Friday, April 03, 2009

WNCC softball splits with Lamar

LAMAR, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team pounded out 16 hits in the second game of a doubleheader against Lamar Community College on Friday in Lamar, Colo.

The Cougar’s 16-hit offensive attack earned the team an 8-3 win to earn a split against the Lopes. In the opener, WNCC managed just four hits in falling 4-2. Both Lamar and WNCC are tied for the conference lead with 8-4 marks.

“We played very well in game two,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “We got a good performance in the circle from Kelsey Garner and we showed up to play in the game two.”

Garner picked up the win with a superb pitching performance. The sophomore from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, scattered four hits. Garner also struck out 12 and walked just one.

Offensively, the Cougars were just as explosive as four Cougars finished with a 3-hit game. Adena Hagen and Lauryn Smith each went 3-for-3, while Katie Groves and Sofia Gomez each went 3-for-4.

Hagen finished with three RBIs, two singles and a double, while Smith had three runs scored on three singles. Groves had two runs scored, two runs batted in and a double. Gomez had two runs batted in and singles.

WNCC got on the scoreboard first as Groves singled and scored on a Hagen double for the 1-0 lead. Lamar came back and tied the score in the second, only to watch the Cougars retake the lead in the third. Smith singled in the inning and scored on a Groves base hit.

The Cougars opened up the lead with a four-spot in the fifth inning. Smith singled and scored on a Groves double. WNCC followed with run-scoring singles by Hagen, Gomez and Alyssa Hickey to go up 6-1. WNCC scored three of the runs with two outs and left the bases loaded in the inning.

WNCC added two more runs in the sixth inning. Smith started things with a single. Garner singled Smith home and a couple batters later, Garner scored on a Gomez single for the 8-3 win.

Game two was an improvement over game one, in which the Cougars managed just four hits in scoring two runs. The Cougars, however, started the scoring with a single run it the first inning as Hagen singled and scored on a Gomez sacrifice fly.

Lamar responded with two runs in the bottom of the first inning and then went up 4-1 with two runs in the fourth inning. The Cougars mounted a comeback in the sixth. Groves started things with a double. Megan Burditt then came in to pinch run but was thrown out at the plate on a fielder’s choice by Alyssa Hickey. Hickey later came around to score on a Garner double to cut the lead to 4-2.

Groves, Gomez and Garner each had a double in the loss to lead the team.

Casey Simpson took the loss by giving up eight hits, striking out four and allowing two free passes.

WNCC (21-15) will next be in action Monday and Tuesday as they travel to McCook for doubleheaders before facing Otero Junior College in a conference 2-game set on Wednesday.

Game 1
WNCC 100 001 0 – 2 4 2
Lamar 200 200 x – 4 8 2
LP – Simpson; 2B – Groves, Gomez, Garner.

Game 2
WNCC 101 042 0 – 8 16 1
Lamar 010 002 0 – 3 4 1
WP – Garner; 2B – Hagen, Garner, Groves.

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