore Taylor Black (Easley HS / Easley, SC) on a sacrifice fly. Freshman Kaden Watson (Irmo HS / Columbia) and Gantt then scored on Gantt’s third homerun of the game to tie the score to tie the game 10-10.

Santa Fe posted five RBIs over the next two innings, followed by a scoreless eighth inning.

SMC attempted to rally in the end, with sophomore Travis Witherspoon (Sumter HS / Sumter, SC) leading off the ninth with a homerun. Johnson ended the Pioneers scoring on an RBI from Mogrezutt.

“Games like this show you though just how quickly things can turn. It was a hitting explosion from both teams and we came out on the short end. It’s a hitting series – that’s what it’s about out here. Any team is going to have a lot of errors with so many balls in play,” SMC athletic director Mark Perdue commented, following the game.

“You can’t be prouder of them though. We came out and competed really hard. We’ve shown great class in defeat and we’re coming home with our heads held high,” he adds.

Perdue attributes the Pioneers’ success and positive attitude directly to the coaching that head coach Tim Wallace models to them.

“These guys have been a class act and a class team – and a lot of that has to do with Coach Wallace. He teaches them that sportsmanship is even more important than winning. He represents the game of baseball well and teaches them to also - and they all have represented SMC and the Region X very well,” Perdue says.

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The College is in its 98th year of providing a quality education to students in a Christian environment. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.

For more information, contact director of public information Brian Fulkerson at (864) 230-2586.