FT. COLLINS, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team’s offense came alive in the Triple Crown Tournament over the weekend. The Cougars out hit their five RMAC opponents 50-43, finishing the tournament with a 2-3 mark. The Cougars, however, easily could have been 5-0 as they lost two 1-run games to Ft. Lewis College 7-6, scoring five runs in the seventh inning, and then 7-6 to Adams State. They also lost to Regis 8-4 on Saturday.
WNCC finished the tournament with two straight wins on Sunday in impressive fashion, topping Metro State 13-4 and then defeating Colorado School of Mines 8-3. In those two wins, the Cougars finished the games with 24 hits.
Freshman Katie Hill of Broomfield, Colo., said the way the team finished the tournament on Sunday shows plenty for the future.
“The team played very well on Sunday,” Hill said. “We came together as a team and came together no one could beat.
The offense picked up fast and furious in the Metro State contest and continued into the Colorado Mines contest. Hill said it was about time.
“In our two wins on Sunday, our offense was unstoppable,” she said. “We had great at bats and showed everyone why we have one of the best hitting teams. We put our hits together and scored the runs we needed win. We never gave up.”
Metro led after one 3-0 on a 3-run home run. After that, the Cougars took over, scoring twice in the third on a 2-run scoring double by Adena Hagen. WNCC added two more in the fourth on a 2-run scoring single by Ashton Hughes for a 4-3 lead.
Metro tied the game at four in the fifth, but WNCC retook the lead in the sixth before opening up the contest in the seventh play plating eight runs on 13 hits – all with two outs. The big hits in the inning was a 3-run double by Katie Groves that scored Hill, Allie Alverson and Hagen. Hughes and Michelle Glaze had run-scoring singles in the inning as well.
Taylor Anderson picked up the win in the circle by scattering five hits, striking out three.
Offensively, four players finished with multiple hits. Groves went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Chara Horsley went 2-for-4, Hughes went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Alverson went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
WNCC continued it’s hot hitting in the tournament’s final game against Colorado Mines. The Cougars scored three times in the first and second innings to take a 6-1 lead. Hill and Hagen led off the game with singles. Groves scored Hill on a groundout. Hagen later scored on an error. Tonya Atencio scored the other run.
The Cougars three, second-inning runs all came with two outs. Hill started things by drawing a walk followed by four straight singles by Hagen, Groves, Horsley and Glaze.
WNCC added single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. Horsley had a double in the fourth to score Groves and Amanda Saldivar scored in the fifth.
Stephanie Townsend, Jordan Schoepflin and Ashton Hughes combined for the win, allowing Colorado Mines nine hits and striking out one.
WNCC finished the contest with 11 hits as Hagen went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three singles. Horsley finished the contest 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs, and Glaze went 2-for-4 with a RBI.
The Cougars started Sunday by falling to Adams State 7-6, coming back with five runs in the last two innings to take a 6-5 lead, but let Adams score twice in the bottom of the seventh with two outs to squeak out the win.
Glaze paced the team a solo home run in the second. She also had two runs scored and two RBIs. Horsley finished the contest going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Hagen finished the game with two runs scored.
Freshman Britt Enterline threw five strong innings in giving up four runs and striking out four. Schoepflin pitched the final two innings, giving up three hits while getting the loss.
Hill said the team is finally coming together as a unit.
“The team is coming together great,” she said. “We communicated well, put hits together and really came out to play. We all have one common goal and that is to go out and have fun and win games.”
The Cougar softball team will next be in action this weekend in a tournament in Rangely, Colo. WNCC will wrap up the fall season with the Cougar World Series Oct. 12-16.
Saturday’s Games
First Game
WNCC 010 000 5 – 6 8 5
Ft. Lewis 300 004 x – 7 10 1
LP – Hughes.
Second Game
WNCC 000 100 3 – 4 9 0
Regis 340 010 x – 8 13 0
LP – Townsend.
Sunday’s Games
First Game
WNCC 010 003 2 – 6 9 4
Adams St. 004 010 2 – 7 6 1
LP – Schoepflin; 2B – Horsley; HR – Glaze.
Second Game
WNCC 002 201 8 – 13 13 0
Metro 300 010 0 – 4 5 5
WP – Anderson; 2B – Hagen, Groves.
Third Game
WNCC 330 110 – 8 11 3
CO Mines 101 100 – 3 9 5
WP – Townsend; 2B – Horsley.
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