Baseball team falls in first round of playoffs

                STERLING, Colo. – The Northeastern Junior College Plainsmen opened up a tight contest and captured an 8-2 win over Western Nebraska Community College in game one of their best of three series of the Region IX playoffs Friday afternoon in Sterling, Colo.

                The two teams will battle again Saturday 2 p.m. WNCC needs to win the next two games to advance in the regional playoffs.

                The other playoff series between Lamar Community College and Otero Junior College got underway Friday as well with No. 3 seed Otero earning a 5-2 win over the No. 2 seed Lamar. The winner of the first round will meet next weekend in the Region IX championship series.

                Friday’s contest started out as a pitcher’s duel between WNCC’s Challis Wright and NJC’s Brennan Henry. Wright was holding his own until NJC finally cracked the scoreboard on a 2-run home run by Jordan Procyshen in the third inning.

                WNCC came back and sliced the lead in half with a single run In the fourth as Nick Vanthillo earned a lead-off walk and scored on a wild pitch. WNCC had the bases loaded in the inning was primed to do more damage, but couldn’t get any more runs.

                NJC would push the score to 6-1 with a four-run fourth inning that was highlighted by four straight singles before Ben Chamberlin’s 2-run double.

               WNCC had opportunities to cut into the deficit in the sixth as they loaded the bases but only scored one run as Alex Michaud scored on a JT groundout to make the score 6-2.

                NJC added to more in the bottom of the sixth on just two hits and two walks. The big hit was a run-scoring double by Brandon Beackel.

                WNCC managed seven hits in the contest. Vanthillo and Anthony Delgado each had two hits.. Cameron Snyder, Keeton Krause and Core each finished with one hit. All seven hits were singles.

                Wright took the loss on the mound, going five innings in allowing 11 hits and seven runs. He also struck out four and walked just one. Cedric Desmedt allowed one hit and one run, while Jason Palser finished the game, tossing the final three innings in walking two and not allowing a hit. 

WNCC                   000 101 000 – 2 7 2

NJC                        002 402 00x – 8 12 1

LP – Challis Wright.