WNCC opens fall season with 8-0 win against Weber State

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team received steller pitching performances from Kelsey Garner and Stephanie Townsend to open the fall season with a dominating 8-0 win over Weber State University in the WNCC Fall Classic at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

WNCC will have two more games today in the classic against Chadron State College at 6:30 p.m. and the University of Wyoming at 8:15 p.m.

Garner, a sophomore who set nearly all of WNCC’s pitching records a year ago while leading them to the Region IX championship, threw three perfect innings, while striking out three. Townsend, a freshman from Roosevelt, Utah, finished the game in throwing four innings and giving up three hits.

While the pitching was sensational, the defense was just as solid, not allowing a Weber State runner past second base. Weber’s State’s first hit came in the top of the fifth inning.

Offensively, the Cougars flexed their hitting and quickness on the bases. The Cougars got on the scoreboard in the first inning. With two outs, Casey Simpson earned a walked and scored on a Alyssa Hickey single for a 1-0 lead.

WNCC added two more runs in the second inning. With one out, Tonya Alencio and Kelsey Garner recorded back-to-back singles. Alencio scored on Garner’s single to right field. Later that inning, Adena Hagen earned a walk and scored for a 3-0 lead.

WNCC plated a single run in the fourth inning as Brittany Chacon scored on a Karleen Crone single.

The Cougars pushed the lead to 7-0 in the sixth inning. With one out, Alyssa Hickey singled. Kelly Pearson then earned a walk. Pinch runner Alec Voci and Pearson each scored on a Tiffany Lookabill double to center field. Pincher runner Mandy Pounds scored the third run of the inning on a Crowe single for a 7-0 lead.

Hagen scored the team’s final run in the seventh inning after leading off with a single.

Hagen, a freshman from Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, finished the game going 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Hickey, a freshman from Boulder, Colo., went 3-for-3 with a RBI, while Crone, a freshman from Annaheim, Saskatchewan, finished with a double and two RBIs.