CVCC loses two heart-breaking games in JUCO World Series
Chattahoochee Valley Community College lost two heart-breaking one-run games over the weekend to make its fourth trip to the JUCO World Series in the last five years a short-lived one.
Sunday, Temple College beat the Pirates 8-7 in the ninth inning when the Leopards scored the tying and winning run on a single that got past the CVCC left fielder. The Pirates fell into the losers bracket on Saturday with a loss to Iowa Western.
“I am not sure I have the words right now,” Thomas said. “My boys obviously had one heck of a season. But the thing about Grand Junction and the JUCO World Series, the thing that makes this place special is for Temple to have that memory and be able to take it with them the rest of their lives. Hat’s off to them. That is a good baseball team and they just beat a really good baseball team.”
CVCC fell to 48-12.
“I an not sure we lost two games in a row at any point in the season,” Thomas said. :If we did, I don’t remember it.”
The Pirates lost their opener to Iowa Western 7-6 on Saturday when a last-inning rally fell short.
Trailing 7-4 in the bottom of the ninth, the Pirates didn’t go away quietly, as Tre Kirklin hit a one-out double down the right line and Davis Schwartz would follow with an RBI single to right. Rankin Worley hit a single to right, putting some pressure on Iowa Western. After a strikeout, a pop up in the infield was lost in the sun, scoring a run making it 7-6 Iowa Western with runners at the corners. The final Pirate batter would strike out to end the game.
“It was a good baseball game and obviously we were not very happy with the result,” CVCC Coach Adam Thomas said. “That is what you expect when you get out there. You are not playing the JV team on Tuesday in March.”
The comeback bid was a solid effort, Thomas said.
“I am extremely proud of my boys,” he said. “They could have gone, 7-4, it’s over with, crap.’ It was pop, pop, pop and there we were. They did not give away bats against arguably the best guy we have seen all year.”
Iowa Western has now won 36 straight games.
This story was originally published May 28, 2018 at 7:03 AM with the headline "CVCC loses two heart-breaking games in JUCO World Series."