Cougar softball team falls in final day of Spring Break trip on March 17

                COOLIDGE, Ariz. -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball team finished off the Central Arizona tournament dropping two more games on Saturday.

                In the opener, No. 12 Odessa College scored eight first-inning runs in rolling to the 14-0 win. The second game saw the Cougars allow five fourth-inning runs to fall 7-5 to El Paso Community College.

                The Cougars finished the Spring Break trip to Arizona at 3-10, dropping their record to 14-14

                WNCC had every opportunity to get the win against El Paso to finish the on an upbeat as they held a 2-0 lead after one as Sarah Hawryluk and Jocelyn Stubbs each scored. the big hit was a double by Mariah Shepherd.

                El Paso came storming back with a 5-run fourth inning on five hits. The big hits included a 2-run home run by Emecola Arzola and a 3-run dinger by Erin Quintana for a 5-2 lead.

                WNCC came back to slice the lead in the sixth on a Bree Bitton 2-run home run. El Paso came back with two runs n the top of the seventh to add to the lead, 7-4. WNCC had an opportunity to win the game in its last at-bat, scoring one but they ended up leaving the bases loaded.

                WNCC finished the contest with five hits and no Cougar had more than one hit. Bitton led the way with a 1-for-3 game with three RBIs and a run scored. Shepherd also finished with an extra base hit, a double, with a RBI.

                Duran took the pitching loss, tossing seven innings while scattering 12 hits. Duran struck out four and did not walk a batter.

                In the Odessa contest, The Cougars managed just four hits and never got things rolling, as Odessa's Della Saucedo struck out 10 and walked two.

                WNCC had singles from Mariah Shepherd, Shalese Connery, Gabi Palacios and Kayla Romey in the loss.

                WNCC returns to action with a busy week coming up. The Cougars travel to McCook Community College on Wednesday before hosting Trinidad State Junior College on Thursday, Otero Junior College on Saturday and Lamar Community College on Sunday. All eight games are Region IX contests.

Game 1

Odessa                 822 02 -- 14 15 0

WNCC                   000 00 -- 0 4 6

LP -- Amanda Jones.

Game 2

El Paso                  000 500 2 -- 7 12 1

WNCC (14-14)    200 002 1 -- 5 5 2

LP -- Bianca Duran; 2B -- Mariah Shepherd; HR -- Bree Bitton.