WNCC baseball sweeps Trinidad on Sunday, takes over second in conference standings

Empire Conference Standings
College Conf. Overall
NE Colorado 9-5 21-9
WNCC 7-5 17-14
Lamar 8-6 13-14
Trinidad 7-7 22-14
Otero 4-6 13-19
McCook 3-11 11-23

TRINIDAD, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team didn’t like how the Trinidad State Junior College baseball smacked around the Cougar team Saturday in the 12-3 second game.

So, on Sunday, the Cougars did a little pounding of their own, registering 23 hits and 24 runs to sweep the Trojans by claiming 11-1 and 13-2 wins. The 3-of-4 wins this past weekend moved the Cougars into second place in the Empire Conference Standings with a 7-5 conference record, just percentage points from the top spot. Northeastern Junior College holds down the top spot with a 9-5 conference record.

The way the team rebounded from Saturday’s loss really impressed head coach Mike Jones.

“I was impressed of how they did handle [Saturday’s loss]. They didn’t let that bad game bother them,” Jones said. “They were able to forget about it; get some rest Saturday evening and come out Sunday with a great attitude. We were ready to play.”

WNCC’s double-dip win over Trinidad State was the result of not only timely hitting, but sizzling pitching.

“We faced two pretty good pitchers and we put together a lot of very good at bats. We were able to get ourselves into some good hitting counts and got good pitches to hit and were very aggressive when we got good pitches,” Jones said. “It did take us a little while to get going because he was a side-arm thrower. But once we got through the batting order once, we able to make the adjustments and the bats really took off.”

In game one, Jackson Salazar picked up the win, throwing all seven innings in the 11-1 win. Salazar allowed five hits and struck out two.

Offensively, the Cougars pounded out 10 hits, including two extra base hits, both doubles from David Monteagudo and Norbert Susini.

WNCC held an 1-0 after three innings before opening the game by plating four runs in the fifth inning for a 5-0 lead. The Cougars opened the lead with three more runs in the sixth and seventh inning for the win.

Susini, David Monteagudo, Aurelio Monteagudo and Greg Crowe each finished the game with two hits. David Monteagudo finished by going 2-for-2 with three runs scored and a double, while Crowe went 2-for-2 with four RBIs.

WNCC continued swinging the hot bats in the second game, pounding out 13 hits and scoring 13 runs. The Cougars started their offensive early scoring in all five innings before the game was called because of the run-rule.

Rudy Soto led the offensive with a 3-for-5 contest, including a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Aurelio Monteagudo finished the contest going 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and a RBI, while Dustin Javins went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored.

Kyler Edgehouse picked up the win throwing 4 2/3 innings, while allowing three hits, one run and striking out three.

The Cougars, 17-14, will be back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Otero Junior College before facing Empire Conference leaders Northeastern Junior College over the weekend at Sterling, Colo.

“It is amazing how each game is becoming more and more important and it will become a snowball effect and they will become bigger and bigger,” Jones said. “I think it is important for us not to get caught up in that. It is important for us to focus on making a little bit of improvement here and there, or making improvements in the pitching staff. We don’t focus that much on the standings; we just focus on our team.”

First Game
WNCC 001 403 3 – 11 10 0
Trinidad 000 100 0 – 1 5 1
WP – Jackson; 2B – Susini, D. Monteagudo.

Second Game
WNCC (17-14) 141 43 – 13 13 0
Trinidad (22-14) 100 10 – 2 3 3
WP – Edgehouse; 2B – Soto, A. Monteagudo; HR – A. Monteagudo.

WNCC softball team sweeps Dawson on Sunday

Current Region IX Standings
College Region IX Overall
Otero J.C. 21-1 34-6
WNCC 8–1 26-4
North Platte 3–7 5 – 7
Lamar C.C. 12-9 24-15
Trinidad State 9-9 24-15
McCook C.C. 1-11 13-20
Dawson C.C. 1-11 2-14

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team ran their win streak to 17 games with a sweep of Dawson Community College on Sunday.

The Cougars plated four runs in the sixth inning of the first game to earn a 6-3 win. They capped off the perfect weekend as Ashley Patton sizzled from the circle in powering the team to an 8-0 win.

The four-game sweep pushed the Cougars to 26-4 on the season and 8-1 in Region IX play. Otero leads Region IX play with a 21-1 mark. In fact, the last time the Cougars lost was back on March 1 when they fell to Otero 6-4 on the road.

Natasha Dypchey, who went 3-for-6 while playing second base, said they played well despite having to play without starting shortstop Jessie McNabb, who is out with an injury.

“We played well for having some players in positions that they normally don’t play,” she said. “We came together and found ways to win as a team.”

After claiming 9-0 and 12-2 wins on Saturday, the Cougars continued their stellar hitting on Sunday, pounding out 17 hits.

Lauren Mills, who saw her 16-game hitting streak snapped on Saturday, said the team played well at times on Sunday.

“We lost focus in our first game and didn’t play to our potential,” she said. “But we pulled it together and finished the game and then came out strong in the last game.”

And they definitely did in the second game with a combination of great hitting and stellar pitching. In game two, Patton sizzled in the circle, picking up the win. Patton pitched five innings, allowing two hits and striking out six, while facing just 17 batters in five innings.

Offensively, the Cougars struck early and never looked back, scoring four times in the first and second innings. In the first inning, Lauren Mills and Dypchey led off with singles. Lauren Bourdon then delivered a RBI single, followed by Ryman with a 2-RBI single.

WNCC was led by Ryman’s 2-for-2 performance, which included three RBIs. Dypchey also went 2-for-3 with two singles and two runs scored.

The Cougars continued their strong offense in the second inning plating four more runs, including Dypchey and Hensley starting things with back-to-back 2-out singles. Bourdon then walked to load the bases, followed by Torimaru blasting a 2-RBI single and then Ryman getting a RBI single for an 8-0 lead.

In the opener on Sunday, the Cougars started things with two runs in the first inning as Mills led off with a single. Torimaru then delivered an RBI single for the 2-0.

The lead stayed that way until the sixth inning when the Cougars plated four runs, capped by a run-scoring double by second-game winning pitcher Patton.

Torimaru and Mills each had two hits in the contest. Mills had a run scored and two RBIs, whle Torimaru had two RBIs.

Kelsey Garner picked up the win, while striking out seven and allowing 10 hits.

WNCC will return to action this week when they are scheduled to face McCook Community College on the road on April 1, followed by home games with McCook Community College and Lamar Community College April 3 and 4, weather depending.

“We are excited to finally play at home in front of our friends and family and show them how we can play,” Dypchey said.

Kara Ryman, who went 2-for-2 with three RBIs in the second game, said they team is looking to playing at home after 32 contests on the road, including today’s match-up at McCook.

"Its always an honor to play at home in front of our fans and community,” she said. “They always support us all season long.”

Patton said while it will be fun playing in front of the home crowd, it is more important for them to play well to keep their strong season going.

“We really don’t think about our winning streak,” the sophomore pitcher said. “We just stay focused on the teams that we are facing. This week we are really excited to have our first home games. We are really excited to show what we can do.”

First Game
Dawson 000 000 0 – 3 10 1
WNCC 200 003 x – 6 81
WP – Garner; 2B – Patton.
Second Game
Dawson 000 00 – 0 2 3
WNCC (26-4) 440 0x – 8 9 0
WP – Patton.

WNCC softball pick up two more wins, run record to 22-4

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team continue rolling along after sweeping past Dawson Community College on Sunday, winning their 17th straight contest to go to 26-4 on the season.

The Cougars picked up the first-game win 6-3 as Kelsey Garner earned another win on the season. Then, in the nightcap, Ashley Patton sizzled in the circle helping the team to an 8-0 win for the win.

More details on the game later.

WNCC will continue Region IX play this week as they travel to McCook Community College on April 1, followed by home dates with McCook on April 3 and then Lamar Community College on April 4.

WNCC baseball splits with Trinidad State

TRINIDAD, Colo. — The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team belted three home runs in the opener of a four-game series with Trinidad State Junior College Saturday to help the Cougars to a split of Empire Conference games.

WNCC scored seven times in the fourth inning to register an 11-7 win before surrounding a 12-3 defeat in game two. Both teams will back on the field today to finish out the series.

“We played really well in the first game,” head coach Mike Jones said. “Todd [Stachura] pitched a good game even though they scored some runs late. Offensively, we win swung the bats with a lot of authority.”

WNCC’s dominant hitting came against a pitcher that shut out the Cougars at the beginning of the month at Cleveland Field, Jones said he was pleased with the turn-around.

The Cougars’ Rudy Soto continued his torrid hitting by leading off the game with a lead-off home run. Carlos Garcia followed with a third-inning dinger to push the lead to 4-2. Aurelio Monteagudo delivered the knock-out shot, a fourth-inning two-out grand slam to open up the lead 11-2.

WNCC pounded out 13 hits in the win. Soto led the team with a 3-for-4 performance, including three runs scored. Aurelio and David Monteagudo each collected two hits in the win. Aurelio finished with four RBIS, while David had two singles.

Stachura picked up the win, striking out three and allowing 14 hits, despite throwing 99 pitches in six innings of work.

The Cougars continued their hot hitting in game two as Chris Hook popped a 2-out first-inning home run for a 3-0 lead. The lead didn’t last long as Trinidad plated four runs each in the first, third and fifth inning for its 12 runs.

Despite the loss, Jones felt his team did hit the ball well, they just couldn’t find the holes in Trinidad’s defense.

“The second game we scored three runs in the first and then we couldn’t get the big hits,” he said. “We still hit the ball hard and had good at bats, nut we just hit the ball at them.”

WNCC finished the game with seven hits, including 2-for-3 performances from Garcia and David Monteagudo.

Jeff Fauss took the loss on the mound, allowing seven runs and five hits.

Jones said Jackson Salazar and Gustavo Sanchez will get the start in today’s games.

First Game
WNCC 103 700 0 — 11 13 0
Trinidad State 110 300 2 — 7 14 2

WP — Stachuram LP — Woodard; 2B — TSJC (Wulf 2); HR — WNCC (Soto, A. Monteagudo, Garcia), TSJC (Roth).

Second Game
WNCC (15-14) 300 000 0 — 3 7 2
Trinidad State 404 040 x — 12 12 0

WP — Mundfrom, LP — Fauss; 2B — WNCC (Susini), TSJC (Decker, Wolf, Roth); HR — WNCC (Hook), TSJC (Wulf).

WNCC softball sweeps Dawson for 15th straight win

GLENDIVE, Mont. — The Western Nebraska Community College softball team ran their winning streak to 15 games with two impressive Region IX wins against Dawson Community College Saturday in Glendive, Mont.

The Cougars, 24-4, received a one-hit performance from Kelsey Garner in game one to claim the 9-0 win before getting the sweep with a 12-2 win in game two.

“I thought we hit good in the first game and defensively we played well,” head coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “The second game we came out a little sluggish until the sixth inning.

“I was also pleased with Ashley Patton’s performance at second base and at the plate. She game up with a big RBI single in the sixth to keep the inning going. Also, Kara [Ryman] and Tor [Amanda Torimaru] continued to hit the ball like they have the last two weeks.”

The Cougars started both games off with a bang. In the opener, WNCC scored twice in the first and never looked back behind Garner’s dazzling performance in the circle. Garner struck out seven, and walked two in the win.

Offensively, Whittany Foster paced the team with a 2-for-3 performance, including a double, while Lauren Mills went 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI. Torimaru went 1-for-1 with a double and two RBIs, while Ryman and Amanda Hensley each had a double.

Ryman continued her strong hitting in game two, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a home run e run was a second-inning leadoff dinger to help the Cougars to a 3-2 lead after two innings. The Cougars opened up the game with eight runs in the sixth inning for the win.

Natasha Dypchey picked up the win, pitching the final four innings and striking out two. Jessica Pexton started the game, striking out two and allowing two runs.

Ryman, Alec Voci and Ashley Patton each finished with two hits in the game. Voci and Patton each were 2-for-3, Patton finished with a run scored and a RBI and run scored, while Voci had two runs scored.

The Cougars will next be in action today when they face Dawson in a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. on the road.

First Game

WNCC 213 30 — 9 11 2

Dawson 000 00 — 0 1 0

WP — Garner, 2B — Torimaru, Ryman, Foster, Hensley.

Second Game

WNCC (24-4) 121 008 — 12 10 2

Dawson 020 000 — 2 8 3

WP — Dypchey; 2B — Torimaru; 3B — Hensley; HR — Ryman.

WNCC volleyball to compete in spring tournament at UNC Saturday

From the CSTV Website

Head coach Lyndsey Benson and the Northern Colorado women's volleyball program will host their Spring Tournament on Saturday, March 29, in Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.

Participating teams in the scrimmage-type tournament will include Northeastern Junior College (Sterling, Colo.), Adams State College (Alamosa, Colo.), Regis University (Denver), Western Nebraska Community College (Scottsbluff, Neb.) and Northern Colorado.

"It's a great chance for us to see other teams and, specifically, other hitters on the other side of the net," Benson said. "Our team is anxious to get back on the court and compete. We have implemented some new things early this semester so we're looking forward to seeing those in a game situation."

Two courts will be utilized, and tournament matches will include a best two-out-of-three games to 25 format with the third game being played to 15. The lineup for the day's matches is below.

Admission is free to the public, and Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion will be open at 8:30 a.m.

SCHEDULE
9:30 a.m.
Court 1: UNC vs. NJC
Court 2: Regis vs. Adams St.

10:45 a.m.
Court 1: UNC vs Adams St.
Court 2: WNCC vs. Regis

Noon
Court 1: NJC vs. Regis
Court 2: Adams St vs. WNCC

1:15 p.m.
Lunch break

2 p.m.
Court 1: UNC vs Regis
Court 2: WNCC vs. NJC

3:15 p.m.
Court 1: UNC vs WNCC
Court 2: Adams St vs NJC

*WNCC Cougar softball game for Wednesday has been rescheduled*

Due to traveling conflicts with the North Platte Community College softball team, the Western Nebraska Community College home-opener scheduled for Wednesday, March 26 at Volunteer Field has been canceled. The Cougars and North Platte teams will make up the game Thursday, April 10 at 3 and 5 p.m.

WNCC's home-opener will now be Thursday, April 3 against McCook Community College. The Cougars, 22-4 and winners of their last 13 games, will next be in action this weekend when they face Dawson Community College in Glendive, Mont., in a four-game series.

WNCC finishes season 8th at national tournament

SALINA, Kan. -- The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball season finally came to a close and it wasn’t the way the team was hoping.

The Cougars, who were looking to finish the season off with a win, fell 66-46 in the consolation finals to Shelton State College out of Tuscaloosa, Ala. WNCC finishes the season at 32-6.

“It is always disappointing to end the year on a loss,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “That is something we talked about that we never ended the year on a win. That is what we tried to do today and unfortunately we didn’t come out the first half and play.”

In fact, the first half told the story for the Cougars. After Emma Beddome scored the opening bucket, the Buccaneers raced to a 9-2 lead before WNCC got on the scoreboard again on a 3-pointer with 15 minutes to play.

A few minutes later, Shelton State had the lead built to double digits at 19-8 and led 23-8 after going on a 12-3 run with under 10 minutes to play in the half.

Hanrish said they way the team played in the first half was uncharacteristic of how his team played at the national tournament or the last two months of the season.

“Unfortunately the first half was more like the first semester for us, where we were very selfish offensively and it the game basically revolved around our defense. And, we just couldn’t stop the ball,” he said. “It was unfortunate we had that happen to get down by 20 in the first half. I thought we did a better job in the second half where we competed and kept battling and playing the way we did most of the tournament.”

Shelton State held a 41-21 lead at intermission hung with the Buccaneers in the second half. The Cougars tried to make runs against Shelton State as they went on a 9-2 run, capped by a SeLina Ysac offensive putback and a Carly Glisan 3-pointer to cut the lead to 53-32.

But it was too hard for the Cougars to make a dent in the 20-point lead the Buccaneers built in the first half to make the came closer.

The big difference in the game was the Cougars inability to keep control of the ball. The Cougars committed 29 turnovers compared to just 18 turnovers. Shelton State scored 24 of their points off of Cougar miscues.

WNCC did out-rebound Shelton State 36-29, as Lyles and Ysac each had five rebounds, followed by Dana Iverson and Shaquilah Davis with four each.

Lyles paced the Cougars with 10 points, including two 3-pointers, while Jenna Colwell finished with nine points.

Shelton State had three players in double figures, led by Marguisha Loper with 29 points, including five 3-pointers. Ayla Guzzardo and Damisha Lyles finished with 15 and 12 points respectively.

Even with the season-ending loss, Harnish was proud of how this team fought hard to earn a berth at the national tournament, reeling off 28 wins in the team’s last 31 games since starting the season 4-3.

“Making it to the national tournament is huge with any teams. We had some better teams that hace come down here and didn’t win two games,” he said. “To come down here and finish eighth in the nation, especially from starting out the year 4-3, is a huge accomplishment. Much of the credit goes to the kids for the hard work they put in. This is some thing they will remember for the rest of their lives. I am proud of what they did this year and proud of how they played in the tournament.

The Cougars lose five sophomores off of the 32-6 team -- Lyles, Beddome, Iverson, Alison Cheney and Carly Glisan -- and Harnish said much of the success of this year’s team lies with their goal of wanting to get the Cougars back to the national tournament.

“The sophomores really combined together the second half of the season and really wanted to win the regional championship and come to the national tournament,” he said. “They got focused and did every thing they needed to do. All the credit has to go with the sophomores with their attitude and what hey wanted to accomplish this year. I am certainly proud of all five sophomroes and wish them the best of luck.”

Now, Harnish’s attention turns to recruiting and they are some holes they need to fill to be competitive at the national level. One area, he said, is finding some big post players.

“Down here, if you don’t have the height to rebound, you will have trouble,” he said. “That was the biggest fault we had all week is rebounding. We need to find some bigger kids. But, I think we have a good group coming back with kids that compete and play hard. We are certainly looking forward to next year.”

Shelton State (31-5) 41 25 -- 66
WNCC (32-6) 21 24 45
SHELTON STATE
Margaret Bell 6, Caroline Powell 6, Darnisha lyles 12, Lauren Tucker 3, Ayla Guzzardo 15, Marquisha Loper 19, China Antoine 4, Joi Walker 1.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Emma Beddome 5, Jenna Colwell 9, Chelsea Lyles 10, Alison Cheney 4, Dana Iverson 2, SeLina Ysac 5, Shaquilah Davis 4, Michelle Lighthall 3, Carly Glisan 3.

WNCC's Ysac takes experience of nationals into next season

The experience that Gering’s SeLina Ysac experienced at the NJCAA national tournament was nothing like competing at the Nebraska state basketball tournament for three years for Gering and Scottsbluff high school.

In fact, the 5-foot-9 guard now knows what it will take to finish higher at the national tournament after the Cougars finished 8th with a 66-45 loss to Shelton State College in the consolation finals on Saturday.

“This was very different then the state tournament. It was a good experience,’ the freshman said. “I think it helped all of us freshmen and sophomores of how we need to play of what it takes to get here and win a national title.”

WNCC finished 2-2 at the national tournament. After opening with a heart-breaking loss to Gulf Coast Community College 68-62 in which the team realizes they should have won, the team put together back-to-back wins against Monroe Community College 84-81 and then Walters State 55-54. The finished the tournament with the disappointing loss to Shelton State.

Ysac said the goal was to come down and show the the nation just how good WNCC basketball is. And, they did.

“We wanted to come down here and show people we are not this team that is going to lose,” she said. “We did really good and we did our best. It is too bad we lost, but I think we played our heart out.”

Ysac had a decent outing at the national tournament, In the consolation finals Saturday, the Scottsbluff High graduate finished with five poitns and five rebounds. She also had two assists.

In the team’s game against Walters State, ysac finished with just four points, but pulled down six rebounds.

Ysac said at first, she was really nervous on the court, playing at a national tournament.

“I think I got it in my head a little of being nervous,” she said about the early games. “But once I got out there on the court, I tried by best. Overall, I was nervous, but ut was a good experience of how and what I need to play next year.”

The one thing that Ysac said this team needs to do is work hard both during a game and in practice.

“We really need to work harder because a lot of times we under estimate teams and we just think we will come out with a win,” she said. “I think in practice, we need to work harder and take things more seriously.”

Playing at the championship level is nothing new for Ysac, who competed at the state basketball tournament for three season -- twice at Gering and once at Scottsbluff.

Next year, Ysac would love to get a better place at the national tournament. Still, she is happy with how this team performed this season, considering not many gave this team a shot of making the national tournament.

"We know people didn’t think we would get this far. We are proud of ourselves,” she said. “We got here and won two games and that is really good to win games down here. So, we are proud of ourselves.”

WNCC downs Walters State at national tournament, will play for consolation title Saturday against Shelton State

Western Nebraska Community College has never finished the national tournament with a loss.

After Friday’s gutsy effort, the Cougars will have a chance to do just that after surviving 55-54 with a heart-pounding win over Walters State College in the consolation bracket of the NJCAA National tournament.

“Harnish said in the locker room after the win that no team that he has coached has ended the season on a win,” Emma Beddome, the game’s leading scorer with 22 points, said. “We are giong to try to end our season with a win and seventh place. And I know all of us girls would love to end our season on a win because it is disappointing to end on a loss.”

The Cougars’ will now face Shelton State in the 7th place game today at noon. Shelton State was a 81-60 winner over Trinity Valley State College.

WNCC coach Dave Harnish said his team has never won on the final day of the tournament and would like to see his team end the streak.

“The bottom line is we are a gutsy team. We find ways to win. We stay in there and hang in there. I am certainly proud of this group to get to the championship game of the consolation bracket,” Harnish said. “This is something we never expected, to come down here and win a couple of games. I am certainly proud of the girls. They never gave in the last two months.”

The way the Cougars won, though, was nerve-racking for Harnish. Then again, Harnish knows no team will roll over.

“Even with the game with Monroe, it won’t never be pretty down here; teams are not just going to give you wins and that is why they are at the national tournament. It is frustrating that we had a 10-point lead and not doing a better job against their press. I thought we could have had some easier buckets and made poor decisions against their press and allowed them to come back.

“The bottom line is not making free throws. The girls were 7-for-15 and you can’t shoot 50 percent and the last two were front-end of one-and-ones.”

Emma Beddome was the glue that held the team together Friday night getting them into the consolation finals. Beddome finished the game with a game-high 22 points, including three 3-pointers on 8 of 12 shooting. She also was a perfect 3-of-3 from the charity stripe.

“Watching them [Thursday] I thought it would be a much easier contest then what it was. But, they came out hard and strong. We just new we had to fight hard to get the win,” the 6-foot sophomore said.

Beddome said there defense was the key, especially down the stretch.

“We know if we can play defense, we can win any game. We just need to finish on our free throws.

WNCC won Friday because of the will to win, like Harnish said. They also out-rebounding the Senators 37-35 and out-shot them 45 to 38 percent.

“Early in the first half we weren’t rebounding the ball well and then before halftime we rebounded a little bit better and did a better job in the second half. That is one of the keys. I told them at halftime that we can’t run if we don’t rebound the ball and we can’t control the game and get easy buckets without rebounding. I thought we did a better job today.”

WNCC started strong by running out to a 12-4 lead behind five points by sophomore Emma Beddome, including a 3-pointer. Walters State bounced back, going on a 16-3 run to take a 20-15 lead on a steal by Rhon’Neisha Taylor with 5:41 to play in the half.

The Cougars stopped the run with toughness of their own as Chelsea Lyles collected back-to-back buckets and then Tawny Drexler had an old-fashioned 3-point play to tie the game at 22. Drexler then added back-to-back buckets to expand the lead to 26-22, before Beddome had an old-fashioned 3-point play for a 29-23 halftime lead.

WNCC kept the lead around 10 points for much of the second half, including a 45-35 lead with eight minutes to play on back-to-back buckets by Beddome and a bucket by SeLina Ysac. The Senators rallied back, going on a 11-1 run to tie the game at 46 on a Taylor 3-pointer with 5;22 to play.

Beddome immediately gave WNCC the lead back on her third trey of the game. Walters State came back and tied the game at 51 on a bucket by Megan Rollins with 55 seconds to play. Shaquilah Davis wasted little time scoring for the Cougars as she scored on a driving jumper.

WNCC widened the lead to 55-51 on two free throws by Beddome. The Senators sliced the lead to 55-54 with 13.7 seconds to play on a long-range 3-pointer by Jasmine Coleman. WNCC had two changes to salt away the win late, but missed crucial free throws, forcing WNCC’s defense to hold the Senators without a shot attempt in the final four seconds of the game for the win.

Besides Beddome, Drexler also had a big day for the Cougars, finishing with 14 points, 11 of which came in the first half. Drexler also hauled down five rebounds.

Walters State was led by Allysia Bailey with 17 points followed by Coleman with 10.

“This win was a gutsy effort for the girls., The way we won this game is huge,” he said. “Now we are playing for seventh place. Teams are good down here. The team we played today won 30 games. All we can do is go in and compete [today] and have fun. We got this far so we need just need to play hard and give it another go.”

Walters State (30-6) 23 31 -- 54
Western Nebraska (32-5) 29 26 -- 55
WALTERS STATE
Rhon’Neisha Taylor 8, Megan Rollins 4, Dana garrett 8, Nakisha Strickland 4, Allysia Bailey 17, Jasmin Coleman 10, Shakirea White 1, Chantel Johnson 2.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Emma Beddome 22, Jenna Colwell 2, Tawny Drexler 14, Chelsea Lyles 6, Alison Cheney 2, Shaquilah Davis 2, SeLiina Ysac 4, Carly Glisan 3.

WNCC's Drexler comes up big in win against Walters State

While the Western Nebraska Community College players and coaches were sitting on the ends of their chairs, the players on the court were bound and determined to hold Walter State from hitting the winning shot.

In the end, WNCC prevailed 55-54 over Walter’s State o advance to Saturday’s consolation finals against Shelton State out of Tuscaloosa, Ala. The way the game unfolded almost gave freshman Tawny Drexler her first heart attack.

“Thank God we won,” Drexler said. “This was way too close. I think I had my first heart attack.”

In fact, the Cougar’s heart-wrenching one-point was a little too close for comfort. But the way the team won served notice how gutsy the Cougars have been the last two months of the season, where they have won 15 of 16 games.

Drexler, who wasn’t a factor in the team’s first two games against Gulf Coast Community College and Monroe Community College, turned up the heat inside. The 6-foot post player from Colorado Springs, Colo., had her best day on the court with 14 points and five rebounds. She also had two assists, two steals and one blocked shot.

“For me, I got my confidence back on the inside,” she said. “I haven’t been scoring well, so it is good that I got mine back. I think everyone can score from wherever and we just need confidence that we can do it.”

Drexler came up big especially in the first half where she tallied 11 points to led the team. And most of her scoring came at a crucial time. With the Cougars down 20-15, Drexler scored seven straight points in a 40-second span, late in the first half to help the Cougars to a 29-23 halftime lead.

One of the reasons the Cougars came out on top like they did was because of their rebounding. In the first two games, WNCC was out-rebounded by both opponents. Friday, they out-rebounded Walters State 37-35.

“It was the confidence we had in the rebounding,” she said. “The last two days we didn’t have very good defensive rebounding and we just needed to get our bodies into the girls and go up and grab the boards.”

Chelsea Lyles led the Cougars with seven boards followed by SeLina Ysac with six, and Drexler and Dana Iverson with five each.

Drexler said the team is close to realizing a goal that the college has never achieved -- winning on championship Saturday.

“It does feel great [to be playing on Saturday],” she said. “The coaches mentioned in the locker room that they have never gone out on a win, so we are going to try to be the first team to go out on a win.”

But it won’t easy as Shelton State, who came in as the No. 12 seed, defeated a good Trinity Valley squad 81-60. Then again, the Cougars have never had a easy go of it at the national tournament.

“I think rebounding and defense mainly,” she said. “With good defense, our offense will come. We just need to have confidence in each other. Friday’s win was too close, but it was a fun win. We can definitely go out with a win.”

WNCC softball downs Gateway to go to 22-4 on the season

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team made went undefeated over the Spring Break trip after downing Gateway Community College on Thursday.

The Cougars, 10-0 on the swing through Arizona, defeated Gateway 10-1 and then 8-7 to run their record to 22-4 on the season.

“The first game offensively and defensively, we played really well,” head coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “We jumped out early and won. In the second game, we got up early and then found a way to push across a run in the seventh and get the win.”

In the opener, WNCC pounded out 13 hits and received another dazzling pitching performance from Kelsey Garner to get the win. Garner struck out three and scattered four hits in the win. Ashley Patton pitched the final inning striking out one and allowing one hit.

Offensively, the Cougar bats were hot from the get-go, scoring two runs in the first and second innings for a 4-0 lead. WNCC added another five runs in the fifth inning for a 10-0 lead.

Kara Ryman paced the Cougars with a 3-for-4 performance, including a double, a home run (solo shot in the third inning), two runs scored and an RBI. Lauren Mills, Mandy Pounds and Jessie McNabb each collected two hits each. Mills, who was named the NJCAA player of the week, finished with a run scored and a double, while McNabb had two RBIs, and Pounds had two runs scored and an RBI.

The second game was a little bit more intense. WNCC ran out to a 3-0 lead after two innings only to watch Gateway slice the lead to 4-3 after three innings. WNCC came right back and scored three runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-3 lead, before Gateway tied the game in the fifth with four runs.

WNCC found a way to win in the seventh as Mills reached on an error. McNabb and Amanda Hensley followed with back-to-back singles to lead the bases. WNCC scored the winning run when Lauren Bourdon was plunked with the pitch, forcing in the winning run.

Garner garnered her second win of the day, pitching the final 2 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. Natasha Dypchey started the game, going 4 1/3 innings, while striking out three and allowing seven hits.

Offensively, the Cougars pounded out 14 hits with six players recording multiple hits. Ryman, once again, paced the team with a 3-for-5 performance, including two doubles, two RBIs and a single.

McNabb went 3-for-5 with three singles, two RBIs and a run scored, followed by Mills with two singles and three runs scored; Hensley with a double, single and an RBI; Bourdon with a single, two hits-batsman, two RBIs and a run scored; and Amanda Torimaru with a double, single, RBI and a runs scored.

The Cougar women, 22-4, will next be in action Wednesday when they host North Platte Community College in the team’s home opener at Volunteer Field. First pitch for the doubleheader is slated for 3 p.m.

First Game
WNCC 221 05 -- 10 13 0
Gateway 000 01 -- 1 5 4
WP -- Garner; 2B -- Ryman, Mills; HR -- Ryman.
Second Game
WNCC (22-5) 130 300 1 -- 8 14 3
Gateway 003 040 0 -- 7 8 2
WP -- Garner; 2B -- Ryman 2, Torimaru, Hensley.

WNCC's Mills named NJCAA Softball Player of the Week

WNCC's Lauren Mills, a sophomore leadoff hitter from Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, had a good week to help the Cougars to an 18-4 record and eight wins last week to earn NJCAA Softball Player of the Week honors.

She batted .714 with 13 runs scored and 11 RBIs. She had four doubles and one home run. Against Lakeland, Mills was 1-for-2 with a triple, three RBIs, Against Triton College, she was 4-for-4 with three runs scored, 1 RBI, three singles and a double. Then, in the 4-3 win over Monroe, she was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a double. She also was 2-for-4 in the second game against Black Hills State with a home run, four RBIs and two runs scored.

WNCC's Glisan has shooter's touch at national tournament

SALINA, Kan. -- Western Nebraska Community College’s Carly Glisan is definitely feeling the shooting touch at the NJCAA national tournament.

So far, the 6-foot guard/forward from Ft. Collins, Colo., is turning some heads among the four-year coaches in attendance. Glisan, was sitting second among tournament leaders in 3-point shooting after the opening round at 75 percent.

On can say that Glisan definitely has the shooters‘ touch when it comes to 3-point shooting.

“Shooting the 3-pointer is my game. That is what I like to do. I just like shooting it,” Glisan said. “I will shoot it from as far back as I can. I always have been pretty accurate with it and it is my favorite thing to do. I love to shoot the three.

“If I am open on the 3-point line, I am going to shoot it because I have confidence in my shot that it will go in. That is the part of my game that I am confident in.:

Glisan definitely has the shooter’s touch so far in the tournament. In the opening game against Gulf Coast, which the Cougars lost 68-62, Glisan was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Glisan was just as accurate in the 84-81 win against Monroe Community College, going 2-for-3. It was her early 3-pointers that helped the Cougars build a 10-point lead in the first half.

“For me, my shot has been there. I have been working on my shot before the tournament and making sure it is there,” she said. “But, really, every bodies shot has been there. Chelsea [Lyles] had some big shots [against Monroe] and Dana [Iverson] had some big threes. The 3-pointer has been an important part of our game.”

The 3-pointer definitely has been a major reason the Cougars are still playing in the NJCAA National Tournament in Salina. The Cougars have tallied 19 3-pointers so far in the tournament, including 11 in the win against 2006 national champions Monroe.

The Cougars also have the best 3-point shooting percentage after the opening round at 42 percent. Lyles is leading the team with nine treys, including six in the win Wednesday night. One of Lyles’ makes came just inside the half court line when she hit a leaner at the buzzer.

“Shooting the three is a big part of our game,” Glisan said. “We have bigger girls and we can play inside or out, and that is a threat to other teams.”

The Cougars will need to stay on top of their game when they resume play in the national tournament on Friday against Walters State Community College, who defeated Lake Region State College 59-54 on Thursday, at noon.

Glisan said they need to continue playing like they have to have a chance of bringing home the consolation trophy.

“We have been playing pretty well down here,” Glisan said. “We have had our episodes where we fall apart for two or three minutes. [Tuesday] that really killed us because two or three minutes is all it took for the other team to get back into it. We have been playing pretty solid except for some episodes.”

Glisan doesn’t want the experience to end just yet, since this is something the Cougar players have been working hard to achieve since falling in last year’s Region IX title game to Casper College.

And, for the sophomores, they want to make a good impression not only for the school, but for the many four-year scouts in the stands. Glisan, though, is not worried about what schools are in the stands, winning is more important.

“Honestly, I have not looked in the stands. It has all been about us and the team,” she said. “I think if one of us starts to do it on our own, then we will fall apart. It is important for me [to win as a team] because I am not trying to be a superstar.”

Glisan has been the glittering star on the court. What she brings to the team is scoring off the bench and an attitude of doing her part for the team. She also brings a sense of not getting rattled by the big-time atmosphere. In fact, Glisan is new to the “national tournament” atmosphere.

As a freshman in high school, her summer league basketball team participated in the AAU National Tournament. She also competed in the Colorado State basketball tournament Final Four for two seasons.

“This tournament is exciting and kind of like a repeat of [my high school career], but much more important,” she said.

WNCC needs to win Friday to have a chance for the consolation title and a 3-1 record at the national tournament. Glisan definitely wants to go out a winner.

“If we lose now, we are done for the year,” she said. “I am not ready to be done yeat. I want to take 7th place and go as far as we can.”

WNCC women still alive at national basketball tournament with win over Monroe

SALINA, Kan. -- Western Nebraska Community College’s Emma Beddome rarely misses free throws and Wednesday against Monroe Community College in an elimination game, the 6-foot sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, came up big.

With WNCC holding a slim 82-81 lead with under 10 seconds to play, Beddome calmly stepped to the line and switched both charity stripes to lift the Cougars to an 84-81 win in the second day of the NJCAA national tournament in Salina, Kan. Monroe, who won the national title back in 2006, became the first team eliminated from the tournament.

“I just shot them like any other free throw and didn’t think it was a pressure free throw,” the 81 percent free throw shooter said. “We do free throws every day and I make mine, so I just thought it was another day at practice.”

The game, though, ended up closer then WNCC liked after controlling the tempo and pace of the game for the first half and much of the second.

“We played really well the first half and we knew we had to play for 40 minutes and try our hardest,” Beddome said. “We had at least a 15-point lead. We knew they were a really good free throw shooting team and we couldn’t get out on them in time and they game back on us.”

WNCC coach Dave Harnish said his team’s feistiness was the difference in the game after the Tribunes went on a 11-0 run to tie the game at 68.

“You never expect an easy win down here at the national tournament. All you hope to do is get a win,” Harnish said. “It looked easy early and we played well early. We just couldn’t knock them out and let them hang around. They then started making some shot. The biggest thing is we have the grit and toughness to stay with it and pull out a win and that is huge. I never expect anything to be easy here and you just have to be excited to get a win and move on.”

Beddome, who collected 13 points on the night, said this team perceived with the will to win against a Monroe team that nailed NBA 3-pointers all night long.

“We knew they were a 3-point shooting team, but we didn’t think they would shoot out that far and make it,” she said. “But, we also have a lot of 3-point shooters, too, and that is what saved us a lot. When it came down to crunch time, we are able to make them.”

While Monroe canned nine treys on the night, including five from Charmonigue Watt and three from Brittany Hillard, the Cougars were a little bit hotter and more accurate from behind the arc, nailing 11 of 23 for 48 percent.

Chelsea Lyles had the hot hand nailing six 3-pointers on her way to a game high 22 points. Carly Glisan and Dana Iverson tallied two treys and Beddome had one.

“The game went see-saw back and forth. We were up by 15 and then lost the lead and then went back up by five. We had more defensive mistakes, which is uncharacteristic of us.”

And it was the Cougars 3-point shots that opened up a tight game early. Glisan got things started with two early buckets as the Cougars went on a 13-0 run to open the game to offset to lead 13-4. The biggest 3-pointer, though, came from Lyles, who launched a near-half court shot that went through the hoop for a 44-31 halftime lead.

WNCC kept playing strong offensively to start the second half, talking a 53-43 lead on a Lyles trey. Monroe fought back, slicing the lead to 58-55 with about 11 minutes left, but 3-pointers by Beddome and Iverson helped push the lead back to double digits at 68-57.

That is when Monroe went on a 13-2 run to knot the game three times, the last time at 72-72 with 3:38 to play. WNCC, though, never relinquished the lead as Lyles came up with a huge block and then buried two 3-pointers to give WNCC an 80-76 lead with 41.7 seconds to play.

Monroe’s Hilliard single-handily brought the Tribunes back scoring five points to slice the lead to 82-81 with 8.8 seconds left. That was when Beddome was fouled with 6.9 seconds and made two free throws, followed by a huge defensive stand at the other end to get the win.

“Obviously it is our defense that wins games and that is what we have done all year,” Beddome said. “I thought we had good defense all night. The only thing we faulted in was their 3-point shooting and boxing out. We need to work on that. We came down here and knew it would be tough and we had to play 40 minutes.
Now we have tomorrow off. We just need to rest up and focus on Friday’s game.”

WNCC had four players in double figures. Lyles paced the team with 22 points, going 6-of-8 from the 3-point line. Beddome also had 13 points, followed by Alison Cheney with 12 and Glisan with 10.

Monroe was led by Hilliard and Watt with 19 points each, followed by Allyssa Lane with 16.

The Cougars were out-rebounded for a second straight day 50-40, as Jenna Colwell led the way with six boards.

WNCC, however, out-shot the Tribunes in every category, making 45 percent of their shots compared to 40 for Monroe. The Cougars also got 27 points from their bench compared to just 19 for Monroe.

The Cougars have a day off and will face another elimination game Friday at 11 a.m. against the winner of the Walters State and Lake Region game that will be played Thursday.

“The day off will help after playing two tough games against Gulf Coast and Monroe, who won the national championship two years ago,” Harnish said. “For two straight days of full court pressing, not only mentally but physically, we need a days rest to come back and play on Friday.”

Monroe 31 50 -- 81
WNCC 44 40 -- 84
MONROE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Kristina Rosario 4, Natasha Smalls 4, Charmonique Watt 19, Allyssa Lane 16, Brittany Hilliard 19, Caila Desroches 8, Keona Jones 8, Kim Brown 3.
WESTERN NEBRASKA CC
Emma Beddome 13, Jenna Colwell 6, Tawny Drexler 4, Chelsea Lyles 22, Alison Cheney 12, Shaquilah Davis 6, Dana Iverson 8, Carly Glisan 10, Cheri Palmer 3.

WNCC softball shuts out Chandler-Gilbert

PHOENIX -- Western Nebraska Community College’s pitching core shutout Chandler-Gilbert Community College in a doubleheader Wednesday night.

In the opener, Kelsey Garner continued her domination in the circle by striking out six in a 4-0 win. Then, Natasha Dypchey and Ashley Patton combined on a five-hitter as the Cougars claimed a 9-0 win to run their record to 20-4 on the season.

“In game one, we played good enough to win,” head coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “In the second game, we had a good pitching performance in the circle from Natasha and Ashley Patton, and we played well together.”

The second game was the Cougars best performance as they pounded out 14 hits in scoring the nine runs. Six of the team’s 19 hits were extra base hits, including two triples by Jessie McNabb.

WNCC took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and then opened up the game in the third. With two outs, McNabb had a run-scoring triple followed by doubles by Lauren Bourdon and Amanda Torimaru.

WNCC added three more runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth for the 9-0 win.

McNabb, Bourdon and Torimaru led the team with 3-for-4 performances. McNabb had two runs scored, two RBIs, a double and two triples, while Bourdon had two runs scored, two RBIs, and a double. Torimaru was a home run short of the cycle finishing with a single, double and triple.

Dypchey picked up the win in the circle, striking out four in five innings of work before Patton pitched the sixth and striking out one.

In the first game, Garner picked up her ninth win of the season but striking out six and scattering five hits in the 4-0 win.

WNCC quickly got on the scoreboard with a single run in the first as Lauren Mills doubled and scored on a McNabb Sacrifice hit.

The Cougars added a single run in the sixth and then added two insurance runs in the seventh for the win.

Torimaru led the team with a 3-for-3 performance, including two doubles and a single. Mills went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and a double.

The Cougars will wrap up the Spring Break trip with a doubleheader against Gateway Community College Thursday.

Game One
WNCC 100 001 2 -- 4 6 1
Chandler-Gilbert 000 000 0 -- 0 5 3
WP -- Garner; 2B -- Mills.

Game Two
WNCC (20-4) 103 032 -- 9 14 0
Chandler-Gilbert 000 000 -- 0 5 0
WP -- Dypchey; 2B -- McNabb, Bourdon, Torimaru; 3B -- McNabb 2, Torimaru.

WNCC baseball takes down Neosho 17-5

COOLIDGE, Ariz. -- Western Nebraska Community College baseball team has always played well during their Spring Break trip in years past, and after Tuesday’s thrashing of Neosho County Community College, head coach Mike Jones is starting to see rewards from his team.

The Cougars pounded out 19 hits in the 17-5 win over Neosho County in their fourth day on a seven-day trip through Arizona.

“This is usually when we make a lot of progress in the season,” Jones said. “We played an excellent ball game today. It is nice to see us play this way Neosho is a good team. But we have a tough game [Wednesday] against Yavapai, who is leading their conference.”

WNCC, however, put on an impressive show throughout the lineup in the win. Jones said the second inning, when they plated five runs, was huge as a number of guys came up with big hits. Before that, Neosho held a 1-0 after one inning.

The second inning ignited WNCC as the Cougars scored two times in the third and then had five runs in the fifth to open up a 12-5 lead.

Leading the team offensively was Alex Mueller with a 4-for-5 day, including two runs scored, two RBIs and two doubles. Carlos Garcia also had a big game, collecting a double, triple, five RBIs and one run scored on a 3-for-4 day. Garcia’s triple was huge as it was a two-out bases loaded hit that widened the Cougar lead.

Also collecting multiple hits for the Cougars were Norbert Susini with a 3-for-5 day, including a triple and four runs scored; Rich Miller with a 3-for-6 day, including two runs scored; and David Monteagudo with a 2-for-3 day.

Victor Rubio picked up the win on the mound, going six innings, strking out three and allowing 10 hits.

The Cougars will be back in action Wednesday when they face Yavapai College in a make-up game from Sunday, which was snowed out.

Neosho 101 030 000 -- 5 13 3
WNCC 052 050 23x -- 17 18 1
WP -- Rubio; 2B -- Mueller 2, Garcia, Dustin Javins; 3B -- Susini, Garcia.

WNCC women fall in first round of national tournament to Gulf Coast 68-62

SALINA, Kan. -- Five minutes. That was the difference between staying in the winner’s bracket or falling into the consolation bracket for the Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team Tuesday at the National Junior College Athletic Association Basketball Tournament.

Unfortunately for the WNCC women, they couldn’t stop an 18-5 run midway through the second half in falling 68-62 in the first round to Gulf Coast Community College.

It’s disappointing too the Cougar women’s faces after the players played a superb first half, baffling the No. 3 team in the nation with a patient offense, clutch 3-point shooting and a strong defense, Gulf Coast put just enough distance between them to fall in the consolation bracket of the tournament. WNCC’s opponent Wednesday will be Monroe Community College, who fell 75-64 to Jefferson College. Tip-off for the consolation game will be at 3 p.m.

“I thought we outplayed them for 35 minutes and it was the four to five minutes stretch that really hurt us. We made some defensive mistakes and that was the difference in the game,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “We also got our-rebounded, and we needed some key rebounds during that stretch. “Other then that I was proud of the kids in terms of effort. It is just a matter we need to learn to rebound a little bit better down here and play for 40 minutes. Unfortunately, 35 minutes wasn’t good enough against a team like Gulf Coast.”

Gulf Coast with pre-season all-American Demauria Liles, was too much for the Cougars on the inside. Liles, a 6-foot sophomore and Jackie Sanders, a 6-2 sophomore, slashed and dashed their way to double-doubles. Liles finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Sanders had 18 points and 14 rebounds.

Even with Liles and Sanders hard to stop on the inside, the Cougars battled tooth and nail with the Commodores. Harnish said the big difference in the game was rebounding, where his squad was out-rebounded 47-33. Other then that, WNCC hung with Gulf Coast, almost pulling off the upset and a miraculous comeback that fell short.

“I though our press slowed them up and they couldn’t get into a transition game,” Harnish said. “I really think on the defense side, we did a great job. The only difference was the offensive rebounds. I think they got 14 points off of offensive rebounds. We certainly can’t fault the effort. We really controlled the defense and they couldn’t get anything easy.”

For sure the Cougars were not one bit intimidated by the athleticism of Gulf Coast. In fact, WNCC almost pulled off a story similar to Hoosiers -- the underdog upending the favorite.

“I think this game gives us a lot of confidence even with the loss and playing a team the kids know they can play with,” Harnish said. “I thought we executed and competed well, it is just a matter of rebounding better down here, which wins games.”

From the get-go, the Cougars had Gulf Coast running scared. WNCC quickly took a 5-0 lead on a 3-pointer by Chelsea Lyles and then a short jumper by Alison Cheney. Gulf Coast came back to grab a 7-6 lead on back-to-back buckets by Sanders.

WNCC didn’t fold, erupting to an 11-9 lead on a driving bucket by Emma Beddome. Each time that WNCC grabbed a lead, the Commodores came back. Gulf Coast grabbed a 26-24 lead on a bucket by Sanders. The Cougars fought back as Lyles drained another 3-pointer before settling for a 27-25 halftime deficit.

The Cougars continued playing hard in the second half, tying the game on a Lyles drive to the bucket with 15:12 to play at 33-33. Jenna Colwell came right back and drained two free throws to put the Cougars up 35-33.

Gulf Coast fought back to tie the game at 37 with about 13 minutes to play. That is when the Cougars’ explosive defense fell on hard times for the next five minutes as the Commodores went on an 18-5 runn to lead 55-42 with eight minutes to play.

WNCC still had some fight left and slowly sliced the lead to single digits, and it all started with an inside bucket by Tawny Drexler and then a steal by Shaquilahh Davis to cut the lead to 58-48. Gulf Coast, though, pushed the lead back to 15 points on a trey by Janae Stokes and a bucket by Liles with just over four minutes to play in the game.

That was when the Cougars made it really interesting. First, Lyles drained one of two free throws followed by a 3-pointer by Dana Iverson. Then, Cheri Palmer drove the lane to slice the lead to single digits at 63-54.

WNCC continued hammering away at the lead as Carly Glisan nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 66-60 with 1:25 to play. The Cougars made a huge defensive stop on the other end and then Beddome drained two free throws with 49.2 seconds to play to cut the deficit to 66-62, before Sanders iced the game with two free throws.

WNCC and Gulf Coast were practically equal throughout the game despite the height advantage for the Commodores. WNCC out-shot Gulf Coast 39 to 38 percent from the field as well as from the 3-point arc (42 to 35 percent). WNCC drained eight treys, led by Lyles and Glisan with three 3-pioners each, followed by two from Iverson.

“The first half we made some threes and got ahead. Then we went into a spell and during that four to five minute spell, we missed four or five shots that didn’t help matters,” Harnish said. “We ran the floor and got the shots we needed. We competed and I am pleased with the girls for doing that.”

WNCC had just one player with double figures as Lyles had 18 points. Glisan finished with nine, followed by Beddome, Davis and Iverson with eight points.

Gulf Coast had four players in double digits. Besides Sanders and Liles, Stokes finished with 17 points, including five 3-pointers and Alexis Givands with 12 points.

WNCC will face a Monroe Community College team that trailed 38-21 at halftime before losing 75-62. Monroe, who the Cougar softball team beat twice on Sunday in Arizona, was led by Brittany Hillard with 31 points. The Tribunes shot just 31 percent from the field.

Gulf Coast advances to play Jefferson College at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

WNCC (30-5) 25 37 -- 62
Gulf Coast (33-1) 27 41 -- 68
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Emma Beddome 8, Jenna Colwell 3, Tawny Drexler 3, Chelsea Lyles 18, Alison Cheney 2, Shaquilah Davis 8, Carly Glisan 9,, SeLina Ysac 1, Dana Iverson 8, Cheri Palmer 2,.
GULF COAST
Jackie Sanders 18, Dee Liles 13, Alexis Givands 12, Chimere Jordon 6, Janae Stokes 17, Kim Jones 2.

Monroe (20-8) 21 43 -- 64
Jefferson College (28-1) 38 37 -- 75
MONROE C.C.
Kristina Rosario 2, Charmonique Watt 6, Brittany Hilliard 31, Caila Desroches 11, Keona Jones 5, Kim Brown 1, Natalie Young 4, Regina Washington 4.
JEFFERSON COLLEGE
Dominique Ivory 2, Diana Voynova 4, Cherakie Barrett 9, LaToya Johnson 16, Denae Beavers 13, Danielle Adams 16, Deanne Tonkin 4, Traniene Greer 11.

WNCC softball scores 66 runs, pounds out 76 hits in six games at tournament

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball team pounded out 76 hits and scored 66 runs in running roughshod over six opponents at the Tucson Tournament Sunday and Monday to run their record to 18-4 on the season.

WNCC opened the tournament Sunday with three wins over quality opponents. The team handled Monroe Community College, the two-time defending NJCAA Division III champions 10-4 as Kelsey Garner picked up her eighth win of the season. Then, Jessica Pexton picked up a win in game two as WNCC earned a 4-3 win against Monroe.

The team then took out Nichols College of Springfield, Mass., 16-0 as Natasha Dypchey collected the win allowing just two hits in three innings of work.

The Cougars continued their hitting and pitching domination on Monday but taking down triton College 19-1 behind a 19-hit attack. Dypchey picked up her second straight shutout to collect the win from the circle.

WNCC then defeated Hastings College 4-1 behind another dazzling pitching performance from Kelsey Garner. Ashley Patton then threw a 2-hitter as the Cougars took out Lakeland College J.V 13-4.

WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said this team really hit the ball well all tournament. The team had 37 hits on Sunday and then 39 hits Monday.

Monday’s offensive explosion started early as the Cougars pounded out 16 hits in the 19-1 against Triton College, scoring nine times in the first inning and adding another six in the second for a 15-0 lead.

Dypchey threw two innings, striking out four. Jessica Pexton finished the game throwing three innings and striking out three.

Offensively, Lauren Mills went 4-for-4 with three runs scored, three singles and a double. Lauren Bourdon, Ashley Patton and Lauryn Smith each had two hits in the contest. Bourdon finished with five RBIs, a double and a 3-run home run in the fifth inning. Patton had a double and a RBI, while Smith had four runs scored and a double.

WNCC continued it’s torrid hitting against Hastings College, pounding out 10 hits. WNCC opened the game with two runs in the first inning before Hastings sliced the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the inning. WNCC added single runs in the second and fifth inning for the win.

Garner tossed a 2-hitter, while fanning 12 batters and walking four.

Bourdon and Amanda Torimaru each collected two hits in the contest. Bourdon had a run scored, two singles, while Torimaru had a double and triple.

The Cougars wrapped up the day by collecting a sterling pitching performance from Patton. The sophomore from Utah tossed a one-hitter over three innings, before giving way to Allie Griffin, who gave up three runs and five hits.

Once again, the Cougars hit the leather off the ball, collecting 13 hits. Kara Ryman paced the team with a 3-for-4 performance with two singles, a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Mandy Pounds finished the game 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two singles and a stolen base.

Smith and Amanda Hensley each went 2-for-3. Hensley had three runs scored, two RBIs, a double and a 3-run home run in the fifth inning; while Smith had two runs scored, a single, triple, and stolen base. Lauren Mills also had a good game, going 1-for-2 with a run scored, three RBIs, two walks, and a triple.

WNCC’s offensive game on Monday was a continuation of their fine hitting from Sunday, including the nightcap win against Nichols College, where they scored 16 runs on 15 hits.

In that contest, they scored three times in the first, six in the second and seven in the third in the run-rule shortened game.

Dypchey struck out four and allowed two hits in collecting the win.

Torimaru paced the Cougars from the plate, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored, four RBIs, a single, double and a solo home run.

Mills and Alec Voci also collected two hits each. Mills was 2-for-2 with a run scored, RBI and two singles, while Voci was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, one RBI and two doubles. Smith also collected a double in the win.

In the tournament openers against Monroe Community College, the Cougars did everything right that they needed to in getting the win. In the opening game against Monroe, Garner scattered eight hits, while striking out seven in getting the win. The Cougars pounded out 12 hits in the contest, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to post put up nine runs in the fourth inning for the win.

Ryman led the team offensively, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs, two doubles and two singles. Jessie McNabb also collected more then one hit, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, two RBIs and a double.

Game two was a little more dramatic. After WNCC scored a single run in the first inning, Monroe came back and scored twice in the bottom of the first and then added a single run in the fourth for a 3-1 lead. WNCC came right back and plated three runs in the fifth inning for a 4-3 lead. Then Garner came in relief of Pexton to shut down Monroe in the final two innings for the save.

Griffin started the game and wend 3 1/3 innings to get the no decision. Pexton threw 1 2/3 innings, striking out two, while Garner pitched the final two innings, striking out four.

Offensively, Mills went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Ryman and Bourdon each went 2-for-4 in the contest. Bourdon had two singles, while Ryman had an RBI and two doubles.

The Cougars, 18-4, will have a day off before facing Chandler-Gilbert Community College on Wednesday in Phoenix..

Sunday’s Games
First Game
Monroe 012 001 0 -- 4 8 1
WNCC 010 900 x -- 10 12 1
WP -- Garner; 2B -- Ryman 2, McNabb.
Second Game
WNCC 100 030 0 -- 4 10 2
Monroe 200 100 0 -- 3 6 1
WP -- Pexton; Save -- Garner; 2B -- Mills, Ryman 2.
Third Game
WNCC 367 -- 16 15 0
Nichols 000 -- 0 2 4
WP -- Dypchey; 2B -- Tarimaru, Voci 2, Smith; HR -- Torimaru.

Monday’s Games
First Game
WNCC 961 03 -- 19 16 0
Triton 001 00 -- 1 5 7
WP -- Dypchey; 2B -- Mills, Bourdon, Patton, Smitih; HR -- Bourdon.
Second Game
Second Game
WNCC 210 010 0 -- 4 10 0
Hastings 100 000 0 -- 1 2 0
WP -- Garner; 2B -- Torimari, 3B -- Bourdon.
Third Game
WNCC 304 15 -- 13 13 0
Lakeland 010 12 -- 4 6 2
WP -- Patton; 2B -- Hensley, Ryman; 2B -- Mills, Smith; HR -- Hensley.

WNCC baseball team claims two games on Monday

PHOENIX -- The Western Nebraska Community College used a strong pitching performance in earning a sweep of their games Monday during their Spring Break trip in Arizona.

The Cougars earned a 7-4, 10 inning win against Ft. Scott Community College before taking down Gateway Community College 8-6 in the second game. The two wins came after an interesting weekend series where the Cougars dropped an 8-3 game to South Mountain College on Saturday before being snowed out in their game with Yavapai College on Sunday.

WNCC coach Mike Jones was proud of how his team played after Saturday’s loss to South Mountain.

“I am pleased with the way we came out and played,” he said. “The scores might not show how well we pitched, but we pitched really well. We also swung the bal well, getting plenty of extra base hits [in the two wins].”

Monday’s games were a case where the Cougars offense struck at the right times and received some fine pitching. In game one, Rudy Soto blew a save opportunity, only to come back and get the save against Ft. Scott. In game two, Todd Stachura picked up the win, while Kyler Edgehouse got the save.

“We pitched a lot better and played a lot better,” Jones said. “Against Ft. Scott, we found a way to win. In the second game, we made some errors in the second inning or else the game could have been something like 8-2.”

Monday’s opener went extra innings after both teams were tied at four after nine innings. In the 10th, WNCC scored three times for the win.

Offensively for the Cougars, Aurelio Monteagudo continued his torrid hitting by hitting another home run. He also had a 2-run blast in the loss to South Mountain on Saturday. Also against Ft. Scott, Norbert Sushini went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBIs, Rich Miller and Dustin Javins each going 2-for-5, and David Monteagudo going 2-for-3.

In game two, WNCC came back to get an exciting 8-6 win against Gateway. WNCC trailed 5-1 after two innings, only to go ahead 6-5 in the fifth inning. Gateway tied the game in the sixth, only to see the Cougars plate two runs in the seventh for the win.

Stachura struck out four in seven innings of work, while Kyler Edgehouse pitched the final two innings in striking out two.

Offensively, Soto went 2-for-3 with a double, while Javins also had a double. Aurelio Monteagudo also had a home run in the contest..

In Saturday’s contest, WNCC scored three runs in the first inning before giving up the lead with four runs in the bottom of the inning. South Mountain then shut down the Cougar bats in the win.

Sushini led the team from the plate with a 2-for-3 performance, including a double. Greg Crowe took the loss in that game from the mound.

WNCC will be back in action Tuesday when they face Neosho County in Arizona, followed by a make-up game with Yavapai on Wednesday, which was postponed because of snow from Sunday

First Game
WNCC 300 000 000 -- 3 5 3
S. Mountain 400 310 00x -- 8 11 1
LP -- Crowe; 2B -- Sushini, HR -- A. Monteagudo.

Second Game
WNCC 010 000 300 3 -- 7 12 2
Ft. Scott 000 020 002 1 -- 5 9 1
WP -- Soto; 2B -- Sushini.

Third Game
WNCC 011 040 200 -- 8 9 6
Gateway 050 001 000 -- 6 10 0
WP -- Stachura, Save -- Kyler Edgehouse; 2B -- Soto, Javins; HR -- A. Moneagudo.

Women's basketball team hoping defense leads to Cougar win at national tournament

The old cliché that defense wins games definitely is the case for the Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team as they enter the NJCAA National Basketball Tournament in Salina, Kan.

WNCC’s full-court defense definitely has been the catalyst in getting the Cougar women to the national tournament. The Cougars open play Tuesday at 9 a.m. against 32-1 Gulf Coast Community College at the Bicentennial Arena. The series record between the two teams stands at 1-1, with WNCC winning 67-66 in 1998 and GCCC winning in 2003.

“The full-court press has helped us with the defense; there is no question,” head coach Dave Harnish said. “We have to play that way [to be successful] and to do that, you have to be deep. I think more so, when you press, it helps provides easier opportunities offensively. We are not a big team where we can just pound the ball inside on an half-court game. We have to create turnovers with our press and defense in order to be successful offensively.”

The Cougars are giving up a whooping 49 points a game, third in the nation. In fact, the Cougars defensive stand has been relentless since early in the season when the team was just 4-3 on the season. Harnish said the reason for the turnaround is because of the switch in defense, something he realized the team needed to be successful.

“We were strictly playing man-to-man and then we switched defenses because the majority of our kids are from 5-9 to 6-foot,” he said. “We could afford to switch because there is not that big of a height difference for us to create mismatches because of our size. We are not tall but we are not small. A lot of teams this age don’t switch defenses. I just think we are a little unique then a lot of teams where we run a switching defense.”

This year’s Cougars team is unique in several ways. For one, they weren’t even considered a favorite to win the Region IX tournament. Miles Community College, who was No. 12 in the nation and suffered just one loss in the regular season, had their bags packed for nationals. Even Sheridan College, who sported the top two scorers in Region IX, thought they had a clear shot at going to the Region IX championship game.

It didn’t happen as the Cougars topped Sheridan 84-78 in the quarter-finals at regionals and then defeated Miles 51-48 in the championship game on the Pioneers home court.

And, it was the team’s pressuring defense that jumpstarted the offense. The Cougars have 423 steals on the season with six players having 40 or more steals already this season. Plus, two others are just a few steals from that plateau.

Shaquilah Davis leads the team with 71 steals this season, followed by Emma Beddome with 50, SeLina Ysac with 49, Alison Cheney with 44, Tawny Drexler with 42 and Chelsea Lyles with 40. WNCC have converted 530 points off turnovers.

Davis, who had seven steals in the win against Eastern Wyoming College to open regionals, said this team succeeds on defense because of their quickness.

“I think we are a good defensive team now because we work together as a team,” Davis said. “We have good rotation. That is what it takes, everybody helping each other out and everybody needs to be where they need to be.”

Davis said they will need to continue their strong defense at nationals.

“Teams look at us and see that we are small, but we are quick and our defense is good,” she said. “We need to play good defense like we did against Miles, if not better. We need to shut down their posts. They have four 6-2 girls. We have to rotate because they have shooters. We have to come out hard and play.”

The Cougars enter the opening game of the tournament against the Commodores on a nice roll, both offensively and defensively. The Cougars have won 13 straight games, including 26 of their last 27. Offensively, the team has scored 70 or more points in 10 of the last 13 games since their last defeat on Jan. 23 against Northeastern Junior College. In fact, the team has scored 80-plus points six times during that stretch, including four times in the final two weeks of the season.

Defensively, the team has been just as sterling, giving up less then 50 points in eight of the team’s last 13 games. Harnish said he is proud of how this team has turned the things around.

“I think this is one of my better teams that is playing well at the right time playing the right way, and the kids have really learned to do that. That is what has made us successful,” Harnish said. “We are not a good enough team that if we don’t compete and work hard with a lot of intensity, we are going to struggle. They learned they need to do that, and that is what this team has done.”

When the Cougars were at the Region IX tournament, Harnish said this team went into the tournament determined and competed hard every night. They will need that same mentality at the national tournament.

“We have learned to play hard and to be competitive every night,” he said. “We have the attitude that we are not going to lose. That is one thing that this team has done very well, is doing whatever it takes to win.”

WNCC definitely will need a good defensive, as well as offensive, effort against Gulf Coast. The Commodores enter the tournament giving up 54 points a game (13th in the nation), while scoring 84 points a game. Gulf Coast also has five players averaging in double figures.

As much as Gulf Coast seems to be the favorite, the Cougars are not that far behind Gulf Coast. WNCC entered the national polls at No. 25 for the first time this year, after a No. 9 pre-season ranking. The Cougars are averaging 73.1 points a game and is one of the top teams in the nation in 3-point shooting, nailing 36.6 percent of their shots (3rd in the nation). Gulf Coast is No. 4 in the nation in 3-point shooting. Both teams are also among the nation’s leaders in field goal shooting, the Commodores making 47.7 of their shots, while the Cougars are at 46.6.

What makes Harnish pleased with the accomplishments of this year’s team is because of the versatility of this year’s team.

“We had to adjust with the offense as well because we don’t have a true post player that we can throw the ball into to and get 20 points a night,” he said. “Everyone of our players can step out and shoot the three and any one of them can go in and post up. That is a little different today because most teams have specialties where you have a point guard and a big kid and we really we don’t have either one of those.

“Traditionally I have always tried to have a good balance offensively and not rely on one person to score and set up plays for them.”

Tuesday’s First Round Games
9 a.m. -- Gulf Coast vs. Western Nebraska
11 a.m. -- Jefferson College vs. Monroe Community College
1 p.m. -- Southern Idaho vs. Walters State
3 p.m. -- Arkansas-Ft. Smith vs. Lake Region State College
5:15 p.m. -- Central Arizona College vs. Georgia Perimeter
7:15 p.m. -- Barton County vs. Shelton State Community College
Wednesday’s First Round Games
10 a.m. -- Trinity Valley vs. Midland College
Noon --- Southeastern Illinois vs. East Central (Miss)

WNCC baseball team falls to South Mountain, snowed out in Sunday's game

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team's spring break trip in Arizona has been interesting.

On Saturday, the Cougars dropped an 8-3 contest to South Mountain College. Sunday's game against Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., was snowed out. That game will now be made up on Wednesday.

Greg Crowe picked up the loss in the South Mountain contest. Offensively, Aurelio Monteagudo blasted a 2-run home run, while Norbert Susini went 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI.

The Cougar men will take on Ft. Scott Community College and Gateway Community College in Phoenix, Ariz. on Monday.

WNCC softball wins three at Tucson Tournament

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team started their Spring Break off on an excellent note, sweeping two games from Monroe Community College at the Tucson Tournament on Sunday.

The Cougars handled Monroe 10-4 in the first game as Kelsey Garner picked up her eighth win of the season. Then, Jessica Pexton picked up a win in game two as WNCC earned a 4-3 win. The team’s third game of the day, against Nichols College, four-year school from Springfield, Mass., was delayed because of rain and when the two teams finally finished late in the evening, the Cougars won 16-0 as Natasha Dypchey picked up the win.

WNCC, however, had impressive play on the day against Monroe. In the opening game, Garner scattered eight hits, while striking out seven in getting the win. The Cougars pounded out 12 hits in the contest, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to post put up nine runs in the fourth inning for the win.

Kara Ryman led the team offensively, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs, two doubles and two singles. Jessie McNabb also collected more then one hit, going 2-for-3 with a run scored, two RBIs and a double.

Game two was a little more dramatic. After WNCC scored a single run in the first inning, Monroe came back and scored twice in the bottom of the first and then added a single run in the fourth for a 3-1 lead. WNCC came right back and plated three runs in the fifth inning for a 4-3 lead. Then Garner came in relief of Pexton to shut down Monroe in the final two innings for the save.

Allie Griffin started the game and wend 3 1/3 innings to get the no decision. Pexton threw 1 2/3 innings, striking out two, while Garner pitched the final two innings, striking out four.

Offensively, Lauren Mills went 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Ryman and Lauren Bourdon each went 2-for-4 in the contest. Bourdon had two singles, while Ryman had an RBI and two doubles.

The Cougars, 12-4, will finish the Tucson Tournament Monday with three more games.

First Game
Monroe 012 001 0 -- 4 8 1
WNCC 010 900 x -- 10 12 1
WP -- Garner; 2B -- Ryman 2, McNabb.

Second Game
WNCC 100 030 0 -- 4 10 2
Monroe 200 100 0 -- 3 6 1
WP -- Pexton; Save -- Garner; 2B -- Mills, Ryman 2.

Women's basketball team opens national tournament against 30-4 Gulf Coast Community College

The road to a national championship will not be an easy one for the the Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team.

The Cougars, who will be making their fifth trip to the National Tournament in six years, will open competition Tuesday, March 18 at 9 a.m. (MST) against 33-1 Gulf Coast Community College in Salina, Kan. WNCC enters the tournament with a 30-4 record and the No. 14 seed, while Gulf Coast, who many pick as a favorite to win the tournament, enters at No. 3.

The tournament is slated to run from March 18-22. WNCC’s contests can be heard on 101.3 FM as well as on the Internet at KOZY101.3.com.

“I thought we would be seeded a little bit higher. Unfortunately, what happened is we lost games early in the year which really cost us,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “We also had teams in our region that were also ranked in front of us and the national rankings have a lot to do with the seedings. We ended up 25^th in the national polls and with not very many upsets this year in the Top 15 or 20, hurt us as well.

“We got a 14^th seed and there is nothing we can do about it. One thing at the national tournament is that every one that gets there is good. If you don’t see Gulf Coast in the first round, you probably will see them in the second or a later round. Basically, you will have to beat Gulf Coast sometime to win the national championship and we are going to see them the first day.”

Other first round contests on Tuesday include No. 6 Jefferson College out of Hillsboro, Mo., (31-1) meeting No. 11 Monroe Community College out of Rochester, N.Y. (20-7) at 11 a.m.; No. 7 College of Southern Idaho out of Twin Falls, Idaho, (30-2) taking on No. 10 Walters State Community College out of Morristown, Tenn., (29-4) at 1 p.m.; No. 2 University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith out of Ft. Smith, Ark., facing No. 15 Lake Region State College at 3 p.m.; No. 1 Central Arizona College out of Coolidge, Ariz., (31-0) meeting No. 16 Georgia Perimeter College out of Decatur, Ga., (19-14) at 5:15 p.m.; and No. 5 Barton County Community College out of Great Bend, Kan., (32-2) taking on No. 12 Shelton State Community College out of Tuscaloosa, Ala., (28-4) at 7:15 p.m.

The first round finishes on Wednesday with No. 8 Trinity Valley Community College out of Athens, Texas, (26-5) meeting No. 9 Midland College out of Midland, Texas, (28-5) at 11 a.m., followed by No. 4 Southeastern Illinois out of Harrisburg, Ill., (31-2) meeting No. 13 East Central Community College out of Decatur, Miss., (22-6) at 1 p.m.

If the Cougars knock off No. 3 seed Gulf Coast out of Panama City, Fla., they will play Wednesday at 5 p.m. against the winner of the Jefferson College and Monroe Community College game. If WNCC falters, they will fall into the consolation bracket and play Wednesday at 3 p.m. against the loser of the Jefferson/Monroe game.

Harnish is hoping his team goes down with the same attitude they have had during the last month of the season, where they ran off 13 straight wins since last losing to Northeastern Junior College 79-61 back on Jan. 23. In fact, the Cougars have won 26 of their last 27 contests after starting the season 4-3.

“You don’t make the national tournament unless you are a very good team,” Harnish said. “It is still a situation where I hope our kids realize that we weren’t the favorite to win our regional tournament and if we go down there with that type of attitude that we had at regionals to be the underdog and play above our ability, we can scare anybody. I think the one staple that we have is we can defend really well and possibly they haven’t seen a team that plays defense like us. We are basically going to go down there and do what we have been doing the last month and if we can do that, we certainly can pull an upset.”

WNCC certainly has been the Cinderella team all season, which included winning the Region IX tournament 51-48 over Miles Community College, the No. 12^th-ranked team in the nation on the Pioneers home court a week ago. The Cougars also defeated Sheridan College, who had the top two scorers in the region, 84-78, in the second round of the regional tournament. The Cougars entered both games as the underdog, just like they will do next week at nationals.

WNCC, in fact, has played Gulf Coast several times at the national tournament, the last time in 2003, when the Cougars fell to the Commodores in the National Championship game 81-42.

In fact, there are plenty of similarities between the 2003 tournament and this year’s tournament. The Cougars actually play in the same time slot as the 2003 team, plus the game is also on the same date – March 18.

During the 2003 run at the national tournament, the Cougars opened up with a 65-46 win over Crowder College, followed by a 54-48 win over Hiwassee College and then a 61-56 win over Midland College in the semis.

Harnish said this is a different team then he had five years ago, but likes that Cinderella role his team has entering this year’s tournament.

“It has been a different year for me as well as for Western Nebraska with the position we are in. We have always been the favorites, whether it be at the regional tournament or any game we played,” Harnish said. “We were 4-3 at one time and even in the regional standings we were about sixth or seventh much of the year. It was a year where we were the underdog in a sense where we did things differently this year then we have in the past. It was a good feeling to win regionals this year based on the perception that we weren’t as good as we were in the past and we coming through and winning it again was huge.”

WNCC softball blows past Black Hills State

Story by Jeremy Wosnick, Star-Herald Sports Writer
Mark Rein supplied the game information from Black Hills State

For Photos of the game, go to wncccougars.albumpost.com

SPEARFISH, S.D. - A 10-day layoff from game competition did little to cool off the Western Nebraska Community College softball team.

Seeing action for the first time since March 2, the Cougars exploded for 33 runs on 20 hits in registering a commanding doubleheader sweep over Black Hills State University Wednesday in Spearfish, S.D.

WNCC benefited from an eight-run fifth inning in an 18-9 win in game one before cruising to a 15-3 win in game two.

"The bats really woke up and we were able to put some runs on the board for our pitchers," WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. "At times you could tell we didn't have any competition the last week other than against ourselves, but it was nice to get out and play. The wind was blowing out and we were fortunate to hit some balls out of the park. It was nice to get out and play and get the rust off the bats a little bit to prepare us for Arizona."

The sweep improved WNCC's record to 12-4. The Cougars will next be in action on Sunday when they start their 10-game spring break road trip. WNCC will depart for Arizona on Friday.
"Any time you can go beat juniors and seniors, that's good for the kids," Winn-Ratliff said. "It's a good momentum builder. Hopefully, we can carry on the good offense we've been having and get better production in the circle."

In addition to pounding out 20 hits between the two games on Wednesday, the Cougars belted four home runs and totaled a whopping 13 extra-base hits.

Holding on to a slim 10-9 lead entering the fifth inning of game one, WNCC broke the contest open in the top of the fifth by sending 14 hitters to the plate. The big blow of the inning came off the bat of Alec Voci, who blasted a three-run double. Voci also hit a two-run home run in the second inning. She finished the contest going 2-for-5 with five runs batted in and three runs scored.

Also in the game for WNCC, Kara Ryman, Jessie McNabb, Mandy Pounds and Lauren Mills all collected two hits each. Ryman had a two-run home run in the fourth inning and finished with four runs batted in and three runs scored. In addition to her two hits, McNabb scored two runs and totaled two stolen bases. Mills finished with a double, a triple, scored two runs and was hit by a pair of pitches. Ryman, McNabb and Pounds also had doubles in the game.

WNCC finished the opener with 13 hits. Freshman Allie Griffin picked up the win in the circle by pitching the final 2 2/3 innings. She allowed only two hits and struck out five in relief of starter Natasha Dypchey. Dypchey struck out two in 2 1/3 innings of work.

It didn't take long for WNCC to take control in the second game. The Cougars scored a pair of first-inning runs on a two-run home run off the bat of McNabb before adding five more runs in the third to bolt to a 7-0 advantage.

Black Hills plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth, but WNCC put the game on ice with an eight-run sixth inning. Four of those runs came courtesy of Mills, who had a solo home run and a three-run double in the inning.

Mills finished the contest going 2-for-4 with four runs batted in and two runs scored. McNabb went 2-for-3 with three runs batted in and three runs scored and Amanda Torimaru was 2-for-4 with a double, three runs batted in and two runs scored. Whittany Foster added a double.

WNCC totaled 11 hits in the contest.

Kelsey Garner picked up the win in the circle to improve to 8-1. She scattered four hits and struck out six in 5 2/3 innings of work.

"We've been in every ball game and have had the opportunity to win every ball game," Winn-Ratliff said. "Our pitching staff's done a nice job for us and offensively we've really supported them. I'm happy with where we're at right now."

Game 1
WNCC 132 48 - 18 13 1
BHSU 422 10 - 9 7 3
WP - Allie Griffin.
HR - Kara Ryman, Alec Voci. 3B - Lauren Mills. 2B - Mills, Ryman, Voci, Jessie McNabb, Mandy Pounds.
Game 2

WNCC (12-4) 205 008 - 15 11 0
BHSU 000 030 - 3 6 5
WP - Kelsey Garner.
HR - Lauren Mills, Jessie McNabb. 2B - Whittany Foster, Amanda Torimaru, Mills

WNCC takes two from McCook, evens conference record at 4-4

The Western Nebraska Community College used the long ball to perfection Monday against McCook Community College in the sweep over the Indians.

The Cougars trailed 6-0 in game one and then used two fifth-inning home runs off the bats of Greg Crowd and Rich Miller to get the win 7-6. The team continued their offensive explosion in game two, pounding out 11 hits, in registering the 8-0 win to even the Cougar’s Empire Conference record at 4-4.

The first game comeback was definitely the momentum changer on the day.

“We have been having trouble pitching and like we have done in the past, our hitting gets us back into the games,” sophomore pitcher/centerfielder Greg Crowe said. “We kept fighting finally tying it in the bottom of the fifth and winning it in the bottom of the seventh.”

Crowe was just one of the heroes in the first game win. McCook quickly took a 6-0 lead after two innings on five hits and seemed as if they were going to easily win the game.

The Cougars fought back scoring twice in the third inning as Crowe and Rudy Soto walked. Crowe scored on a groundout and then Rich Miller singled to score Soto with the second run to slice the lead to 6-2.

The Cougars tied the game in the fifth on four hits, including two home runs. Crowe started things with a shot over the right-centerfield fence. Soto followed with a single and the Miller drilled a one-out pitch over the left-centerfield fence to cut the lead to 6-5.

With two outs, Aurelio Monteagudo walked and stole second base. Chris Hook then drilled a line shot to leftfield, in which the leftfielder let the ball roll to the fence for a triple to tie the game at 6-6.

The Cougars had an opportunity to go ahead in the sixth inning. Dustin Javins led off with a single and was sacrificed twice to third base before being stranded.

In the top of the seventh, McCook made a rally to go ahead, but clutch defense stopped the threat, including a routine 6-4-3 double play.

That gave the Cougars the opportunity they needed to win the game in their final at bat. Miller led off by reaching base after being plunked by a pitch. Miller was then lifted for pinch runner Zach Gillis. Carlos Garcia followed by ripping a shot to left field that scored Gillis from first base with the game-winner. It was Gillis’ second game-winning, pinch-running score in two days.

The Cougars received a strong pitching performance from Victor Rubio, who threw five innings after coming relief of starter Gustavo Sanchez. Rubio, as one time, put down 13 of 15 McCook batters. Soto threw to just two batters in the seventh inning to get the win.

WNCC was led from the plate by Miller with a 2-for-2 game, including a home run, three RBIs, and a run scored. Crowe was also 1-for-1 with a home run, two runs scored, an RBI and a walk.

The second game, the Cougars bats and defense came to play. WNCC pounded out 11 hits in the win, while the defense turned four double plays.

In fact, it was the defense that stood out the most. WNCC took a 3-0 lead in the second inning on five hits, including run-scoring doubles by Hook and David Monteagudo. In the third inning, McCook loaded the bases with no outs. That is when Hook single-handedly took control recording all three outs. First, the sophomore from Jewels, New South Wales, Australia, snared a line shot and stepped on first base to get the double play. Hook then recorded the third out on a fly out to take the momentum from the Indians.

WNCC added to their lead in the fourth as Crowe and Soto each singled. Susini then lofted a towering shot over the rightfield fence to put the Cougars up 6-0. WNCC added two more runs in the fifth for the final margin.

Jake Vulk picked up the win, throwing five innings and allowing two hits and striking out three.

WNCC had a multitude of players record multiple hit games. Aurelio Monteagudo went 3-for-4 with three singles and a run scored, Hook went 2-for-2 with a double, two runs scored, a stolen base, a RBI and two walks; Soto went 3-for-4 with a triple, a run scored and two RBIs; and Susini went 2-for-4 with a home run, a run scored and three RBIs.

Crowe said getting this doubleheader was crucial in for conference standings.

“These wins were really big because we dropped one (to Lamar) and then dropped two to Trinidad, so winning both of these games is really big for us,” he said. “It puts us at 4-4 in conference.”

WNCC, 10-9 after taking 3 of 4 from McCook Sunday and Monday, will be back in action Saturday when they begin their week-long Spring Break trip to Arizona, where they will face seven teams in six days.

First Game
McCook 240 000 0 – 6 8 1
WNCC 002 040 1 – 7 8 0WP – Rudy Soto; LP – Andrew Martinez; 3B – WNCC 1 (Hook); HR – WNCC 2 (Crowe, Miller).

Game Two
McCook 000 000 0 – 0 4 0
WNCC 030 320 x – 8 11 0
WP – Jake Vulk; LP – J.C. McKee; 2B – WNCC 2 (Hook, David Monteagudo), McCook 1 (Mitch Kenebrew); 3B – WNCC 1 (Soto); HR – WNCC 1 (Norbert Susini).