Cougar softball goes 1-2 at Colby Tourney

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team went 1-2 in the first day of the Colby Invitational Saturday in Colby, Kan.

The Cougars women opened the tournament with a 7-5 win over Cloud County Community College behind the long-ball hitting of Jessie McNabb and Amanda Hensley. The team dropped a 13-6 game to Barton County Community College and a 9-0 game to Garden City Community College.

WNCC’s win was highlighted by freshmen McNabb and Hensley, who blasted seventh-inning, 2-run home runs to propel the team to the victory. McNabb led the team going 3-for-4, including two runs scored, three RBIs, two doubles and a home run.

Jessica Ventoza went 2-for-3 with a triple, followed by Whittany Faster going 2-for-3 with a double and RBI, and Hensley going 2-for-4 with a home run, runs scored and two RBIs.

Natasha Dypchey picked up her school-record 19^th win of the season pitching the final 3 2/3 innings. Dypchey struck out nine, including the first five batter she faced. Dycchey is also two wins from tying the career win record for pitchers, set by Kassie Killion at 21 games. Dypchey is also nearing the season strikeout record of 109 set last year by Holli Pratt.

After the opening game win, things didn’t go the Cougars way in the next two games against Barton County and Garden City. Dypchey took the loss in game two, while Jessica Pexton picked up the defeat against Garden City.

WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said they had Barton County, leadin g3-1 before the wheels fell off in the third inning with Barton County scoring nine runs. WNCC tried coming back slicing the deficit to 10-6 in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough.

The Cougars pounded out 12 hits in the loss, led by McNabb and Ashley Eichelberger each going 3-for-3. McNabb finished with three runs, three RBIs and a home run, while Eichelberger had three RBIs and a double. Also for WNCC, Hensley went 1-for-2 with a double and Lauren Bourdon went 2-for-3 with a double.

In WNCC’s final game, Garden City shut down the Cougar bats, holding them to just three hits. Garden City scored nine runs on eight hits.

WNCC will conclude the Colby tournament today when they face Colby Community College at 11 a.m. and Garden City at 1 p.m.

First Game
WNCC 120 000 4 — 7 12
Cloud County 002 010 2 — 5 9
WP — Dypchey; 2B — McNabb 2, Foster; 3B — Ventoza; HR — McNabb, Hensley.

Second Game
WNCC 201 30 — 6 12
Barton County 019 03 — 13 14
LP — Dypchey; 2B — Hensley, Eichelberger, Bourdon; HR — McNabb.

Third Game
WNCC (29-17) 000 00 — 0 3
Garden City 054 00 — 9 8
LP — Pexton.