North Lake Clinches Series with Mountain View

DALLAS – Bear Herak lived for a flare of late-game dramatics.

Dallas College North Lake clinched the series against Dallas College Mountain View Saturday in the penultimate Dallas Athletic Conference baseball three-game set of the season. It was North Lake's fifth league series win of the season.

The Blazers' 13-10 win in 11 innings at Mountain View gave North Lake (24-27, 14-12 DAC) its fifth conference series win of the season. The victory kept the Blazers within a game-and-a-half of Dallas College Brookhaven (23-25, 16-11) and a game of Dallas College Richland (23-24-1, 15-11). Both North Lake and Richland play their final games of the weekend series 12 p.m. Sunday.

North Lake and Richland will finish the regular season with a series next week. The top two teams in the DAC standings will get a bye in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III South Central District Tournament May 13-16 at league champion Dallas College Eastfield.

Herak belted a three-run home run with two strikes in the 11^th inning to lift the Blazers. He drove in a season-high five runs on a day he had two hits for the Blazers, who matched Mountain View (17-29, 7-19) with 16 hits.

Cyler Moore and Brayden McCallum each homered, and had two hits and two runs batted in. Oran Abel and Ivan Rodriguez both had two hits as well, and Salvador De La Garza doubled and drove in three runs.

North Lake took an 8-4 lead into the fifth inning before Mountain View scored five to go up 9-8. Scooter New's one-out single put the Lions in front. Cooper Scott's RBI single in the sixth gave Mountain View a two-run cushion.

Herak's two-run single to center in the seventh tied the game at 10. His second homer in as many Saturdays provided the gamewinning runs.

Noah Castillo and Diego Washington had three hits apiece, and Scott and New both had two hits, and combined for five RBI for the Lions.

Carson Shumate got the win after allowing no runs over the final three innings. He allowed two hits and a walk, and struck out three.

North Lake avenged its series loss to Mountain View the first time these two teams met.