Beard went six innings and Kevin Sanford had a clutch 2-out double to put WNCC ahead in the sixth inning to give the Cougars a 7-3 win. The second game saw Martinez throw a complete shutout in limiting the Trojans to just five hits in getting the 1-0 win.
The wins give the Cougars sole second place in conference standings. Trinidad and WNCC entered the four-game series tied at 7-3 in conference play. The two squads will be back in action Saturday for another doubleheader.
"This a big two wins for us. We came in tied with them in conference for second place and we are on the road and the weather was not nice," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "We were able to battle through that and come away with two wins. Going into tomorrow [Saturday] we will have a little bit of confidence. I am sure Trinidad is going to come out with something to prove. Right know we are sitting in the driver's seat."
The Cougars, who won seven of their last eight conference games, received outstanding pitching and defense in getting the conference wins Friday.
"It was two outstanding pitching performances, and our defense made some great plays," Jones said. "Offensively we did what we needed to do to win the games. We were not great offensively, but we were able to score runs when we needed to, and then let our pitching and defense win the games for us."
In the opener, Beard went six strong innings while scattering eight hits and fiving up three runs. Armani Gonzalez, who will start game one on Saturday, picked up the save.
Sanford, however, had the key hit that gave the lead for good. With Jared Baros and Trace Marsden in scoring position with two outs, Jones said the freshman from North Dakota crushed a line drive down the left field line to help the Cougars take the lead for good. After that, Jones said, they rolled as they added another three runs in the seventh inning.
WNCC managed just five hits in the opener as Sanford had the only extra base hit. Josh Parker was the only Cougar to collect multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with runs scored.
WNCC didn't need a lot of offense the way Martinez was controlling the game on the mound. The right-hander from Honduras went seven strong innings, scattering five hits and striking out five.
"Rodil pitched an outstanding ball game," Jones said. "He had a rough first two innings where he walked a couple guys and had to pitch himself out of some trouble. After that, he was really good. He controlled the game all the way through and Trinidad never had any opportunities."
All the runs that the Cougars needed came in the first inning. After Shane Wade opened the game by reaching base, Elvis Garcia delivered a run-scoring double to drive in Wade with the only run of the game.
Wade finished the game going 2-for-4, while Garcia had the only extra base hit.
Jones said that this team is playing well defensively and on the mound as they are making the plays when they need to.
"We have had some difficult pitching situations, but we are able to keep our composure and make the pitches that we need to," he said. "Our defense has also played well in those situations. If we continue to do that, battle through tough situations, we have a chance to win a lot of ball games."
Game One
WNCC 000 013 3 -- 7 5 2
Trinidad 021 000 0 -- 3 10 2
WP -- Tim Beard; 2B -- Kevin Sanford.
Game Two
WNCC 100 000 0 -- 1 4 0
Trinidad 000 000 0 -- 0 5 3
WP -- Rodil Martinez; 2B -- Elvis Garcia.
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