Morgan Dustin had a home run and the Western Nebraska Community College softball team pounded out 15 hits on a very windy afternoon in earning a 17-9 win over Otero Junior College on Sunday at Volunteer field in conference play.

                The second game of Sunday’s doubleheader was postponed with the 40-plus gusts along with Monday’s single game. Those two games will be made up as a doubleheader later in April.

                Dustin, who scored three times with three RBIs said the team played well to pick up their second win over Otero in three games.

                “I think today we came out relaxed and just ready to get the job done,” Dustin of Springville, Utah, said. “We focused on the small things and made the adjustments needed.”

                One of the adjustments they needed to make is the wind, which was blowing out of the northwest toward rightfield.

                “The wind made some things difficult, but we practice in it all the time,” she said. “So, we knew what we needed to adjust and shift around before the game started and made those adjustments.”

                While the defense had to make some adjustments with the win, the offense got the job done from one through nine in the lineup. The Cougars finished with 15 hits in the came and all nine batters scored at least one run.

                “As a team we really focus on getting on, moving her over, and then moving her in,” Dustin said. “Keeping it simple for on, over, and in. Throughout the whole lineup, we did that and got a job done.”

                Several Cougars had a multi-hit game. Chloe Cronquist went 3-for-4 with three singles and four RBIs, while Baylie Krueger went 3-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored, and two RBIs. DemiRae Woolsey also went 3-for-4 with three singled, four runs scored, and an RBI.

                Dustin went 2-for-2 with a home run, three runs scored, and three RBIs, Dustin also was hit by a pitch twice. Bree Henson had two RBIs with a run scored, while Arianah Plorin had a run scored with a single and two RBIs. Sianna Lewis had two runs scored with two RBIs.

                Things didn’t start rosy for the Cougars on Sunday when Otero started the game with two runs in the first and then held the Cougars to a 3-up-3-down plate appearance. The second inning WNCC made the adjustments and held Otero scoreless while unloading at the plate to the tune of 11 runs while sending 15 batters to the plate. A majority of those runs came with two outs.

                The inning all started as Dustin was plunked by a pitch. The Cougars loaded the bases and then Cronquist delivered an RBI single to score two. WNCC kept taking advantage of the wind and costly Otero errors with two outs. Victoria Wharton earned a walk while Devyn Priselac reached on a dropped fly ball in left field that score a run. Plorin scored a run on a fielder’s choice hit that resulted in an error. Sianna Lewis then drove in two with a single followed by run-scoring singles by Dustin and Woolsey. Krieger then scored two with a triple and Kreuger came in to score on a single by Cronquist for the 11-2 lead.

                Otero answered with three in the third to cut the Cougar lead to 11-5. WNCC answered with four in the bottom of the third. Wharton led off by reaching on an error and scored on a ground-out by Plorin. Lewis then walked and Dustin followed with a high flyball to centerfield that would have been a routine out, but on this Sunday afternoon, the wind caught the ball and took it sailing out of the park. Woolsey then followed with a single and later scored on a Cronquist single for the 15-5 lead.

                Otero kept battling as they plated two in the fourth to make it 15-7 and then, after holding WNCC scoreless in the bottom of the frame, needed to score at least one run to keep the game going. The Rattlers plated two runs to make it 15-9.

                WNCC came up in the bottom of the fifth needing two runs to end the game on the 8-run rule and got those two runs. Woolsey reached base on a dropped ball by the rightfielder followed by Krueger  earning a walk. With runners in scoring position with two outs, Henson delivered a single to the area between leftfield and shortstop and a diving leftfielder couldn’t get the ball as both runs scurried home for the game-ending runs and the 17-9 win.

                WNCC will be back in action April 14-16 when they travel to Sterling, Colorado, for a 5-game series with conference-leading Northeastern Junior College. Dustin said they need to build upon what they did this weekend to close out the regular season.

                “This weekend was a bit confidence boost for us,” Dustin said. “Going into next week we need to keep focusing on the little things, having fun, and just soaking it all in.

Otero                    203 22 – 9 11 4

WNCC                   0(11)4 02 – 17 15 2

WP – Caley Leslie

3B – Baylie Krueger

HR – Morgan Dustin

WNCC baseball team tops Lamar twice

                LAMAR, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team plated 36 runs in taking an Empire Conference doubleheader from Lamar Community College on Sunday in Lamar, Colorado.

                The Cougars finished with 16 hits including a grand slam by Shintaro Inoue and home runs from Roangeraud Fraai and Eli Hernandez in registering the 17-9 win.

                WNCC kept their hot hitting going in the second game as they scored runs in all five innings, including an 8-run first inning to earn the 19-3 win that saw the Cougars blast three home runs.

                The opening game saw a tight contest through five innings with WNCC holding a slim 11-9 lead. It was the sixth inning when the Cougars opened the game with a 6-run plate appearance.

                Lamar started the scoring with a run in the first. WNCC answered with four in the second and three in the third for a 7-1 lead. The second saw Ashton Ross lead things off with a single followed by Tyler Easter getting a bunt single. Hunter McCollum drove in Ross to tie the game and then Roangeraud Fraai scored Easter on a sacrifice fly. WNCC loaded the bases and Bryce Peterson came through with a 2-run single for the 4-1 lead.

                The third saw Ross lead off with a single. Then, with two outs, Fraai delivered a 2-run home run. Peterson then singled home Eli Hernandez for the 7-1 lead.

                Lamar bounced back with four in the bottom of the third to cut the Cougar led to 7-5. WNCC added four more in the fifth. Fraai started things after getting plunked with a pitch. Hernandez then delivered a 2-run home run. After back-to-back walks, Jake Jackson delivered a single to score for the 11-5 lead.

                Lamar answered with four runs of their own in the bottom of the frame to make it 11-9. WNCC opened the contest with six in the sixth as WNCC loaded the bases with three straight free passes. Shintaro Inoue then made the Lopes pay as he delivered a grand slam for the 15-9 lead. WNCC wasn’t through as Peterson singled and scored on a Jackson single. Jackson came in to score on a Dylan Hoard single for the final 17-9.

                WNCC finished with 16 hits as four players finished with multiple hits. Inoue and Peterson each went 3-for-4. Inoue had a home run with two runs scored and four RBIs while Peterson had three singles with three RBIs and two runs scored.

                Ross finished 3-for-5 with three singles and two runs scored, while Jake Jackson had two singles with three RBIs and a run scored. Hernandez had a home run with two RBIs while also scoring four runs. Fraai had a home run with three RBIs and three runs scored.

                Clayden Brandon started and got the win going three innings in allowing five hits, five runs, two strikeouts and walking four. Archer Blumenshein tossed one inning in allowing three hits, four runs and one strike out. Nicolas Tremblay tossed the final three innings in allowing three hits, no runs and striking out one.

                The second game was all WNCC as WNCC plated eight runs in the first inning and never looked back behind a sterling pitching performance from Hernandez.

                WNCC opened the game loading the bases with one out. Drew Book followed with a 2-run single. WNCC loaded the bases again and Johnson came through with single that score two for a 4-0 lead. With the bases juiced one more time, Fraai followed with a double to score two for a 7-0 lead. Still, with the bases loaded, Peterson earned a walk to force in the eighth run of the inning.

                WNCC added three more in the second with the big blow coming from McCollum or had his first collegiate home run, this one a 3-run shot.

                The Cougars added two more runs each in the third and fourth for a 15-0 lead. The third saw solo home runs from Book and Garrett Dodd, while the fourth Book deliver a 2-out hit that resulted in an error to score two runs.

                WNCC closed out the scoring with four in the fifth. Max Adam singled in two while the final two runs came in on fielding errors for the 19-0 lead.

                Lamar scored three times in the fifth, but it wasn’t enough as WNCC captured their second straight win.

                WNCC finished with 10 hits in the contest. Johnson, Howard, and Book all finished with two hits each. Book had a home run with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Howard had two singles, two runs scored, and three RBIs. Johnson had a double with two RBIs and a run scored.

                Garrett Dodd had a home run with four runs scored, while McCollum had a home run with three RBIs and three runs scored.

                Hernandez picked up the win on the hill, going all five innings in allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out four.

                WNCC is slated to face Garden County Community College in a contest on Monday afternoon in Garden City, Kansas.

Game 1

WNCC                   043 046 0 – 17 16 1

Lamar                    104 040 0 – 9 11 0

WP – Clayden Brandon.

2B – Hunter McCollum.

HR – Roangeraud Fraai, Eli Hernandez, Shintaro Inoue.

Game 2

WNCC                   832 24 – 19 10 1

Lamar                    000 03 – 3 7 5

WP – Eli Hernandez.

2B – Roangeraud Fraai, Ethan Johnson.

HR – Drew Book, Garrett Dodd, Hunter McCollum.