Saturday, May 02, 2009

WNCC softball ends season at regionals

TRINIDAD, Colo – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team came up short of a repeat regional title falling in a heart-breaker to Trinidad State Junior College 7-6.

The Cougars, never-the-less, put on a good show after falling in their opener on Friday. The Cougars opened Saturday by dropping Dawson Community College 11-6. WNCC followed that with a 13-6 thumping of Lamar Community College as Stephanie Townsend had six RBIs and two home runs.

WNCC sophomore pitcher Kelsey Garner said it is a disheatening way to end the season, but they had a good season, finishing 42-17.

“I am really proud of our team,” Garner said. “We fought back the whole way, whether we were down, we just kept fighting back and didn’t let anyone stop us.”

“I think we had a pretty up and down season but we started to get more ups then downs in the end and that was nice. It just really sucks to end this way because I don’t think any of us expected it.”

WNCC did flex its offensive muscles Saturday, hitting five home runs. Against Dawson, though, they scored 11 runs on just eight hits – all singles.

Dawson struck first with a solo home run in the first inning. WNCC bounced back scoring three times in the second and six times in the fourth to take a 9-1 lead. In the fourth, the Cougars had five straight singles and then Megan Burditt had a 2-RBI hit that cleared the bases.

Katie Groves and Brittany Chacon each had two hits. Groves went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Chacon was 2-for-3 with three RBIs as well.

Casey Simpson picked up the win, allowing five runs on 10 hits and striking out two. Stephanie Townsend recorded the save allowng one run and striking out one.

In the contest against Lamar, WNCC took it to the Runnin’ Lopes early, scoring five times in the first inning. Groves opened things with a triple and then Megan Burditt reached on an error and Adena Hagen walked to load the bases. Townsend ripped a 2 run scoring single. Later, Alyssa Hickey scored two runs on a double and then Garner had a run-scoring double for the 5-0 lead.

WNCC added three more runs the second to go up 8-0. Groves led off with her 16th home run of the season, which breaks the season record of home runs that was set by Kari Marsico in 2006. Hagen then had a 1-out double and then Townsend crushed a pitch over the fence to score two runs.

Townsend connected on another 2-run home run in the fourth when she drove a pitch over the rightfield fence for a 11-3 lead. WNCC added two more runs in the sixth as Kelly Pearson walked followed by a single by Gomes. Tonya Atencio and Chacon also had singles in the inning.

WNCC finished the game with 16 hits, including nine that were extra-base variety. Townsend went 3-for-4 with six RBIs, three runs scored and two home runs. Groves went 2-for-3 with a triple, home run, and two runs scored.

Also collecting multiple hits were Hagen (2-for-3 with three runs scored and a double), Gomez (2-for-2 with a double and run scored), and Chacon (3-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI).

Garner picked up the win, going six innings and allowing six runs on eight hits. Garner struck out four.

WNCC continued hitting in the last game against Trinidad, falling in a heartbreaker. WNCC took a 2-0 lead in the first as Burditt walked and then scored on a Townsend 2-run home run. Trinidad answered with a solo home in the first to cut the lead to 2-1.

WNCC added a single run in the second before Trinidad took a 4-3 lead in the third inning with three runs on four hits. The Cougars quickly retook the lead in the fourth inning. Chacon reached base after getting hit by a pitch. Then Groves hit her 17th home run of the season, tying the career record set by Lauren Mills last season with a 2-run shot.

The Cougars added a single run in the fifth as Garner had a one-out single. Chacon was then hit by a pitch and then Groves was intentionally walked to load the bases. Burditt then scored a run after she was walked to put WNCC up 6-4.

Trinidad tied the game in the fifth with a 2-run home run and then won the game in the sixth with a single run on just one hit.

Groves finished the game 1-for-3 with two runs scord, a home run and two RBIs, while Townsend was 2-for-4 with a home runs and two RBIs.

Garner said it is tough too swollow right now, that their season has come to an end.

“It is really hard because we will never wear this jersey again,” she said. “We are not going to play with any of these people again and be coached by them again. It is hard to go away with a loss like that.”

First Game
Dawson 100 040 1 – 6 13 1
WNCC 030 611 x – 11 8 0
WP – Simpson, S – Townsend; 2B – WNCC (Sofia Gomez); HR – Dawson (Brittany Ceaser (2), Amanda Morris, jessica Stevens (2).

Second Game
Lamar 003 021 – 6 8 1
WNCC 531 202 – 13 16 0
WP – Garner; 2B – WNCC (Hagen 2, Hickey, Gomez, Pearson); Lamar (Maddie Maestas, Kayla Bruner, jessica Eddleman); 3B – WNCC (Groves); HR – WNCC (Groves, Townsend 2).

Third Game
WNCC 210 210 0 – 6 7 1
Trinidad 103 021 x – 7 9 1
LP – Simpson; 2B – Trinidad (Leah Hanson); HR – WNCC (Groves, Townsend), Trinidad (Tanisha Bradford, Nikole Morgan).

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