Cougar notes: WNCC softball team splits with Otero

                The Western Nebraska Community College softball team earned a split with Otero College in Region IX conference action Saturday afternoon at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff

                In the first game, Morgan Dustin slammed a grand slam and Arianah Plorin had a 2-run dinger as the Cougars earned a 14-5 win over the Rattlers.

                The second game saw WNCC start out with a 6-0 lead, but Otero scored at least one run in the final six innings in earning the 15-10 win and get the split on the day.

                The two teams will be back in action Sunday for a doubleheader beginning at 12 noon and then wrap up the 5-game series with an 11 a.m. contest on Monday.

                The first game saw Otero score three on a 3-run home run by Abigail Swartz. WNCC answered with five in the first for a 5-3 lead. The Cougars added four more in the second as Plorin led off with a double followed by Sianna Lewis and Chloe Cronquist earning walks to load the bases. Dustin then onloaded the bases with a grand slam and a 9-3 lead.

                Otero added one in the third, but WNCC plated four in the bottom of the frame with Devyn Priselac leading off with a single followed by Plorin’s 2-run home run. WNCC scored two more runs on sacrifice flies by DemiRae Woolsey and Bailey Krueger for the 13-4 lead.

                WNCC added a single run in the fourth as Priselac scored on a Lewis single. Otero scored once in the fifth on a home run, but that was all that winning pitcher DesaRae Woolsey and relief pitcher Caley Leslie would allow.

                Woolsey went four innings in giving up four runs on six hits, while Leslie tossed the fifth in giving up one run with a strike out.

                Offensively, WNCC had 11 hits. Priselac went 3-for-4 with three runs scored while Plorin went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, a double, home run, and two RBIs. Dustin went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored, and four RBIs.

                The second game saw the two teams combine for 25 runs and 27 hits. WNCC scored in the first innings of the game while Otero scored in the final six innings.

                WNCC grabbed a 6-0 lead after the first inning as Dustin had a run-scoring single and DemiRae Woolsey had a 3-run triple.

                Otero tied the game in the second with six runs on five hits and only one of the six runs was earned as Kira Pride had a solo home run to lead off the frame. WNCC answered with a run in the second as Plorin walked and scored on a passed ball. WNCC loaded the bases, but couldn’t get the runs in to lead 7-6.

                Otero went up with a single run in the third, but WNCC tied the game with a run in the third as Victoria Wharton singled and stole third and came in to score on an overthrow.

                Otero answered with two in the fourth as Abigail Swartz had a solo home run and then Pride came in to score on a groundout for a 9-7 lead. WNCC got one back in the bottom of the frame as DemiRae Woolsey singled and scored on a Krueger single.

                Otero went up 11-9 with two in the fifth only to watch the Cougars plate one in the bottom of the fifth when Wharton scored on a Plorin single.

                Otero led 12-10 with one in the sixth and then went up 15-10 with three in the seventh to get the win.

                WNCC had nine hits in the contest while Otero had 18. WNCC was led by Wharton had three hits and scored three runs. Priselac had two hits along with Woolsey.

Game 1

Otero                    301 01 – 5 7 1

WNCC                   544 1x – 14 11 2

WP – DesaRae Woolsey.

2B – Arianah Plorin

HR – Morgan Dustin, Arianah Plorin

Game 2

Otero                    061 221 3 – 15 18 1

WNCC                   611 110 0 – 10 9 3

LP – DesaRae Woolsey.

3B – DemiRae Woolsey.

WNCC baseball drops two to Lamar

                LAMAR, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team dropped an Empire Conference doubleheader to Lamar Community College on Saturday.

                The first game saw WNCC give up seven, fourth-inning runs in falling to the Lopes 11-3. The second saw WNCC lead 4-2 before Lamar scored seven runs in their final three at bats to claim the 9-5 win despite four home runs by the Cougars.

                WNCC battled in the second game as WNCC took the 1-0 lead on a Shintaro Inoue solo home run. Lamar tied the game with a single run in the second, but the Cougars went back on top 2-1 with a Max Adam home run.

                Lamar tied the game with a run in the bottom of the third. The Cougars came back with two in the fourth on back-to-back lead-off home runs by Bryce Peterson and Drew Book for a 4-2 lead. Lamar scored three times in the bottom of the frame to take a 5-4 lead and they never looked back as they added two runs each in the fifth and sixth before the Cougars plated on in the seventh.

                No Cougar had more than one hit as Adam, Book, Inoue and Peterson all had solo home runs, while Eli Hernandez had a double.

                The first game saw Lamar score four runs in the first three innings. WNCC sliced the deficit in half with two in the fourth inning as Hunter McCollum singled in Jake Jackson and then Tyler Easter was forced in on a bases-loaded walk. WNCC left the bases juiced as they couldn’t score again.

                Lamar came back and scored seven in the bottom of the frame on eight hits for a 11-2 lead and never looked back.

                WNCC managed just three hits in the game. Ashton Ross led the way with a 2-for-4 game while Inoue had a home run with two RBIs.

                The two squads will be back in action Sunday for another doubleheader.

Game 1

WNCC                   000 201 0 – 3 6 1

Lamar                    121 700 x – 11 16 2

LP – Adrian Short.

HR – Shintaro Inoue.

Game 2

WNCC                   101 200 1 – 5 6 1

Lamar                    011 322 x – 9 8 3

LP – Firmin Hassed.

2B – Eli Hernandez.

HR – Max Adam, Drew Book, Shintaro Inoue, Bryce Peterson.