WNCC softball sweeps Trinidad State

Western Nebraska Community College’s Jessica Pexton helped pitch the Cougar softball team to a sweep of Trinidad State Junior College Monday evening.

Pexton threw a stellar game in game two, holding the Trojan bats to just three runs on seven hits as the Cougars won the 11-3. In the opener, WNCC came back from a 7-4 deficit to defeat Trinidad State 12-7.

“I think we played really good,” Pexton said. “We came together as a team at crucial times when we needed to and got two wins. This win will help get my confidence up and the girls really backed me up.”

Indeed the Cougars played well Monday, pounding out 27 hits in the doubleheader -- 11 in the first game and 14 in the second game. Pexton said this is a team that can hit throughout the lineup.

“Sometimes we have a struggle in an inning, but we came together and pulled out the win,” she said. “When we were down in the first game, we knew we had to just come back. We never die, never give in and we just kept coming back and hit the ball."

Trinidad jumped all over the Cougars in the opener grapping a 7-4 lead after two innings. WNCC came roaring back in the third scoring seven times on seven hits. The big blows was a two runs-scoring triple by Whittany Foster and then a run-scoring triple by Amanda Hensley to give the Cougars an 11-7 lead.

WNCC added an insurance run in the fifth inning as Kara Ryman unloaded on a pitch that hit the scoreboard for a home run.

In the meantime, Natasha Dypchey settled down in the final five innings holding the Trojans to just three hits to get the win. Hensley, Ryman and Ashley Eichelberger all finished with two hits for the Cougars. Hensley went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a RBI, Ryman went 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and a RBI, and Eichelberger was 2-for-4 with two singles, two runs scored and a RBI.

WNCC quickly took control in the second game, bolting to a 5-0 lead after one inning. Jessica Ventoza led things off with a triple followed by a double by Lauren Mills. WNCC’s six-hit first-inning attach continued as Amanda Torimaru had a two-out single followed by a 2-RBI double by Foster and a run-scoring single by Pexton for the 6-0 lead.

Trinidad came back with three runs in the second inning on an error and three singles, but Pexton avoided further damage by striking out one and getting the two fly balls to get out of the inning. After that, Pexton sailed though the rest of the game, allowing just two hits.

“This win will help get my confidence up,” Pexton said. “The girls really backed me up.”

The rest of the team really came forward after Trinidad cut the lead to 5-3. WNCC responded with four runs in the second and two in the fifth to end the game on the 8-run rule. In the fifth inning, Ventoza led off with a single followed by a run-scoring double by Mills. Hensley then single to left-field that scored Mills with the game-ending run.

Mills led the team with a 4-for-4 performance, including two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI. Eichelberger was also perfect in the game with three hits, including a triple, two runs scored and two RBIs. Hensley and Ventoza also collected multiple hits in the win.

Pexton said the second game win was crucial after dropping the second game to North Platte on Sunday 4-2.

“I think we stayed focused the entire way in the second game,” she said. “Sometimes we lose a little bit of focus but we kept it together this game.”

On Sunday, the Cougars split with North Platte Community College claiming the first game 2-1 in eight innings before falling 4-2 in the second game. WNCC outhit North Platte 21-10 in the game, but left 17 runners on base.

In the first-game win, WNCC scored single runs in the sixth and eighth innings. The Cougars tied the game in the sixth as Ventoza singled and scored on a Hensley single. In the eighth, Torimaru started things with a 2-out single and scored on a Mills single for the win.

Hensley, Eichelberger and Mills each collected two hits for the Cougars. Dypchey picked up the win, striking out six and scattering four hits in eight innings of work.

North Platte scored three times in the fifth inning to take a 4-1 lead and held on for the win. Dpychey picked up the loss in the circle striking out three and allowing six hits.

Eichelberger paced the Cougars from the plate with a 3-for-4 performance followed by Jessie McNabb with a 2-for-4 performance and a run-scored.

WNCC, 21-12 on the season, will next be in action Friday when they travel to Dawson Community College in Glendive, Mont.