CONCORDIA, Kan. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team finished the Cloud County Invite on Sunday by splitting a pair of games.
In the opener, Amanda Jones struck out four in allowing just one run as the Cougars defeated Kansas Wesleyan. The second game saw the Cougars Bianca Duran strike out seven, but Highland Community College scratched across a single run in the fourth inning to down the Cougars 1-0 win.
WNCC, 8-7, will get back in action Tuesday when they host North Platte Community College in a doubleheader at Volunteer Field beginning at 3 p.m.
WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said they played O.K. but they still need to work on the offensive side.
“I don’t think offensively we played as well [as Saturday],” she said. “The climate was different where it was colder and windier. I don’t think our plate appearances were as good as the day before.
“Against Highland, their pitching staff did a nice job. I don’t think we made the adjustments. I thought defensively they made plays when they needed to and they came up with the hit at the right time. It was a great ball game. Bianca Duran did everything she could to give us a chance to win. We just couldn’t get runners where we needed to in crucial times. We had 11 strikeouts and that is way too many. We ended every inning with a strikeout. If we take out a couple elements and make some adjustments, we are right where we need to be.”
Winn-Ratliff said it was somewhat disappointing that they didn’t finish the tournament unbeaten after the strong showing on Saturday, where they beat Colby Community College 10-0, No. 13-Iowa Western Community College 2-1 and Barton Community College 9-1. WNCC went 4-1 at the tournament over the weekend.
“We went 4-1 and I am excited about that, but we could have went 5-0 and we have to come out tomorrow [Tuesday] and regroup and get ready for North Platte,” she said. “They did well over the weekend and we had an opportunity to see them play. If we don’t pitch and play defense well, it will be a tough ball game.”
In the opener, WNCC finished with six hits in the win and received a strong pitching performance from Jones early on. The Cougars took a 2-0 lead in the fourth as Mariah Shepherd scored the opening run with a run-scoring double. Shepherd later scored on a hit by Aria Agle for a 2-0 lead.
WNCC added another run in the fifth. Sarah Hawryluk tripled to left field and scored on a Kasey Cash single.
After Kansas Wesleyan scored a run in the sixth, WNCC put the game away in the seventh with three runs on one hit. The only hit was a lead-off single by Cash.
Jones picked up the win by fanning four batters and walking three. She allowed six hits in the do batters she faced with 68 of 108 first-pitch strikes.
Offensively, Hawryluk and Cash each finished with two hits apiece. Hawryluk went 2-for-4 with a run scored, a triple, and a stolen base, while Cash was 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI. The only other extra base hit was a double by Mariah Shepherd.
Game two saw a pitcher’s duel between Duran and Highland’s Zuzana Kudenatschova. Kudenatschova tossed a 3-hiiter in striking out 11 to shut down an explosive Cougar line-up.
WNCC, however, had changes to win score a run but stranded runners in scoring position in four innings. The fourth saw Duran lead off with a single before getting stranded at second. WNCC’s best chance to score came in the seventh. Kasey Cash walked but was stranded on second to end the game.
Jocelyn Stubbs paced the Cougars with two of the team’s three hits. The sophomore from Roosevelt, Utah, went 2-for-2 with a sacrifice bunt.
Game One
WNCC 000 210 3 – 6 6 0
Kansas Wesleyan 000 001 0 – 1 6 3
WP – Amanda Jones; 2B – Mariah Shepherd; 3B – Sarah Hawryluk.
Game Two
WNCC 000 000 0 – 0 3 3
Highland 000 100 x – 1 3 1
LP – Bianca Duran.
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