WNCC baseball falls to McCook

               Cameron Snyder was a triple from the cycle, but it wasn't enough as the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team fell to McCook Community College 14-6 in Empire Conference action Wednesday afternoon at Cleveland Field.

               The Cougars fell behind 14-2 behind six fielding errors before finally starting to whittle away the lead. But the late rally wasn't enough. The loss drops the Cougars to 4-7 in conference play, which is still percentage points ahead of Trinidad State Junior College for fourth place.

               Snyder was the big hit on the day, going 3 of 5 with a double, home run, two runs scored and three RBIs.

               Alex Michaud and Keeton Krause also had big days, each collecting two hits. Michaud had two runs scored with a home run, while Krause had a double.

               Offense was so much the difference in the contest. WNCC managed 12 hits in the 9-inning game, while McCook had 14 hits. The difference in the game was the number of fielding errors that the Cougars managed.

               As much as the game got out of hand at one point, it didn't start that way. WNCC stopped a huge scoring threat in the first inning as they cut down a run at the plate and then starting pitcher John Timmins left the bases loaded after getting the third out on a strike looking.

               WNCC's Zach Ostergard then led off with a double, but was left stranded. Both teams scored one run in the second. The Cougar's run started as Michaud and Gabriel DeLa Rosa had back-to-back singles. Michaud then scored on a sacrifice fly.

               McCook came back to score 13 runs in the next five innings to grab a 14-2 lead. The Indians scored one in the third and fourth, three in the fifth, and four each in the sixth and seventh. In those innings, the Cougar defense committed seven errors.

               Facing being 10-run ruled in the bottom of the seventh, the Cougars fought back. Ostergard worked the pitches for a 2-ouit walk. JT Core followed with a single to right field. Synder then came up with a clutch hit, hammering a pitch over the right field fence for a 3-run home run.

               WNCC kept fighting in the eight as Michaud led off with a home run to cut the lead to 14-6. The Cougars kept putting pressure on the Indians as Nick Vanthillo had a pitch-ht single and then Keeton Krause reached base on an error, but both were stranded.

               The defense also played better the last two innings, as Kyle Shoutta and Ernesto Punales shut down the Indian bats, but it was just too late.

               Timmins picked up the hard-luck loss, starting the game and lasting just three innings. Timmins allowed two runs on five hits and walked three. Jason Palser went two innings in allowing seven runs on five hits. Shoutta tossed three innings in allowing five runs on three hits and striking out two.

               McCook's Matt Parker picked up the win, dominating the Cougar hitters. Parker went seven innings allowing five runs and scattering 10 hits. What Parker did, however, in helping his Indian teammates to the win was strike out nine Cougars.

               WNCC, 11-22, will be back in action this weekend when they travel to Otero Junior College for a conference doubleheader on Saturday and Sunday.

McCook               011 134 400 -- 14 14 1

WNCC                  010 001 310 -- 6 12 6

WP -- Matt Parker, LP -- John Timmins; 2B -- WNCC (Zach Ostergard, Cameron Snyder, Oswaldo Gonzalez, Keeton Krause), McCook (Grant Hindman); 3B -- McCook (Manuel Perez); HR -- WNCC (Snyder, Alex Michaud).