ATHENS, Texas – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team wrapped up the Texas Spring Break trip with some competitive games on Wednesday.

                WNCC opened the day Trinity Valley Community College and it was a battle as the Cougars trailed 5-0 before an Arianah Plorin grand slam tied the game. In the end, WNCC lost on a walk-off home run to fall 7-5.

                The second game against San Jacinto College South was a battle early before San Jac earned the 10-2 win. San Jac then went on to beat Trinity Valley 7-4.

                Plorin, who had six RBIs on the day, said the team did better on Wednesday then the previous day.

                “The bounce back today was better from warm-ups to the last inning,” Plorin said. “We competed well today. Our pitchers did their job on the mound. We had some hiccups but we kept our composure. Overall, we got better today.”

                The comeback against Trinity Valley was huge for the Cougar team as the fifth inning when Plorin hit her first career grand slam and she said it was even better that her teammates got the job done before she stepped into the batter’s box.

                “It took a while for us to get going offensively, but once we started owning our roles and working for each other to pass the bat and really have a team-based mentality, we got better,” she said. “It {the grand slam) felt good,” she said. “It felt even better to have my teammates before me do their jobs by putting bunts down, getting hit by a pitch, and getting walked and putting their trust in me to be n a position to be able to get a job done for them.”

                Trinity Valley jumped out to a 5-0 lead through five inning by scoring runs in four of the first five innings. The fifth saw the Cougar bats come alive.

                Devyn Priselac started things with a bunt single in the sixth inning and scored the Cougars first run on a Morgan Dustin single. With two outs, DemiRae Woolsey double and then Baylie Krueger walked to load the bases. That brought Plorin to the plate and the sophomore from Casper, Wyoming, rocketed the second pitch over the centerfield fence to knot the game. WNCC wasn’t through as Erin Hurst singled and then Victoria Wharton had a bunt and reached on an error to put two runners in scoring position, but that was all they could do.

                WNCC pitcher Avery Fox and the Cougar defense held Trinity Valley in check in the bottom of the sixth as the Cardinals went down 1-2-3. The seventh saw Fox lead off with a double, but Fox couldn’t score and that was when Trinity Valley won the game on a walk-off home run for the 7-5 win.

                WNCC finished with seven hits to Trinity Valley’s 14. Seven different Cougars had a hit in the contest. Fox and Woolsey each had a double, while Plorin had a grand slam with four RBIs.

                Fox pitched well as she went 6 1/3 innings in scattering 14 hits and allowing seven runs while striking out three.

                The second game against San Jac was close early as neither team scored through the first three innings. San Jac scored three in the top of the fourth, but WNCC wasn’t about to worry as they plated two. With two outs, Sianna Lewis reached on an error followed by a single by Woolsey. Baylie Krueger then got a single and loaded the bases.

                That brought up Plorin and she almost had a second grand slam on the day only this time it was a double to score two runs to cut the deficit to 3-2.

                San Jac added two more in the fifth and four in the sixth and one in the seventh for a 10-2 lead to secure the win.

                Plorin had the only extra base hit with a double. Woolsey led the way with two hits and a run scored.

                WNCC will be back in action Sunday when they have their first home games of the year against Lamar Community College beginning at 12 noon at Volunteer Field.

                Plorin said they now know what it will take to take control of the Region IX conference, where they have a 3-0 record, which is right behind Northeastern Junior College’s 5-0 conference mark.

                “The focus has been the same all year,” Plorin said. “We came in with the mindset of getting one percent better. We’re super excited to have the opportunity to go play the game we love.”

Game 1

WNCC                   000 005 0 – 5 7 1
T. Valley                011 210 2 – 7 14 3

LP – Avery Fox.

2B – Avery Fox, DemiRae Woolsey.

HR – Arianah Plorin.

Game 2

San Jac                  000 324 1 – 10 12 1

WNCC                   000 200 0 -- 2 8 3

LP – Caley Leslie.

2B – Arianah Plorin.