Hughes tosses WNCC's first perfect game, Cougar softball sweeps CCC-Columbus

Ashton Hughes

               COLUMBUS -- Ashton Hughes made Western Nebraska Community College history in tossing the Cougars' first perfect game.

               Hughes, the right-handed flame thrower, struck out nine and sat down all 15 batters she faced in order in helping the Cougars to a 8-0 win in the first game. The second game was also magical with the Cougars using some seventh-inning magic to register a 5-3 win.

               It was the No. 18 Cougars 28th win of the season and stopped a 2-game losing skid.

               WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said she has never coached ina game where her pitcher tossed a perfect game. After the game, Winn-Ratliff presented Hughes with the game ball.

               "She threw well. She had nine strikeouts and faced 15 batters," Winn-Ratliff said. "She really contained them and everything else was pop ups. She just threw really, really well."

               Hughes was such in a zone pitching in the circle that she didn't even realize what she accomplished.

               "She didn't even know she throw it. She had no clue," Winn-Ratliff said. "Game one I thought we played extremely well. We were slow starting a little bit, but obviously we didn't have any miscues because Ashley just contained everybody from within the circle. Offensively we just flowed into things."
               Hughes' masterful pitching started early. After getting the first two Raider batters to fly out to Allie Alverson and Megan Bourdon, the sophomore from Regina, Saskatchewan, struck out the next four batters.

               In the meantime, the WNCC offense slowly cranked up, scoring single runs it he second and third innings, before putting the game away with three runs each in the fourth and fifth inning for the 8-run-rule-shortened game.

               WNCC scored the three runs in the fourth inning on four hits. Same in the fifth inning as the Cougars scored three times on four hits. The big hit was a triple by Aria Agle to start the inning followed by singles by Mariah Faifer, Allie Alverson and Sarah Hawryluk.

               WNCC pounded out 11 hits in the win with three players record multiple hits. Agle led the way with a 3-for-4 game with a triple, run scored and an RBI. Hawryluk and Faifer each collected two hits, while the only other extra base hit was a double from Jocelyn Stubbs.

               WNCC got behind the 8-ball early, giving up two runs it he first inning. The Cougars came back to tie the game with single runs in the third and sixth innings. In the third, Mariah Faifer started things with a double followed by a single by Alverson. Faifer later scored for the first run.

               The Cougars tied the game in the sixth as Bourdon doubled followed by Cappuccilli roping a single. Jordan Schoepflin came through with a game-tying single. CCC-Columbus, however, went back in front in the bottom of the inning on two hits for a 3-2 lead.

               WNCC kept fighting, scoring three runs in the seventh on three hits. Alverson and Hawryluk started the comeback with one-out singles. Cappuccilli then came through in the clutch, delivering a 2-run double to tie the game. Cappuccilli later scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.

               Amanda Jones picked up the win, going all seven innings while scattering seven hits and striking out three.

               WNCC pounded out 12 hits in the win with four players recorded more than one hit. Alverson led the way with a 3-for-4 game with a triple, run scored and RBI. Hawryluk, Jacqui Cappuccilli and Jordan Schoepflin each had two hits as well. Cappuccilli had a fouble and two RBIs. The other two extra base hits came from Bourdon and Faifer.

               WNCC will be back in action Saturday when they take part in the Raider tournament in Columbus. The Cougars will face Southeast Nebraska, Northern Iowa Community College and Southwestern Iowa Community College.

               "These wins are nice. We had a losing streak and we came back and picked up a couple wins," Winn-Ratliff said. "Now, we have some self confidence and it is nice to see our pitchers go out and throw well. We have to come out tomorrow and play because the teams we face will beat  us if we don't. If we put the ball into play, have good pitching and play good defense, I think we are as good as anyone in the country."

First game

WNCC                                 011 33 -- 8 11 0

CCC-Columbus                  000 00 -- 0 0 0

WP -- Ashton Hughes; 2B -- Jocelyn Stubbs; 3B -- Aria Agle.

Second Game

WNCC (28-8)                     001 001 3 -- 5 12 4

CCC-Columbus                  200 001 0 -- 3 7 1

WP -- Amanda Jones; 2B -- Megan Bourdon, Jacqui Cappuccilli, Mariah Faifer; 3B -- Allie Alverson.