The Western Nebraska Community College and McCook Community College baseball teams hooked up for a doubleheader at Cleveland Field in ideal weather for a baseball game as the two teams split an Empire Conference doubleheader on Friday.

                The first game saw WNCC slap three home runs from the bats for Drew Book, Shintaro Inoue, and Bryce Peterson in registering the 9-1 win in the 7-inning scheduled game.

                The second game saw the two teams tangle in the scheduled 9-inning contest with neither team scoring until the fifth. It was then the Indians scored 10 runs over the next three innings to take the 13-5 win to earn a split of the conference games.

                WNCC and McCook will be back after it on Saturday at noon with one 9-inning game.

                WNCC got on the board first with a run in the second as Book and Jacob Jackson had lead-off singles and Book coming in to score on a Joseph Toubeaux ground out for the 1-0 lead. McCook tied the game in the third with a run only to watch the Cougars come back with two in the bottom of the frame for a 3-1 lead.

                The third saw the Cougars get the long-ball going as Inoue slammed a one-out solo home run and then two batters later, Book hit a solo home run to make it 3-1.

                WNCC kept the offense going with two more runs in the fifth for a 5-1 lead. Inoue earned a walk and then Peterson had a 2-run home run.

                WNCC added four more in the sixth with all the runs coming in with two outs. Eli Hernandez earned a walk and scored on a 2-out single by Peterson. WNCC loaded the bases and Howard singled in two more runs for a 9-1 lead.

                WNCC registered 11 hits in the contest led by Inoue, who was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle with a 3-for-3 day with a double, home run, three runs scored, and an RBI. Book also had three hits with his 3-for-4 day with a home run, three RBIs, and an RBI. Also collecting two hits were Peterson and Howard. Peterson had a home run with two runs scored and three RBIs, while Howard had two RBIs.

                Valentin Blanc got the pitching win in going five innings in scattering five hits and allowing just one run with four strikeouts.

                Archer Blumenshein closed out the game tossing two innings in allowing no hits, no runs, and striking out two.

                Game two was a good defensive contest for the first four innings as neither defense was about to allow a run. McCook got on the scoreboard first with two in the fifth and then added three in the fifth for a 5-0 lead.

                WNCC came right back in the bottom of the fifth with four runs to make it 5-4. WNCC loaded the bases as Inoue and Book earned free passes while Peterson had a single. Ashton Ross scored two runs with a double followed by Tyler Easter scoring Book on a groundout. Dylan Harris plated the fourth run with a single.

                McCook came right back in the seventh with five runs to go up 10-4 and then added three insurance runs in the eighth to lead 10-4. WNCC scored just one more run after that with a single run in the ninth to fall in the contest.

                WNCC was outhit in the contest 11-8. The Cougars had three players with two hits each. Peterson went 2-for-5 with a run scored while Ross went 3-for-3 with a double, run scored, and two RBIs. Harris also had two singles with a run scored and an RBI.

                WNCC used four pitchers. Firmin started and gets the loss going five innings in allowing two runs, five hits, and two strikeouts. Clayden Brandon also pitched in going just a third of an inning in allowing one hit and three runs.

                Wyatt Zsidisin went one inning with two runs scored while Nicolas Tremblay finished off the game going 2 2/3 innings in allowing five hits, six runs, and striking out two.

                After Saturday’s contest, the Cougars will hop back into conference play with road games on Tuesday and Wednesday against Southeast Community College.

 

Game 1

McCook               001 000 0 – 1 5 2

WNCC                   012 024 x – 9 11 1

WP – Valentin Blanc

2B – Shintaro Inoue.

HR – Drew Book, Shintaro Inoue, Bryce Peterson.

 

Game 2

McCook               000 023 530 – 13 11 3

WNCC                   000 004 001 – 5 8 4

LP – Firman Hassed.

2B – Ashton Ross.