Posted: May 27, 2026
No. 8 SMCC Baseball Defeats No. 1 Kellogg CC to Reach World Series Semifinals
Kellogg Community College
(49-8)
0
South Mountain Community College
(50-17)
10
| BOT 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Kellogg Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
|
South Mountain Community College | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 0 |
PHOTO COURTESY OF NJCAA
PHOENIX ---
The No. 8 South Mountain Community College baseball team (50-17) defeated No. 1 Kellogg CC (MI) 10-0 (five innings) in an elimination game at the 2026 NJCAA Division II World Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Okla. Sophomore Bryan Lorenz and Nuri Todd hit home runs, sophomore Ernie Alvarez added a double and two RBIs, and freshman Cody Stoller tossed five innings of two-hit shutout baseball to lift the Cougars past the Bruins and reach the World Series Semifinals.
Facing the Bruins for the second time in the tournament, the Cougars jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after one inning. With one out, Lorenz walked, and a pitch hit freshman Aidan Murphy. Freshman Brandon Ornelas walked to load the bases, and sophomore Jack Meissner picked up a painful RBI when a pitch hit him. Sophomore Luke Hewes followed that up with a two-run single that plated Murphy and Ornelas, and freshman Liu Rodriguez Jr. singled to reload the bases.
Alvarez made it 4-0 with a sac fly that plated Meissner, and the next three batters (Todd, Bobby Pierce Jr., and Lorenz) were hit by pitches to push SMCC ahead 6-0. Alvarez then roped an RBI double, his 15th of the season, in the second that scored Meissner.
In the fourth, Todd smacked a solo home run, his fifth of the year and second of the tournament. After Pierce Jr. singled, Lorenz brought him home with a two-run home run, his eighth of the year and second of the tournament.
That was more than enough for Stoller, who earned the win with five innings of shutout baseball. He allowed a single in the first and second, and retired the final 10 batters he faced.
Lorenz went 1 for 1 with two runs, three RBIs, and a walk in addition to the home run. Hewes was 2 for 2 with one run and two RBIs, and Meissner scored a pair of runs to go with an RBI and a walk.
The Cougars advance to face No. 4 Pasco-Hernando State College (FL) on Thursday, May 28. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m CT / 5 p.m. MT (AZ).