The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team earned a split with McCook Community College on Friday in a Empire Conference doubleheader at Cleveland Field.
                The first game was a dandy as the Cougars came back from a 3-0 deficit, getting a 3-run home run from Vaughn Wilson in the sixth to force extra innings. Then, in the ninth inning, Catcher Gladysh got a walk off single to score Wilson with the winning run for the 4-3 victory.
                The second game saw McCook scored 14 runs in the final four innings to capture the 16-6 win.
                The first game was plenty of exciting and was a good defensive and pitcher’s dual between the two Nebraska junior colleges.
                McCook scored one in the first and two in the third for a 3-0 lead. WNCC’s offense was sputtering with getting the big hit to score a run. It wasn’t until the sixth inning when things turned around.
                Will Harbison led off the sixth with a walk followed by a Tucker Deal single. WNCC’s next two batters struck out bringing Vaughn Wilson to the plate. The shortstop from Riverton, Utah, took the first pitch he saw and rocketed over the centerfield fence to tie the game at 3-3.
                Neither team scored in the seventh setting up the extra innings. The eighth inning saw neither team score. The ninth saw McCook go 3-u-3-down setting up the dramatic ninth. Vaughn Wilson led off the ninth with a single. With two outs, Ren Sato singled. That brought Gladysh to the plate and after taking a looking strike, Gladysh got a base hit to centerfield to score Wilson with the winning run.
                WNCC had just six hits in the contest as Wilson had two of the hits with three RBIs and two runs scored.
                Renfrow got the win, going 2 2/3 innings with allowing just one hit and striking out two. Rocco Harmon started and went six innings with five hits and three runs allowed with three strikeouts followed by Marshall Forsyth with a third of an inning.
                The second game started just like the first as McCook plated two first-inning runs. WNCC retook the lead with four runs in the second. The second started when Will Harbison walked followed by a Cooper Burgess single. Harbison scored on a Garrison single. Austin Cooper than put WNCC in front with a 3-run home run for the 4-2 lead.
                McCook took the lead in the fourth with four runs at 6-4, but saw WNCC answer with a single run in the bottom of the frame with Kensei Oikawa at the plate. Oikawa had a full count and fouled off six straight balls. The seventh pitch, the ball didn’t go foul, it was a no-doubter home run to right field to make it 6-5.
                McCook came back with a run in the fifth and then seven in the sixth for a 14-5 lead. McCook added two in the seventh while WNCC managed just one run in the defeat.
                WNCC was outhit in game two 16-6. Cooper led the team with a home run with three RBIs. Oikawa had the other extra base hit with a home run.
                WNCC will return to action on Tuesday, April 1 when they are scheduled to host Northeastern Junior College in a contest that was postponed from February.
 
Game 1
McCook             102 000 000 – 3 6 0
WNCC                000 003 001 – 4 6 1
WP – Alex Renfrow.
HR – Vaughn Wilson.
 
Game 2
McCook             200 417 2 – 16 16 2
WNCC                 040 100 1 – 6  6 3
LP – Zane Hendrickx.
HR – Austin Cooper, Kensei Oikawa
 
WNCC softball splits one-run games on Friday with Otero
 
                Friday’s Western Nebraska Community College and Otero College conference softball games were one-run games with each team claiming a victory in thrilling fashion.
                Game one saw Otero jump to a 7-1 lead and then held on after a Cougar seventh-inning comeback attempt to capture the first game 7-6.
                The second contest saw WNCC score five runs in the fifth and sixth innings and then played some tough seventh-inning defense in posting the 8-7 win.
                The Cougars will be back in action on April 7 and 8 when they host a pair of doubleheaders. WNCC will host Ft. Hays Technical Northwest on Monday, April 7 and then face Lamar Community College on Tuesday, April 8. Both games were contests that were postponed from earlier in the season.
                The second game on Friday was one where the Cougars stayed tough in the contest, finishing with 11 hits with five going for doubles. JoLee Huffaker led the way with three hits with a double and three RBIs.
                Tina Horton, Sierra Hilgner, Mykah Klumpp each had two hits. Horton had two doubles with two runs scored and two walks, while Hilgner had a double with two runs scored and an RBI. Klumpp had two singles with an RBI.
                Kallie Stocking got the win in the circle, tossing the final three innings in relief of Jenika Fuentes. Stocking scattered six hits with just two runs allowed.
                Otero took a 1-0 lead in the first inning only to watch WNCC tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the second as Tori Travers scored on a bunt by Huffaker.
                Otero came back with a run in the third to go up 2-1, but the Cougars immediately went ahead 3-2 with two in the bottom of the frame. WNCC loaded the bases with no outs and Hilgner drove in the tying run with a single followed by Huffaker singling in Hilgner with the go-ahead run.
                Otero went ahead 5-3 with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth. WNCC answered once again with a 3-spot in the bottom of the fifth for a 6-5 lead. Hilgner led off the fifth with a double and scored on a Travers double. Huffaker made it three straight doubles as the freshman score Travers to tie the game at 5-5. Huffaker scored on a Mykah Klumpp sacrifice fly to make it 6-5.
                The Rattlers tied the game with a run in the sixth. Once again, WNCC answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame to go up 8-6. Tina Horton led off with a double followed by a single by Kallie Stocking. WNCC loaded the bases with one out. Travers scored Horton with a sacrifice fly and Stocking scored on a Huffaker single for the 8-7 lead.
                The seventh became intense as Otero loaded the bases with just one out. Otero scored one run on a fielder’s choice hit. The Cougars got the final out on a groundout to shortstop for the win.
                The first game saw the Cougars fall behind 7-1 through four innings. After that, the Cougars defense stepped up and the offense responded in the seventh inning that saw the Cougars come within inches of forcing extra innings or getting a win as the Otero shortstop made a diving play in catching the final out while scooping up dirt for the final out.
                Entering the seventh, WNCC needed some magic and they got it. With two outs, Horton started the magic with a single followed by a single by Randi Mitchell. Horton scored the first run as Stocking doubled to make it 7-2.
                The hit parade continued as Hilgner singled to score both Stocking and Mitchell to make it a 7-4 contest. Travers followed with a single to score Hilgner and then Huffaker singled to score Travers to make it a 7-6 contest for the final.
                Both teams had 10 hits. Mitchell led the team with three hits with a run scored. Hilgner and Huffaker each had two hits as Hilgner had two RBIS. Stocking had two RBIs in the contest with the only extra base hit.
               
Game 1
Otero                   321 100 0 – 7 10 1
WNCC                001 000 5 – 6 10 5
LP – Jenika Fuentes.
2B – Kallie Stocking.
 
Game 2
Otero                   101 121 1 – 7 13 3
WNCC                012 032 x – 8 11 3
WP – Kallie Stocking.
2B – Tina Horton (2), Sierra Hilgner, Tori Travers.