In the opener, Megan Bourdon had a lead-off home run to go with Alverson's solo shot in leading the Cougars to an 8-0 win. Alverson and Chelsi Townsend each had inside the park home runs in the second game as WNCC came through with a 9-1 win.
WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said she was pleased with the win, but they said they need to pick up the excitement on the field.
"North Platte is playing a lot better and i thought they played better against us today than two weeks ago," she said. "I thought Ashton threw well enough to win and Amanda threw pretty well. Offensively, I still didn't think we are swinging the bats the way we are capable of. We put a couple balls out of the park and that could have been helped from the wind, but I am not sure.
"We just have to get better. We are still making February mistakes and that is what I have been telling the girls the last nine or 10 games is that we are doing little things that seem like they are trival, but if we continue to make them, it will be costly in a big game for us. we have to continue to get better."
In the opening game, Ashton Hughes continued her steamroller stint in the circle, picking up another shut-out win. Hughes went five innings in allowing three hits and striking out five. Hughes had a no-hitter going through three innings before North Platte's Ashley Duin had a one-out double in the fourth inning.
WNCC, on the other hand, controlled the game, ripping eight hits in scoring their eight runs. WNCC, however, didn't play it's best as they squandered many scoring opportunities.The Cougars started the game off well as Bourdon led off with a home run to right field. Jordan Schoepflin followed with a 2-out double followed by a run-scoring triple by Jocelyn Stubbs for the quick 2-0 lead.
WNCC added another run in the second as Alverson unleashed a 2-out solo home run to right field for a 3-0 lead.
The Cougars added two more runs in the fifth inning on two hits, and then put the game away with three runs in the fifth inning on just one hit and four walks. Bourden finished off the game with a single to left field to score Aria Agle with the run to end the game via the 8-run rule.
Bourdon went 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBIs, and two walks. Alverson also finished with two hits, going 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs.
WNCC utilized their speed on the bases, finishing with 10 stolen bases. Agle led the team with three stolen bases, while Bourdon and Stubbs each had two.
The Cougars played practically identical in the second game, pounding out 10 hits in scoring their nine runs. WNCC opened with two runs in the first. Sarah Hawryluk started things wiht a single and then scored on Schoepflin's 2-out home run to right center field.
WNCC added three runs in the second inning, all with two outs. Alverson started the excitement as she hit a ball to left center field that found its way over the centerfielder. Alverson then used her speed in touching all four bases for an inside the park home run.
Bourdon then followed with a triple to right field and scored on a Hawryluk single. Hawryluk then came around to score on a Jacqui Cappuccilli double for the 5-0 lead.
WNCC added single runs in the third and fourth innings, before putting the game away in the fifth. Chelsi Townsend started things by ripping a hard single that found the way, untouched, through the legs of the leftfielder. Townsend utilized her speed in coming around to score on the hit. Sarah Ward-Hadden then followed with a double before Amanda Saldivar and Alverson each walked to load the bases. Bourdon then finished the game once again with a sacrfice fly to score Ward-Hadden with the game-ending run.
Amanda Jones picked up the win in the circle, going 4 1/3 innings in allowing five hits and no runs. Jones struck out four. Ward-Hadden tossed the final 2/3 of the inning, allowing two hits and one run.
WNCC finished wiht 10 hits, including six extra base hits. Hawryluk was the only player to notch more than one hit, finishing with a 3-for-3 performance with three singles, two runs scored, a RBI, and two stolen bases. Bourdon also finished with two runs scored in her 1-for-2 game, including a triple and a walk.
WNCC, 33-10, will return to action today (Wednesday) when they host McCook Community College in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Winn-Ratliff said McCook will give them a battle and her team better be ready to play.
"McCook played really well this weekend at the Columbus tournament, where they played some tough competition, going seven innings with Kirkwood and Iowa Western," she said. "If we don't come out and do the things that we need to do from start to finish, they will give us a heck of a ball game and it will take a little luck for us to come out and be victorious. We just need to come out with a little more energy and we have to do a better job offensively because we are striking out way too much. But, these two wins against North Platte are nice and it gives us good confidence going into the confidence against McCook and Trinidad and Otero this weekend."
First Game
North Platte 000 00 -- 0 3 1
WNCC 210 23 -- 8 8 2
WP -- Ashton Hughes; LP -- Rachel Silva; 2B -- Jordan Schoepflin; 3B -- Jocelyn Stubbs; HR -- Megan Bourdon, Allie Alverson.
Second Game
North Platte 000 01 -- 1 6 2
WNCC (33-10) 231 12 -- 9 10 0
WP -- Amanda Jones; LP -- Rachel Silva; 2B -- Jacqui Cappuccilli, Sarah Ward-Hadden; 3B -- Bourdon; HR -- Jordan Schoepflin, Chelsi Townsend, Alverson.
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