LAMAR, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team gave conference-leading Lamar Community College all it could handle Sunday afternoon in earning an Empire Conference sweep with the Runnin’ Lopes.
The Cougars stayed tough in the opener, scoring four late-inning runs to sting Lamar 5-4. The second game was reversed with Lamar scoring five times in the seventh inning to grab a 7-6 win.
The split keeps the Cougars within reach to make the playoffs, just two games behind No. 4 McCook Community College. McCook dropped four games to Trinidad State over the weekend.
In the opener, WNCC played one of its best games against conference-leading Lamar. Lamar vaulted to a 3-0 lead after two innings and led 3-1 after three innings. That was when the Cougars kicked it into another gear, scoring three times in the fifth to tie the score at 4-4.
Vincente Rodriquez started the inning by reaching on an error. Max Brennen followed with a single and then Paul Singh tied the game with one swing of the bat, blasting a 3-run home run.
WNCC scratched across the go-ahead run in the sixth. Jake Vore started the rally by reaching base on a 2-out walk. Ray Tiel followed with a double. Vore came in to score on the play for the lead.
The Cougars held the lead but made it interesting in the seventh. Lamar loaded the bases with two outs, but Jake Stutzman got the final out on a fly out to Brennen to secure the win.
Jeff Schmitt picked up the win, tossing 5 2/3 innings. Schmitt, from Cheyenne, Wyo., scattered seven hits and gave up four runs, including two home runs. Stutzman picked up the save, going 1 1/3 innings while striking out two.
The Cougars managed seven hits in the contest. Singh led the way with a 2-for-2 game, including a home run, three RBIs and a run scored. Camilo Baldelomar also collected two hits, while Brennen had two runs scored.
Second game saw the Cougars get three home runs and out-hit Lamar 8-7. WNCC’s offensive output started early as Singh hit his second home run of the day, blasting a grand slam in the second inning to take a 4-0 lead.
Lamar came back to slice the lead in half, 4-2. WNCC kept swinging a mean bat and playing good defense, adding single runs in the third and fifth inning on solo home runs from Baldelomar and Jake Montoya to take a 6-2 lead into the seventh. That was when Lamar scraped across five runs to claim the come-from-behind victory.
McNabb went the distance to get the loss. The freshman gave up seven runs and seven hits while striking out seven. McNabb faced just 28 batters in the game and tossing 107 pitches, 72 of which went for strikes.
WNCC had two players get multiple hits. Montoya led the way with a 3-for-3 game with two runs scored, a RBI and a home run. Singh went 2-for-2 with a run scored, four RBIs and a home run. Baldelomar also chipped in a solo home run.
WNCC, 14-27 overall and 7-14 in conference play, will return to action Wednesday when they travel to Sterling, Colo., to face Northeastern Junior College in one 9-inning game.
First Game
WNCC 001 031 0 – 5 7 1
Lamar 211 000 0 – 4 8 1
WP – Jeff Schmitt, S – Jake Stutzman; 2B – Ray Tiel; HR – Paul Singh.
Second Game
WNCC 041 010 0 – 6 8 1
Lamar 020 000 06 – 7 7 0
LP – Terry McNabb; 2B – Tiel; HR – Singh, Camilo Baldelomar, Jake Montoya.
Region IX Standings
Team Conf. Overall
Lamar 19-4 36-13
Trinidad 14-7 31-16
Otero 13-11 30-17
McCook 9-12 19-20
WNCC 7-14 14-27
NE Colorado 5-19 17-31
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