By MATT KING / Daily Journal Sports Writer

Published: Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 2006 10:47 AM CST

CENTRALIA, IL - The Mineral Area College baseball team combined for five errors on defense and failed to get its offense on track in a pair of losses to Kaskaskia College on Tuesday.

The Blue Devils scored twice in the first inning of game one, and never looked back in a 6-1 victory, handing MAC starter Michael Hardin his first loss of the year after a dominating performance in a season-opening win over SW Illinois.

Hardin allowed nine hits over four innings with three of the six runs scored against him being unearned. Marshall Macormic tossed two shutout frames in relief for the Cardinals.

Mineral Area scored its lone run in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Blankenship. Catcher Aaron Miller scored on the play after reaching on an error to begin the inning.

Kaskaskia then scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to break open the game. Singles by Tony Spencer and Joaby Sikes were the only hits for the Cardinals.

MAC enjoyed a better start to game two, but a seven-run outburst by the home team in the third inning made the difference as Kaskaskia rolled to a 10-3 rout.

The Blue Devils were helped out by three errors and eight walks in the contest. Blankenship issued four free passes and four hits while allowing four earned runs over 2 2/3 innings in the defeat.

The Cardinals gathered all three of their runs in the second inning, which began with a walk to Nick Eckl. Jeff Scott drove in Eckl with a RBI single, then scored to make it 2-0 on a double by Garrett Hulsey. Spencer capped the inning with a RBI single.

Anthony Patton went 2-for-4 at the plate to lead the Cardinals. Mike Materia and Sikes also added singles.

Mineral Area is on a week-long hiatus before hosting the first of two consecutive double-headers against John A. Logan next Tuesday.

Mineral Area 000 100 0 - 1 2 2

Kaskaskia 210 300 x - 6 9 2

Mineral Area:

Pitching - Hardin (L) 4i 6r 3er 9h 1k 1bb, Macormic 2i 0r 0h 2k 1bb.

Hitting - Spencer, Sikes.

Mineral Area 030 000 0 - 3 7 3

Kaskaskia 007 201 x - 10 9 0

Mineral Area:

Pitching - Blankenship (L) 2 2/3i 6r 4er 4h 1k 4bb, Grewe 1 1/3i 3r 2er 3h 1k 3bb, Hilton 1 2/3i 1r 0er 2h 1k 1bb, Moss 1/3i 0r 0h 0k 0bb.

Hitting - Patton 2, Spencer, Sikes, Scott, Materia, Hulsey. 2b - Hulsey.