The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team showed just how much pitching depth they have this year. Five Cougars combined on a five-hit shutout in registering a 5-0 win against Colorado State University Wednesday afternoon at Cleveland Field.
"That is the best we have played so far early in this season," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "We pitched really well and we had a chance to get the pitchers out there and get some innings. Everybody went out there and performed really well for us. [Jake] Stutzman did a real nice job in the starting role in getting us going early. Offensively, we had some real positive at bats. we did a lot of things right today which don't always show up in the scorebook."
The five pitchers definitely controlled the Colorado State batters. Jake Stutzman went three inning in allowing just one run and striking out two to pick up the win. After Stutzman's spell on the mound, Dalton Goings, Joel Perez, Trevor Kriesel and Kile Rogers all took turns throwing in the game and kept the Ram hitters from crossing home plate.
"We have a lot of pitching depth and we have a good mix of guys that are talented and they have been well coached," Jones said. "A lot of the credit goes to the pitching coaches. They have done a really nice job of getting these guys focused and teaching them how to pitch smart. that has been a big step for us."
The Cougars quickly got on the board. Reimier Alamberry led off the second with a single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Kevin Sanford for the 1-0 lead.
WNCC added another run in the fourth inning. Camilo Baldelomar led off the inning after being plunked by a pitch. Two batters later, Jake Vore smashed a run-scoring double for the 2-0 lead.
The Cougars added a couple more runs in the sixth inning. Nelson Quintero led off with a single and came around to score on a throwing error that sent Baldelomar to second on the overthrow to first. Sanford, with two outs, came through against with a crushing double to score Baldelomar for the 4-0 lead.
WNCC added an insurance run in the seventh inning. Max Brennen singled and came around to score on another throwing error to first base for the 5-0 lead.
Jones said the team's speed on the base paths is a definite plus this season. The Cougars had six stolen bases on the day with Alamberry and Brennen each collecting two stolen bases.
"Our speed is definitely one of our strong points," he said. "We can use it as a weapon when we learn how to use it correctly. We were really good on the bases today."
WNCC had a pair of players finish with multiple hits. Brennen went 2-for-3 with a runs scored, while Alamberry went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Sanford went 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a double, while Baldelomar had two runs scored.
WNCC, 4-3, will next be in action Tuesday when they travel to face the University of Colorado. Jones said that this start to the season is a definite positive after they started last season dropping their first nine games and dropping 13 of their first 14 games. Jones said the quick start is a testament of the players' work ethic.
"Our work ethic has been really good all year long," he said. "These guys have come out early ready to play. We have been able to battle through some mistakes and the guys are not letting them bother them. we are taking them in stride and learning from them. We have made a lot of progress.
Colorado State 000 000 000 -- 0 3 3
WNCC (4-3) 010 102 10x -- 5 7 2
WP -- Jacob Stutzman; 2B -- Jake Vore, Kevin Sanford.
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