The Western Nebraska Community College softball team received a shutout performance from Amanda Jones as the Cougars earned a split of a Region IX doubleheader with Otero Junior College Saturday at Volunteer Field.
Jones tossed a 5-hitter and struck out four in blanking the Otero Rattlers 4-0 in game two. In the opener, Otero scored six runs on six hits to capture a 6-1 win.
Despite the split, WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff was pleased with the performance of the pitchers, Bianca Duran in game one and Jones in game two.
"I thought our pictures did a great job today. Bianca misses on one pitch and the kid hits a home run. Other than that, they didn't have an earned run in the first game," she said. "We just couldn't play defense behind her. And Amanda did everything we needed her to do in the second game. She had a hiccup in one inning with the bases loaded with no outs. She found a way to fight and we played good defense behind her."
Offensively, the Cougars managed just four hits in the first game and had several changes to score runs, but couldn't get the clutch base hit. The second game was a little better. WNCC pounded out eight hits and took advantage of three Otero errors. "Offensively I thought we swung the bats better than we did against [Thursday against] Trinidad," Winn-Ratliff said. "We still need to make some adjustments with the wind blowing in, we tried to lift a little too much and I think that hurt us a little bit in the first game. In the second game, Garcia threw the ball down and we hit more line drives. We stayed within ourselves, shortened up and put the ball in play. We ran the bases a lot better."
What pleased Winn-Ratliff the most was how her team responded from the first-game defeat to earn a split of the conference games.
"We got a split and I really hoped we would have swept them, but I have to be happy in getting the split and knowing the girls responded and understood what conference play is all about," she said. "We have to come out tomorrow and Lamar will be hungry. They will do everything they can to come in here and beat us."
The second game was the contest to watch, especially with the performance that Jones, a sophomore from Las Vegas, Nev., had a sparkling performance in the circle. What made Jones' pitching performance stand out is she never lost focus, especially in the sixth when Otero loaded the bases with no outs.
All the sophomore right-hander did was induce a shallow fly out to right field, a grounder to first for a force out at home, and then a foul-out fly to catcher Jocelyn Stubbs to leave the base loaded.
Offensively, the Cougars pounded out eight hits with Stubbs and Aria Agle each collecting two hits.
WNCC opened the scoring in the fourth as Mariah Shepherd and Stubbs each recorded back-to-back 2-out singles. Shepherd came around to score on a single by Kasey Cash for the 1-0 lead.
WNCC added two runs in the fifth. Mariah Faifer singled and scored on a single by Sarah Hawryluk. Hawryluk scored on the same play after an errand throw sailed to deep right field.
The final run came in the sixth as Stubbs singled and then pinch runner Kayla Romey scored on a Agle double.
In the opener, Otero scored single runs i the first and sixth, and two runs each in the third and the seventh. For the Cougars, their lone run came in the sixth as Shepherd doubled and scored on a Cash double.
WNCC managed just two other hits in the contests, a third-inning double by Bree Bitton and a single by Hawryluk.
Duran suffered the loss in the circle, going seven innings and allowing six hits and striking out six.
WNCC, 20-14, will be back in action Sunday when they host Lamar Community College in a conference doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. at Volunteer Field.
Game One
Otero 102 001 2 -- 6 6 1
WNCC 000 001 0 -- 1 4 7
LP -- Bianca Duran; 2B -- Mariah Shepherd, Kasey Cash, Bree Bitton.
Game Two
Otero 000 000 0 -- 0 5 3
WNCC 000 121 x -- 4 8 0
WP -- Amanda Jones.
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