PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team played two games against South Mountain Community College on Tuesday instead of the scheduled single games on Tuesday and Wednesday because of forecasted rain on Wednesday.

                The first game saw South Mountain hold on to a 9-3 win while the second game saw the Cougars manage just one hit in the 10-0 loss to South Mountain, a team that received honorable mention votes in this week’s NJCAA national baseball poll.

                The first game saw a lot more hits than the second one. South Mountain pounded out eight while WNCC had six. South Mountain, though, had the scoring advantage early, plating single runs in the first and second and three more in the third for a 5-0 lead. South Mountain added four more in the fifth to take a 9-0 lead.

                WNCC mounted a seventh-inning rally when Jacob Jackson earned a walk followed by Tyler Easter getting a double. Isaac Smith then walked to load the bases with one out. Jackson scored the first run on a wild pitch and then Easter scored on a fielder’s choice hit from Garrett Dodd to cut it to 9-2. WNCC cut it to 9-3 when Toubeaux singled in Dodd.

                WNCC was led by Toubeaux with two hits with a double while Easter had a double.

                Thibault Mercadier took the pitching loss, going four innings in allowing five hits, five runs and striking out one. Grant DeClue pitched two innings in relief with three hits, four runs and one strikeout.

                The second game saw the Cougars’ Roangeraud Fraai broke up the no-hit attempt in the sixth inning with a single. That inning saw the Cougars starting to mount a comeback as Ethan Johnson walked followed by Fraai’s single that moved Johnson to third base. With the runners on the corners with no outs, WNCC failed to get the bit hit to drive in a run.

                That wasn’t the only time WNCC had options to score against one of the top teams in Arizona. WNCC’s Hunter McCollum earned a walk in the second, but a double play ended that threat. The third saw Ashton Ross earn a lead-off walk, but a strike out and two pop outs later, Ross was stranded at first.

                WNCC reached base in the fifth as well as Dylan Howard went to first base on catcher’s interference, but that was it for that inning.

                WNCC was outhit in the contest 10-1 as South Mountain had a double, triple, and three home runs.

                Fraai had the only hit for the Cougars.

                WNCC utilized two pitchers. Firmin Hassed took the loss in going three innings, allowing eight hits and nine runs with four strikeouts. Archer Blumenshein finished the game with a strong outing, going two innings in allowing just two hits, one run, and striking out five.

                WNCC will have another game with South Mountain on Wednesday.

Game 1
WNCC                   000 000 3 – 3 6 1

S. Mountain       113 040 x – 9 8 1

LP – Thibault Mercadier.

2B – Joseph Toubeaux, Tyler Easter.

Game 2

WNCC                   000 000 – 0 1 3

S. Mountain       221 401 – 10 10 1

LP – Firmin Hassed.

WNCC softball team drops two contests in Texas

               ATHENS, Texas – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team dropped a pair of contests in Athens, Texas, in a triangular on Tuesday.

                In the first game, WNCC started strong and then allowed 12 runs over the first three innings in falling 12-2 to Louisiana State University Eunice.

                The second game saw Trinity Valley Community College’s Rawnie Weststrate toss a no-hitter in a 10-0 win over WNCC.

                The first game against LSU-Eunice was close for a while. WNCC started strong in the first as Victoria Wharton reached on an error. Avery Fox then earned a walk. Both came in to score on a Sianna Lewis double for the 2-0 lead.

                LSU-Eunice responded with two in the bottom of the first and then added eight in the second and two more in the third for their 12 runs.

                WNCC did have a chance to plate more runs in the third as Morgan Dustin and DemiRae Woolsey each singled, but the runners were left stranded.

                WNCC had two on in the fourth inning as well as Arianah Plorin was hit by a pitch and then Wharton reached on an error, but that was it.

                Lewis led the team at the plate with a double and two RBIs.

                Avery Fox took the loss from the circle, going three innings in allowing 11 hits, 12 runs and striking out one. Caley Leslie tossed one inning in allowing a hit and striking out one.

                The Trinity Valley game was close through four innings. It was the fifth inning that saw The Cardinals plate seven runs to secure the win.

                Trinity Valley scored three in the second inning and the had to battle until scoring seven in the fifth.

                The game was a 5-inning perfect game as WNCC got runners on base. WNCC put two on in the first as Devyn Priselac and Fox earned walks to put two on, but WNCC couldn’t get the runners in.

                WNCC also had a runner on in the second as Baylie Krueger reached on an error, but was stranded at first. They also had one on in the fifth as Erin Hurst walked.

                Leslie took the loss, going four inning in allowing eight hits and four runs with five strikeouts. DesaRae Woolsey tossed the fifth allowing six runs and six hits.

                WNCC will be back in action for two games on Wednesday when they face Trinity Valley once again along with San Jacinto South.           

Game 1

WNCC                   200 00 – 2 3 4

LSU-Eunice          282 0x – 12 12 3

LP – Avery Fox.

2B – Sianna Lewis

Game 2

Trinity Valley       030 07 – 10 14 1

WNCC                   000 00 – 0 0 4

LP – Caley Leslie.