Cloud County Baseball Team's Bats Explode in 25-10 Win; T-Birds Match Program Record for Most Wins in a Season
The Cloud County Community College baseball team opened their 2026 NJCAA Division I Plains District Tournament best-of-three series with a dominant 25-10 win over the Highland Scotties on Thursday, May 7, at Lee Doyen Field in Concordia, Kansas.
The victory moves the T-Birds to 48-5 on the season, tying the program record for most wins in a single season.
The Cloud County offense collected 19 total hits with four home runs on its way to its sixth consecutive win over Highland, dating back to 2024.
The scoring started early for Cloud County with five runs in the first inning. Freshman designated hitter Nolan Green brought home sophomore third baseman Kaden Budke and redshirt freshman outfielder Simon Baker on a two-RBI single to right-center field. Sophomore first baseman Luke Clayton followed by crushing a three-run home run to right field for his 14th long ball of the season, putting the T-Birds up 5-1 after the opening frame.
Cloud County scored seven runs in the second to make it 12-2. Sophomore catcher Vasya Seymour drilled a two-run home run to left, Clayton and sophomore second baseman Joey Marino collected back-to-back RBI doubles, freshman outfielder Kellan Burke drove in a pair of runs on a single to center field, and sophomore shortstop Lucas Laukkanen added an RBI base-hit.
The T-Birds then tagged the Scotties for four runs in the third, four more runs in the fourth, and an additional four runs in the fifth frame to push the advantage to 24-5. Burke and Marino had RBI doubles in the third, Green scored a pair of runs with a two-RBI single to center field in the fourth, while Budke and Baker both crushed home runs in the fifth.
In the sixth, Cloud County loaded the bases before freshman London Dingwell was hit by a pitch, scoring sophomore Tony Crow to make it a 25-6 contest.
Highland scratched across four more runs in the visiting part of the seventh to narrow the deficit to 25-10.
Freshman pitcher Jett Wahlmeier moved to 2-0 on the year after he threw 1.1 innings, allowing no runs on one hit with three strikeouts. Starter Stocton Timbrook went 3.2 innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts. Sophomore Evan Bogart pitched the final two innings, giving up five earned runs on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Green led the offense, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBI. Burke also went 3-for-4 with a double, four runs scored, and four RBI. Budke, Clayton, Marino, and Seymour each had two-hit performances. Budke scored a team-high five runs, while Clayton drove in a team-best five RBI.
The T-Birds will aim to close out the best-of-three series with Highland on Friday, May 8. First pitch is slated for 1 pm. Fans can also listen to the contest on 1390 KNCK and 98.3 FM.