WNCC bounces Northeastern Colorado 9-5 behind home runs by Wade, Baldelomar

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team used the long ball to carry the Cougars to an Empire Conference win over Northeastern Junior College 9-5 Wednesday afternoon at Cleveland Field in Scottsbluff.

Camilo Baldelomar and Shane Wade did most of the damage for the Cougars with clutch blasts over the leftfield fence. Baldelomar unleashed a 2-out, 3-run home run in the second inning and then Wade followed with a dramatic 2-run monster in the sixth to put WNCC in front for good.

It was the Cougars seventh in eight games and keeps the Cougars tied with Trinidad State for second place in conference standings with 7-3 marks. Trinidad State topped Otero 4-2 Wednesday afternoon. Lamar leads the conference with an 11-1 The Cougars will have a crucial four-game road series with Trinidad State this weekend.

Wednesday’s game, however, was a contest of big plays on defense and timely hitting on offense for the Cougars. Wade, who scored three of the Cougars’ nine runs from his lead-off spot, said they will take wins anyway they can get them.

“This was a pretty big win especially coming off a loss against McCook on Monday that we probably should have won,” he said. “We didn’t play our best baseball today, but we found a way to win.”

The Cougars didn’t play sparkling baseball falling behind 3-1 after one inning as the Plainsmen scored three times in the first inning on three hits. WNCC came back by scoring a single run as Wade was walked.

The Cougars chanced momentum dramatically in the second inning. With two outs, Wade reached base via a fielder’s choice. Jason Sloan followed after earning a walk. Elvis Garcia followed with a run-scoring single before Baldelomar unleashed his go-ahead home run.

NJC fought back tying the game with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings. The big turning point in the game, however, came on defense in the fourth inning. NJC loaded the bases with just one out before the Cougars turned a double play by forcing a runner at home and then Sloan rifled the ball to first to complete the double play.

WNCC took the lead for good in the sixth as Trace Marsden led off with a single. Two batters later, Wade took a inside fastball and turned on the ball delivering it over the leftfield fence.

The Cougars added single insurance runs in the seventh and eighth innings to pick up their 13^th win of the season.

Wade said his team didn’t lose faith after the first-inning struggles.

“We knew it was a long game, a nine-inning game, and we had plenty of time to regroup and do what we needed to do to win,” he said. “The The bullpen did a good job coming in down the stretch. They really stopped their rallies. Defense played good and made the routine plays that we needed to.”

Luis Martinez picked up the win for the Cougars throwing 1 1/3 innings. Martinez entered the game in the sixth with the bases loaded and got NJC batter to ground out to shortstop to thwart any runs.

Wade said Martinez did a good job during his stint on the mound.

“He did a real good job,” he said. “He filled up the strike zone and made their hitters put it into play. Then the defense was there behind them.”

Carlos Luzon started the game and pitched well after the first inning. Luzon went five strong innings, giving up five runs, seven hits and striking out one. J.C. Morales finished off the game tossing the last two innings. The freshman from Miami struck out two and allowed two hits in the nine batters he faced.

NJC out hit the Cougars 11-10 as four different Cougars finished with multiple hits. Wade finished with a 2-for-4 performance including three runs scored, two RBIs and a home run. Sloan went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Garcia went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Scottsbluff’s Marsden finished the game going 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Wade said they will have to play better this weekend when they face Trinidad in a four-game series on the road.

“We have been rolling lately and I think we finally figured out how we need to play,” he said. “This weekend is a good test for us to see how we are doing and where we are at.”

NJC (14-18-1) 300 110 000 – 5 11 1
WNCC (13-19) 140 002 11x – 9 10 3
WP – Luis Martinez, LP – Josh Bland; 2B – WNCC (Jason Sloan), NJC (Tyler Patterson); HR – Shane Wade, Camilo Baldelomar).

WNCC baseball splits with McCook on Monday

More photos of the McCook game on Monday located at wncccougars.smugmug.com

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team continues sailing along after taking three of four from McCook Community College and six of their last seven games.

WNCC’s recent surge of momentum continued Sunday and Monday when McCook invaded Cleveland Field. The Cougars swept a doubleheader from the Indians 5-0 and 11-4 on Sunday, and then than won the first game of a double-dip on Monday behind a 14-hit offensive attack that resulted in a 10-5 win.

The Cougars, however, couldn’t expand on their six-game winning streak in the second game as McCook’s JJ Jaramillo tossed a 2-hit 6-0 shutout to help McCook salvage one game of the four game series.

WNCC will have one day to regroup from its misfortunes on Monday as they host Northeastern Junior College in a 9-inning game on Wednesday at Cleveland Field.

Still, Cougar head coach Mike Jones saw plenty of positives from Monday’s game, even though the Cougars couldn’t find the grass for a base hit in the second game.

“We won the first game and we really controlled game one. We got the lead early and cruised through the game,” he said. “Unfortunately, we fell in the second game. Still, we had some good at bats. We hit the ball hard but McCook made all the plays. We had plenty of good at bats in that game; plenty of nice, solid contact and line drives. But their outfielders went and caught all of them or we hit it right at them. That is just part of the game.”

The first game, however, the Cougars came ready to play Armani Gonzalez picked up the win by throwing six strong innings, allowing just two runs and five hits. Gonzalez struck out two.

“Armani pitched a good game,” Jones said. “He had a shaky second inning after we had a long first inning at the plate. He came out was shaky in the second inning, but he got through that and threw real good.”

Gonzalez can credit his team’s offense for the first-game win as the Cougars scored five first-inning runs on four hits. Shane Wade started the game with a double up the middle. After Jason Sloan walked, Elvis Garcia ripped a run-scoring single followed by a two-run double by Camilo Baldelomar to push the score to 3-0.

Nelson Quintero then reached on an error that scored Balelomar. Jared Baros’ single to right field scored the Cougar’s fifth run for the 5-0 lead.

WNCC plated single runs in the second and third innings for a 7-1 lead before exploding for three more runs in the fifth. Baros and Trace Marsden started the inning with singles followed by Sanford reaching on a fielder’s choice. Wade then uncorked a double that scored two runs followed by a run-scoring single by Sloan for the 10-2 lead.
Wade paced the Cougars with a 4-for-5 game with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored. Sloan also had two hits and two RBIs, as did Baldelomar. Baros finished the game going 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and a run scored, while Scottsbluff’s Marsden was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.

“We came out and hit the ball really well in the first game,” Jones said. “From the very first inning on we hit the ball extremely well and found plenty of the holes. We hit plenty of doubles to the gaps. Unfortunately in the second game it was just right at them.”

WNCC couldn’t carry that offensive momentum over to the second game as McCook scored once in the first inning and then five times in the fourth for the win.

The Cougar’s only hits came from Josh Parker’s double in the second inning, and a single by Wade in the third inning. After that, McCook’s Jaramillo faced just 24 batters in seven innings while striking out three and delivering two free passes.

Julio Davila took the loss on the mound despite throwing strong. The sophomore from Puerto Rico struck out seven and walked five in his 4 1/3 innings. He also sat down seven straight McCook batters at one stretch.

The loss on Monday was after some strong play on Sunday by the Cougars. In the first game, Tim Beard threw six strong innings in giving the Cougars the win. Jones said that was the best his team played all year.

“We came out and hit the ball really well,” Jones said about Sunday’s first game. “From the very first inning on we hit the ball extremely well and found plenty of the holes. We hit plenty of doubles to the gaps. Unfortunately in the second game it was just right at them. The second game we didn’t play very well. Still, we were able to keep our heads up and get through a couple bad innings that we had defensively. We then came up with some big runs late.”

McCook took a 4-3 lead before the Cougars scored five times in the fifth inning on just two hits. Garcia had a single that scored Wade, while Baldelomar singled home Garcia to help the Cougars take an 8-4 lead. The Cougars added three more runs in the sixth inning on just two hits. Josh Parker and Jared Baros had the only singles in the inning, while the others earned their way on base via walks and hits batsman.

The Cougars ripped off nine hits in the second game. Baldelomar went 2-for-4, while Baros went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

Jones said his team just needs to put this game behind them because they have another tough game coming up on Wednesday.

“There is no time for this one loss to eat us up or anything,” he said. “We are playing good baseball and we have to play NJC on Wednesday so there is not a lot of rest or break. We have to get right back after it again.”

Sunday’s Games
McCook 000 000 0 -- 0 3 2
WNCC 102 002 x -- 5 5 0
WP -- TIm Beard, 2B -- Kevin Sanford, Camilo Baldelomar.

McCook 210 100 0 -- 4 5 2
WNCC 030 053 x -- 11 9 1
WP -- JC Morales; 2B -- Jason Sloan; 3B -- Kevin Sanford.

Monday’s Games
McCook 010 001 3 – 5 10 1
WNCC 511 030 x – 10 14 2
WP – Armani Gonzalez; 2B – Shane Wade 2, Baldelomar,Josh Parker, Jared Baros.

McCook (6-17) 100 050 0 – 6 7 0
WNCC (12-19) 000 000 0 – 0 2 2
LP – Julio Davila; 2B -- Parker

WNCC baseball drops McCook in doubleheader on Sunday

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team picked up their fifth straight contest dropping McCook Community College in an Empire Conference doubleheader Sunday at Cleveland Field.

In the opener, Tim Beard through a shutout in picking up the 5-0 win, while in game two, the Cougars exploded for four late-inning runs to open up a tight game to cruise to an 11-4 win.

"I thought in game one we played really well in one of the best games we played all year," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "We got very good pitching from Tim Beard. Offensively, we manufactured runs and did all the little things right, and played real good defense. Game one was a solid game for us.

"The second game we didn't play very well. We were able to keep our heads up and get through a couple bad innings that we had defensively and battle through it. We then came up with some big runs late."

In the opener, WNCC scored one run on just one hit. They added to the lead with two runs in the third and two insurance runs in the sixth inning for the 5-0 win. The Cougars managed just five hits in the opener, as Sanford and Elvis Garcia each had two RBIs in the contest.

In the second inning, the Cougars got behind the eight-ball early falling behind 3-0 through 1 1/2 of play. The Cougars tied the game with three runs in their half of the second on two hits. Trace Marsden had a single and Sanford uncorked a triple to tie the game.

McCook battled right back with a run in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. The Cougars came back in the fifth with five runs on just two hits. Elvis Garcia had a single that scored Shane Wade. Camilo Baldelomar then singled home Garcia to help the Cougars take an 8-4 lead.

The Cougars added three more runs in the sixth inning on just two hits. Josh Parker and Jared Baros had the only singles in the inning, while the others earned their way on base via walks and hits batsman.

The Cougars ripped off nine hits in the second game. Baldelomar went 2-for-4, while Baros went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs.

In picking up the two conference wins, Jones said the Cougars manufactured most of their runs by playing small ball, something that this team needs to do.

" We definitely are not a team that will put up a lot of home runs," he said. "But we are going to run the bases real aggressive. We are going to use the bunting game, hit and run, and run the bases real aggressive and do everything we can to just at least get one run per inning."

The Cougars will return to action Monday to face McCook in another doubleheader at Cleveland Field beginning at 1 p.m. Jones said Armani Gonzales will get the start in game one and Julio Davila will start game two.

WNCC, 11-18 overall and 4-2 in conference play, will then face Northeastern Junior College in a home 9-inning game on Wednesday. Jones said this team just needs to continue doing the little things to keep their win streak alive.

"I think right now the big thing for us is to continue to focus on the little things that we have been working on in practice and the things that we worked on during our spring break trip," he said. "Those include manufacturing runs, playing solid defense, understanding what pitches to throw, and just some of the little things."

First Game

McCook 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -- 0 3 2

WNCC 1 0 2 0 0 2 x -- 5 5 0

WP -- TIm Beard, 2B -- Kevin Sanford, Camilo Baldelomar.

Second Game

McCook 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 -- 4 5 2

WNCC 0 3 0 0 5 3 x -- 11 9 1

WP -- JC Morales; 2B -- Jason Sloan; 3B -- Kevin Sanford.

WNCC softball drops McCook 7-0, 13-0

Taylor Anderson and Brittany Enterline tossed shutouts and the Western Nebraska Community College softball team opened up the offense in the second game to record 7-0 and 13-0 conference wins against McCook Community College Sunday afternoon at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

Anderson threw four innings in game one scattering three hits and not allowing a runner past second base in the game one win. Anderson, the senior from Riverton, Utah, struck out two and walked none. Stephanie Townsend threw the final three innings, allowing one hit, walking three and striking out two.

Enterline was just as impressive in game two, throwing four innings and allowint just two hits, while striking out three. Anderson pitched the fifth inning to finish out the game.

Adena Hagen, sohomore outfielder from Birch Hills, Saskatchewan, Canada, said what the pitchers did against McCook was a big momentum shift for the offense.

" it is a big deal for them I think," she said. "That means they are hitting their spots well and throwing the ball well. Defensively, we were doing our jobs.

Offensively, the Cougars were impressive, especially in the second game where they scored 13 runs on 16 hits. The big inning for the Cougars in the second inning was the third where they plated nine runs on 10 hits. Hagen got things started with a single and then Katie Groves hit her eighth home run of the season to put WNCC up 2-0.

Jordan Schoepflin, Stephanie Townsend and Brittany Chacon all followed with singles and then Tonya Atencio unleashed a double. The hit parade continued after that with Megan Burditt and Hagen getting singles. Groves followed with a triple to right field that scored two more runs for an 8-0 lead. Groves scored moments later on a Schoepflin single.

WNCC put the game away in the fourt. The big hit was a 2-run scoring triple by Megan Burditt to put the Cougars up 11-0. Hagen followed with a double and scored on a Groves hit that was fumbled by the outfielder for the final run.

Groves went 3-for-4 in the game with five RBIs and two runs scored. The sophomore from Bluffdale, Utah, was a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Hagen also had a 3-for-4 game, with three runs scored, two RBIs and a double.

Schoepflin also went 3-for-4 with a run scored, RBI and three singles. Atencio finished the game going 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored. Also getting multiple hits was Burditt with a single, triple, two runs scored and three RBIs.

The first game the offense wasn't quite as explosive as the second, but they didn't need the offense with the way the defense was playing.

The Cougars vaulted to a 3-0 lead after one inning as Hagen single followed by a Groves walk and then Schoepflin slapped a single. All three scored for the early lead.

WNCC added four more runs in the fourth inning. Hagen started things with a walk and scored on a Schoepflin triple to right centerfield. Megan Bourdon followed with a run-scoring single. Jacqui Cappuccilli followed with a single. Both came around to score on a Anderson double for the 7-0 lead.

McCook had a prime chance to score in the fifth inning as Emily Schweikart, Alliance's Brittany Coward and Natasha Coons walked to load the bases. But, with two outs, WNCC's Megan Burditt made a diving catch by the leftfield fence to thwart any runs to score and preserve the shutout.

The Cougars managed eight hits in game one. Hagen went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and a double, while Schoepflin went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a triple. Anderson also had two hits along with a double and two RBIs.

Hagen said that they definitely played better in the second game.

"the first game we could have come out more stronger offensively," she said. "Coach wanted more than seven runs on the board. But we came out the second game swinging a lot better. We strung it together a lot better and put more runs on the board a lot quicker."

WNCC, 17-12, will next be in action Thursday when they face Central Community College-Columbus in Columbus before competing in the CCC-Columbus tournament on Friday and Saturday. Hagen said the key to playing well is staying focused mentally.

"i think mentally we have to be prepared more," she said. "We are all capable of doing things; we just have to mentally be there and confidence that we know we can do it and have confidence at the plate."

First Game

McCook 000 000 0 -- 0 4 0

WNCC 304 000 x -- 7 8 0

WP -- Taylor Anderson, LP -- Emily Schweikert; 2B -- Anderson, Adena Hagen; 3B -- Jordan Schoepflin.

Second Game

McCook (1-17) 000 00 -- 0 4 1

WNCC (17-12) 009 4x -- 13 16 1

WP -- Brittany Enterline, LP -- Jennifer Zulkanycz; 2B -- Hagen, Tonya Atencio; 3B -- Katie Groves, Megan Burditt; HR -- Groves.

WNCC softball split home opener with Lamar

Stephanie Townsend and Katie Groves hit home runs and the Western Nebraska Community College softball team opened the home portion of their schedule in style by dropping Lamar Community College in a run-shortened 8-0 win.

The Cougars, however, couldn't ride the first-game hitting as Lamar's Krystal Krietemeyer shut down the Cougar bats to help the Lopes to a 5-2 win in the second game to earn a split of the conference doubleheader Friday at Volunteer Field.

"We are disappointed that we didn't go out and win two games in conference," sophomore Brittany Chacon, who had a leaping line-drive out in the second game, said. "We played really well in the first game considering what we came off of during spring break. In the second game, we left runners on third base three innings in a row and couldn't get them in. A split is a split. We have some more games this weekend so we have to go out and protect our field."

The Cougars were their worst enemy in the second game in suffering the defeat, and it was a sharp contrast of how the Cougars played in the opener.

"The first game we came out sharp," Chacon said. "It was our home opener and we were pumped to finally play at home."
WNCC managed nine hits in game one and Taylor Anderson kept the Lamar bats at bay to get the win. The Cougars plated single runs in the first and second inning. Adena Hagen earned a walk in the first inning and then scored on a Katie Groves double for the 1-0 lead.

The Cougars added another run in the second as Townsend blasted a solo home run for the 2-0 lead.

WNCC pushed the lead to 4-0 in the third inning as Allie Alverson led off with a single. Groves followed with a single before Ashton Hughes blasted a run-scoring single for the 4-0 lead. WNCC finished off Lamar in the fifth with four runs. Hagen started things after getting hit by a pitch. Groves drove Hagen in with a 2-run home run, her seventh of the year.

Jordan Schoepflin followed with a double and then Hughes reached base with a single that scored Schoepflin. Hughes scored the game-ending run on a Jackie Cappuccilli single.

Groves paced the team with a 3-for-3 performance, including a double and home run. She also had two runs scored and three RBIs. Hughes also collected two hits, including two RBIs.

Anderson picked up the win in the circle as the sophomore from Riverton, Utah, scattered four hits in five innings of work. She struck out one an did not walk a batter.

In the second game, the Cougars were out-hit 9-6. Lamar took a 3-0 lead after three innings before the Cougars tied the game with two runs in the fifth inning. With one out, Chacon singled to left centerfield. Amanda Saldivar followed by reaching base on an error. That set up Alverson run-scoring single that score Chacon. Hagen then unleased a double that scored Saldivar to tie the game.

WNCC had plenty of opportunities to be ahead as Hughes blasted a triple in the second inning but was left stranded. THey also had runners at third in the third and fourth innings. In the fourth, Schoepflin led off with a double but a fly out and two ground outs stranded the runner at third.

The Cougars thwarted several Lamar scoring attempts. The big one, though, was in the sixth as the Lopes had runners on the corners with one out. WNCC got out of the inning after getting the second out at home plate and the final out as the runner at first was caught in a rundown going to third.

WNCC couldn't ride that defensive effort as Lamar plated three runs in the seventh inning as Courtney Leslie's double cleared the bases to give the Lopes the win.

Brittany Enterline took the loss in the circle as she allowed nine hits and five runs. The freshman from Tracy, Calif., struck out one and walked just one.

Chacon said they need to play a complete game and not just one inning.

"We just need to start stringing our hits together and not just one at a time," she said. "We also need not to go out and play one inning and then not show up the next inning. We have to come out and play two games, though."
WNCC will next be in action Sunday when they face McCook Community College in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. at Volunteer Field. The Cougars were scheduled to play Garden City Community College on Saturday in Scleroderma Day, but that game was cancelled because of the weather forecast. Sunday's game will now be Scleroderma Day as all proceeds from the gate, concessions and T-shirt auction will go towards the Schleroderma Foundation.

First Game
Lamar 000 00 -- 0 4 0
WNCC 112 04 -- 8 9 0
WP -- Taylor Anderson; LP -- Haley Choat; 2B -- WNCC (Katie Groves); HR -- WNCC (Groves, Stephanie Townsend).

Second Game
Lamar (13-22) 002 000 3 -- 5 9 1
WNCC (15-12) 000 020 0 -- 2 6 0
WP -- Krystal Krietemeyer, LP -- Brittany Enterline; 2B -- WNCC (Adena Hagen), Lamar (C0urtney Lewis); 3B -- WNCC (Ashton Hughes).

WNCC baseball wins home-opener against NJC 9-6

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team's base running literally stole a conference game away from Northeastern Junior College in the Cougar's home opener Thursday at Cleveland Field.

The Cougars took advantage of three late-inning Plainsmen errors to register a 9-6 Empire Conference win. It was the Cougars third straight win and their ninth in the month of March.

"We had real solid baserunning today and we were real aggressive," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "We caught them [NJC] sleeping a little bit and took advantage of it."

It definitely was heads-up baserunning that pushed the momentum the Cougars way. The two Region IX powers were knotted after five complete innings at 4-4. WNCC changed the complexion of the game in a heartbeat with gutsy running in the seventh inning. Josh Parker started things by reaching on an error. After a sacrifice bunt, Jared Baros and Trace Marsden earned walks to load the bases.

Kevin Sanford then fouled out to NJC's firstbaseman by the Plainsmen's dugout. Parker, however, tagged up on the catch, catching the Plainsmen off guard, scoring the go-ahead run.

WNCC wasn't through. A couple pitches later and with runners at the corners, Marsden started to steal second base. NJC pitcher Tyler Schmunk started to throw to second, but did an 180 and threw home to catch Baros who was stealing home. The throw sailed to the backstop and Marsden rounded second and then third to score the third run of the inning.

"If we can get guys on base, we can really run the bases. We have a lot of team speed, and that is what we were able to do," Jones said. "We got guys on base and then we caused some havoc."

NJC came back in the eighth inning, slicing the lead to one at 7-6. With one out, Ben Netzel walked and then Mike Goldy reached on an error. Netzel later scored on a throwing error to third, while Goldy scored on a single by Bryor Nittmann.

The Cougars answered in the bottom half of the inning. Jason Sloan started things with a walk. Elvis Garcia then sacrificed Sloan to second. Camil Baldelomar followed with a single to put runners at the corners. After Baldelomar stole second, Nelson Quintero singled in Sloan and Baldelomar for the 9-6 lead.

Tim Beard, who is slated for the start on Sunday against Monday, pitched the final inning in throwing just 10 pitches. Beard gave up an inning-opening single to Jose Rosario, but then Quintero turned a double-play.

"We really struggled there in that fourth inning and had trouble throwing strikes," Jones said. "We gave them a lot of free bases. But, we were able to get through it and we didn't panic. We got through the game by going to the bullpen and everybody came up big from the bullpen."

Rodil Martinez earned the win on the mound by throwing the sixth and seventh innings. Martinez faced just eight batters, not allowing a hit or a run. Carlos Luzon started the game and gave up four runs on four hits and walked four and hit one.

Jones said the one thing that he was impressed with was the team's balanced lineup. WNCC received run support throughout the nine batters. Parker and Quintero paced the team with two hits each. Parker was 2-of-5 with two runs scored and a RBI, while Quintero was 2-for-4 with two singles and three RBIs. Baros and Baldelomar each scored two runs, while Marsden had the only extra base hit with a double.

"We are getting a lot better as an offensive team," Jones said. "Our at bats keep getting better and we are more disciplined. Everybody is starting to step up. We are becoming a powerful lineup one through nine."

WNCC will be next in action Sunday and Monday when they host McCook Community College in conference games. The games were originally slated for Saturday and Sunday, but were moved because of forecasted bad weather on Saturday.

The Cougars will then face Northeastern Colorado in another 9-inning game on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Jones said that Beard will get the start in the first game and Julio Davila in the second game in Sunday's games with McCook.

"We are in the conference season now where every game starts to mean something," he said. "We are on a little bit of a winning streak right know. We are hoping to stay with the momentum, keep getting better and stay aggressive."

NJC (11-15-1) 000 400 020 -- 6 7 3
WNCC (9-18) 001 120 32x -- 9 9 2
WP -- Rodil Martinez, LP -- Tyler Schmunk; 2B -- WNCC (Trace Marsden), NJC (Jose Rosario).

Tickets go on sale Monday for April 10 volleyball tournament

The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team and four NCAA Division I teams will have a Spring Fever Tournament on Saturday, April 10.

Tickets for the tournament will go on sale Monday, March 29 and cost $15 for the all-day event. Tickets can be purchased at the WNCC business office or athletic office. Only 800 tickets will be sold.

The tournament will feature Division I schools Creighton University, University of Northern Colorado, Colorado State University and the Air Force Academy. Colorado State and Northern Colorado qualified for the NCAA tournament a year ago, while Creighton features former Cougar Nayka Benitez.

WNCC volleyball coach Giovana Melo said there will be some really good volleyball and really good competition.

“I just want this to become an annual event for WNCC volleyball,” Melo said. “I want to try and bring different Division I schools here every spring because it gives the community a chance to see some competitive volleyball. It gives our freshmen an opportunity to get looked at for the following year, and our sophomores an idea of what to look towards. It is a great event for our program, our school, and the community who helps us so much throughout the year.”

The tournament will begin at 8 a.m. with matches running all day. The first match of the day will pit WNCC against Creighton. The Cougar’s other matches include 11 a.m. against Air Force, 12:30 p.m. against Colorado State, and 3:30 p.m. against Northern Colorado.

The format of the tournament will be three games of 25 points. Matches will not start ahead of schedule.

WNCC will have its hands full during the tournament.

“The tournament for us will be a different situation,” she said. “I am not taking it as a test but more as a great opportunity. We are working into getting a little bit better right now so that is what we will try to do in the tournament. Obviously, we want to put up a good fight against those Division I schools, but I am more concerned with our performance and not just winning. As long as we are getting on the court and working hard at every point, in the long run, we wil have good outcome, and winning is a consequence.”

For more information on the tournament or for tickets, contact the WNCC athletic office at 308-635-6151.

Tournament Schedule
8 a.m. -- WNCC vs. Creighton
9:30 a.m. -- Creighton vs. Colorado State, Northern Colorado vs. Air Force
11 a.m. -- Northern Colorado vs. Colorado State; WNCC vs. Air Force
12:30 p.m. -- WNCC vs. Colorado State; Creighton vs. N. Colorado
2 p.m. -- Creighton vs. Air Force
3:30 p.m. -- WNCC vs. Northern Colorado, Air Force vs. Colorado State

WNCC baseball, softball set for home games

Nothing seems better to be finally playing at home and for the WNCC baseball and softball team, because they have been road warriors for the past month. Now, both teams will finally get to play at home this week.

The baseball team will face Northeastern Junior College on Thursday at 3 p.m. in one 9-inning contest. The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday but was moved because of wet grounds. They will then host McCook Community College in a weekend doubleheader on Saturday and Sunday.

The baseball team is coming off a very successful spring break trip to Arizona where they went 9-3. WNCC coach Mike Jones is hoping to build off that success during the upcoming home schedule.

“We had a real good trip and had a chance to play a lot of ball games. It was good competition,” Jones said. “We made improvement in all aspect of our game, especially on the offensive side we really made some improvements. We are hoping to take some momentum and confidence into our conference play.”

The Cougar men are currently third in Empire Conference play with a 2-2 record behind conference-leading Trinidad State at 4-0 and Lamar Community College at 7-1. Only the top four teams in the conference qualify for the Region IX playoffs.

“These upcoming games are real important,” Jones said. “Conference play is always big, especially conference play at home and taking care of your home field and playing top quality baseball.”

McCook captured its first victory of the season in dramatic fashion on Monday, topping Southeast Nebraska in a slugfest 21-14. The Indians are 1-12 overall and 0-6 in conference play.

Northeastern Junior College, 4-5-1, already beat WNCC in two non-conference games. Jones said they can’t take these teams lightly.

“They beat us in non-conference as we were trying to get some games in,” he said. “I think we have seen some of their good pitching and their lineup is full of left-handed hitters. i think we will be prepared for them.”

The biggest thing for the Cougar baseball team from last week’s slew of road games was that they started to play with some confidence.

“We started to play with some confidence and we started to play real smart baseball and disciplined baseball,” Jones said. “The pitching was outstanding and it has been so far throughout the year. But, we played well defensively and we played smart defensively. We were able to get some big hits with guys on base.”

The softball team will also be at home this weekend as well with some huge games. as they host Lamar, Garden City and McCook Friday through Sunday at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

Friday’s conference doubleheader against Lamar will begin at 2 p.m., while Saturday and Sunday’s contests will start at 1 p.m.

“It will be nice to get a chance to be out on our field and play in front of our very supportive fans,” softball coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “Lamar split with us early and have continued to get better; Garden City is always tough has two good pitchers; and McCook picked up their first win of the year and have been getting better everyday.”

The Cougar softball team had a topsy-turvy spring break against some tough competition where they went 3-9 during the trip. The Cougars almost upended No. 9 San Jacinto College before falling 1-0.

Winn-Ratliff said the trip to Arizona will benefit the team down the stretch.

“It was sunny there and i think we are more of a cold weather team to that is good since we are in Nebraska,” she said. “We faced some really good teams on our trip and didn’t come away with as many wins as I would have liked. But we did see a lot of positives to look forward to throughout the year.”

The women enter the weekend home-stand with a 14-11 record and Winn-Ratliff said the key to this weekend games is their pitching staff.

“Our pitching staff has to be more consistent especially when we get ahead in the game,” she said. “We have to also cut out errors on defense and make good adjustments at the plate.”

The Garden City game is Scleroderma Day where all the proceeds to the Schleroderma Foundation. Currently, a T-shirt auction of the shirts that the players will wear in the game is going on. The T-shirt page is online at sports.wncc.net.

The McCook and Lamar games are especially important as they are conference games. WNCC is second in the conference play with a 4-2 record, behind Trinidad State who is 7-1. Lamar is 6-6 in conference play while Otero is 8-2. McCook is 0-4 while Dawson is 1-11.

“All of our games are important,” Winn-Ratliff said. “We just want to go out and do what we do and that is play hard with a lot of heart and pride.”

WNCC baseball team concludes road trip with two wins

Submitted by Jeremy Woznick, Star-Herald Sports Reporter

PHOENIX - The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team concluded its seven-game spring break road trip in style with a pair of convincing wins Saturday in Arizona.
The Cougars beat El Paso Community College 9-2 before thumping Glendale Community College 13-2.

WNCC ended the trip with a record of 4-3.

"It was a real good ending to the trip for us," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "It's been a long trip, but we've been able to get a lot of baseball in. We've made a lot of progress and we've gotten a lot better in just a week. It's real encouraging. We're going to go back into conference play with some confidence."

The Cougars received two more strong pitching performances Saturday, which proved to be a theme throughout the week.

In the win against El Paso, Armani Gonzalez struck out 12 and allowed just five hits in eight innings of work.

Rodil Martinez followed Gonzalez's gem with one of his own by allowing just two runs in seven innings against Glendale.

"We've had good pitching all week," Jones said. "We had two real good starts today with Armani and Rodil."

Both pitchers received plenty of offensive support.

In the opener, WNCC jumped out to a 9-0 lead through five innings and never looked back. The Cougars pounded out 10 hits.

Nelson Quintero led the way with three hits. He also scored two runs. Jason Sloan added two hits and two runs batted in, while Kevin Sanford added a double and drove in two runs.

WNCC's bats didn't cool off one bit in the second game. The Cougars pounded out a season high 18 hits against Glendale.

Jared Baros led the way with four hits. Baros also drove in three runs. Camilo Baldelomar had three hits, while Shane Wade added two. Both Baldelomar and Wade each drove in a run. Sloan
finished with a double and drove in three runs.

"Our bats are starting to come alive," Jones said. "We're really starting to put together some good at bats."

Jones said the road trip should give his ball club plenty of momentum heading into Wednesday's home doubleheader against Northeastern Junior College. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Cleveland Field in Scottsbluff.

"We played seven games against good teams this week. For us to come out of here 4-3 after we had been struggling is really encouraging," Jones said. "This gives us a lot of positive momentum going into Wednesday. We're going to go in with a lot of confidence in a lot of areas. We're really starting to play good baseball right now."

Game One
WNCC 122 040 000 - 9 10 0
El Paso 000 010 010 - 2 5 2
WP - Armani Gonzalez.
2B - Kevin Sanford.

Game Two
WNCC (8-18) 113 042 002 - 13 18 1
Glendale 000 001 100 - 2 9 1
WP - Rodil Martinez.
2B - Jason Sloan.

WNCC softball falls to Glendale

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball team finished its spring break trip through Arizona Saturday by falling to Glendale Community College 12-7 in the Central Arizona tournament.

The Cougars, who fell to Glendale Friday in pool play 13-0, played much better the second time around. WNCC opened the game with three runs in the first inning. Amanda Saldivar started things with a single followed by Jordan Schoepflin and Katie Groves drawing walks. Jacqui Cappucilli scored all three with a single.

Glendale came back slicing the lead to one 3-2 after the first inning and then plated seven in teh second inning to go up 9-3. WNCC tried to come back, cutting the lead to 9-6 after four innings, but that was as close as they got.

Brittany Enterline took the loss in the circle. Enterline went 1 2/3 innings striking out two, allowing four hits and five runs. Taylor Anderson finished the game going 4 1/3 innings, walking four, striking out three and allowing eight hits.

WNCC, who has last three straight, managed eight hits compared to Glendale's 12 hits. Saldivar pace the team with 3-for-4 game with a run scored. Groves finished the contest going 2-for-3 with a double, three runs, and an RBI.

WNCC, 14-11, will return home for a 3-day weekend home stand. Friday, the Cougars will entertain Lamar Community College in a conference doubleheader before hosting Garden City Community College in Scleroderma Day. WNCC will host McCook Community College on Sunday in a conference doubleheader.

Bidding for the T-shirt auction for Scleroderma Day is currently going on. To make your donation for an autographed T-shirt and help out the Scleroderma Foundation, visit the WNCC athletic website at sports.wncc.net and visit the Scleroderma Day Link.

WNCC (14-11) 301 200 1 -- 7 8 3
Glendale C.C. 270 030 x -- 12 12 3
LP -- Brittany Enterline; 2B -- Katie Groves.

WNCC softball goes 1-2 at Central Arizona tourney

CASA GRANDE, Ariz. -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball team opened the Central Arizona Tournament with a 1-2 record.

The Cougars dropped Odessa College to open the tournament 14-5 before falling to Glendale Community College 11-0. They finished the pool play portion of the tournament by falling in a nail-biter 5-3.

WNCC's Brittany Enterline picked up the win in the opener with a strong showing. The Cougars had two home runs in the win. Katie Groves' led off the second inning with her sixth home run of the season. Allie Alverson had a 3-run shot in the fourth inning.

The Cougars found going extremely tough in the contest against Glendale as Stephanie Townsend took the loss.

in the team's final game of the tourney, the Cougars got a home run from Jordan Schoepflin, but couldn't hang on in falling to Arizona Western. WNCC led Arizona Western 3-1 in the sixth inning before giving up four runs.

Taylor Anderson took the loss in the circle.

"We played really well against Odessa," WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. "Then we didn't show up against Glendale. Against Arizona Western, Taylor pitched well to win the game, but we let them score four runs in the sixth inning."

WNCC, 14-10, will enter the bracket play portion of the tournament at 9 a.m. against Glendale.

After Saturday's contest, the Cougars return home to host contest Friday through Sunday. Saturday's contest against Garden City Community College will be Scleroderma Day and the auction for the autographed player T-shirts starts Saturday and is open until March 27 at noon.

WNCC, The Playhouse team up to hold fund-raiser for Cougar Athletics

The Western Nebraska Community College athletic department and the Playhouse Skate and Fun Center will be teaming up for a fun athletic fundraiser.

On Sunday, March 28, The Playhouse will be sponsoring an afternoon skate from 4-7 p.m. for area students and youngsters of all ages. The cost is $5 with $2 skate rentals. Pizza and pop are included with all admission donated back to the WNCC athletic department.

Their will be two skate sessions this year. Gering, Mitchell, Alliance and Kimball residents will skate from 4-5:30 p.m. Scottsbluff, Bayard and Bridgeport residents will skate from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Students and youngsters from other towns need to call the Playhouse for times.

The students will also get a chance to skate with the Cougars, get autographs and have pizza (which is included). Cougar athletes will be in attendance during the sessions.

Inflatable gyms will also be set up for those that do not want to skate.

The Playhouse Skate and Fun Center is located at 775 Crescent Drive in Gering. For more information, contact the Playhouse at 632-5996.

WNCC baseball falls to Seminole Community College

PHOENIX -- The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team received a strong pitching performance from Tim Beard, but couldn't muster enough offense before falling to Seminole Community College 4-1 Thursday during their Spring Break trip through Arizona.

Beard went seven strong innings, giving up four hits, two runs and striking out five. Joel Perez finished the contest going the final two innings and giving up four hits.

"Tim threw an excellent game. He was outstanding," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "Seminole is a strong team and he was able to shut them down and give us an opportunity to win. But we just couldn't find a way to score off of their pitching. They have some really good guys and we fought through our at bats. We just got beat today."

Seminole scored first, plating two runs in the fifth inning. WNCC sliced the lead in half in the seventh with a run. Camilo Baldelomar worked his way on base via a walk. He then stole second and scored on two throwing errors.

Seminole added two insurance runs it the top of the ninth for the 4-1 win.

Jason Sloan and Baldelomar each contributed doubles in the contest, but the Cougars couldn't get the clutch hit to get them across home plate.

WNCC, 6-17, will have South Mountain Community College on Friday before finishing up with El Paso College and Glendale on Saturday. Julio Davila will get the start on the mound against South Mountain, a team the Cougars defeated earlier in the week 8-2.

"We have to bounce back from this one and get ready for tomorrow [Friday] against South Mountain," Jones said. "We beat South Mountain the other day and they will probably come out and try to get even with us. it should be a pretty good game."

Seminole 000 020 002 -- 4 8 2
WNCC (6-17) 000 000 100 -- 1 5 1
LP -- Tim Beard; 2B -- Jason Sloan, Camilo Baldelomar.

WNCC sortball falls twice in Arizona

COOLIDGE, Ariz. -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball team lost a heartbreaker against No. 9 San Jacinto College Thursday during their Spring Break trip through Arizona.

The No. 18 Cougars fell 1-0 to San Jac and had plenty of opportunities to score, but couldn't get the clutch hit when they needed in the second game of a doubleheader.

In the opener, Howard College no-hit the Cougars in registering a 7-0 win. The Cougars managed just two baserunners in the game, both by walks.

Ashton Hughes took the loss against Howard, going 2 1/3 innings while scattering nine hits and giving up six runs. Taylor Anderson finished out the game giving up a run on six hits.

WNCC rebounded from getting no-hit by batting the No. 9 team in the nation strong before falling 1-0. San Jac scored the only run they would need in the second from a walk, sacrifice bunt and a single.

The Cougars had their opportunity to put runs on the board, especially in the first inning. Allie Alverson and Jordan Schoepflin each recorded singles and Katie Groves earned a walk to load the bases with just one out, but they couldn't capitalize.

The Cougars also had singles by Hughes in the second and Groves in the third that didn't amount to a threat. The other big threat came in the sixth inning as Megan Bourdon delivered a 2-out double.

Anderson took the loss in pitching six innings with eight hits and five strikeouts.

The Cougars managed just five hits in the contest.

WNCC, 13-8, will look to rebounded Friday in the Central Arizona tournament. The Cougars will face Odessa College, Glendale Community College and Arizona Western.

First Game
WNCC 000 000 0 -- 0 0 1
Howard 016 000 x -- 7 16 0
LP -- Ashton Hughes (0-2)

Second Game
WNCC (13-8) 000 000 0 -- 0 5 1
San Jac 010 000 x -- 1 8 1
LP -- Taylor Anderson (5-3); 2B -- Megan Bourdon.

Cougar baseball team splits games in Arizona

Submitted By Jeremy Woznick, Star-Herald Sports Reporter

PHOENIX - The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team posted another win on its seven-game spring break road trip Wednesday evening in Phoenix.

The Cougars registered a 2-1 win over Phoenix College in the first game of a doubleheader. Phoenix College bounced back to salvage the twinbill with a 6-3 win in game two.
WNCC, now 6-16 overall, has won five of its last eight games.

"I'm really pleased that we're playing better," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "We're making strides in the right direction."

In Wednesday's victory, the Cougars received more strong work on the mound. Three different WNCC hurlers combined to allow just three hits in seven innings.

Jacob Stutzman earned the win in relief of starter Carlos Palomo. Stutzman didn't allow a run in three innings of work. He allowed just two hits. JC Morales picked up the save after pitching a perfect seventh inning to shut the door.

"We had great pitching out of the bullpen in the first game," Jones said. "Stutzman and Morales did a great job."
Offensively in the game, Jared Baros had a run-scoring double in the second inning and Elvis Garcia added a run-scoring single in the fifth. Shane Wade went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
In game two, WNCC plated a pair of runs in the top of the third to knot the score at 2-2. But Phoenix College responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to go in front for good.
Sidney Jones took the loss on the mound. He allowed three runs on just three hits in three innings of work. Jones walked four. John Bravard pitched two innings out of the bullpen and David Castle worked one.

"In the second game we had trouble throwing strikes," Coach Jones said. "We just couldn't find the strike zone enough and that made it hard to keep them from scoring runs."

All six of WNCC's hits in the game were singles. Kevin Sanford collected two hits and scored one run. Trace Marsden scored two runs, while Sloan and Garcia both drove in runs.

WNCC will be back in action this afternoon against Seminole State Community College out of Oklahoma. The teams will compete in one nine-inning contest. Jones said Tim Beard will get the start on the mound for the Cougars.

Game One
WNCC 010 010 0 - 2 8 3
Phoenix College 001 000 0 - 1 3 3
WP - Jacob Stutzman. S - JC Morales.
2B - Jared Baros, Shane Wade.

Game Two
WNCC (6-16) 002 010 0 - 3 6 1
Phoenix College 110 301 x - 6 7 1
LP - Sidney Jones.

WNCC softball splits with Gateway, Hughes picks up first win of season with second-game shutout

PHOENIX -- Ashton Hughes gave the Western Nebraska Community College softball team the needed lift in the second game of a doubleheader against GateWay Community College.

Hughes, who was pitching for the first time this season, shutout GateWay in powering the Cougars to an 8-0 win. GateWay earned a 7-4 win in the opener outhitting the Cougars 12-6.

Hughes was one of the keys to the Cougars' win. The right-handed hurler stepped into the circle and shut down the Geckos by scattering three hits in six innings of work. She also struck out three and walked three in her first pitching win of the season.

"it was definitely enjoyable [being in the circle], but I knew I had a good defense behind me and a good offense that would come later," she said. "I did ok for the first time. I missed a few spots here and there, but I had a good defense when I did miss it."

Hughes also did it offensively in the second-game win. The freshman from Regina, Saskatchewan, went 1-for-2 with a fourth-inning triple and two runs scores.

Katie Groves, however, was the big offensive threat in the contest. WNCC's career home run hitter went 3-for-4 with a triple, home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. Groves started the game by belting her fifth home run of the season, which was a 2-run shot in the third inning.

Groves said they came out with a different attitude and played as a team.

"It was important for us to come out and win that second game. We dropped the first game because we weren't playing as a whole," she said. "The second game we came out and played as a team; we played as one instead of playing like a bunch of individual players."

While the Cougars managed 11 hits, including five extra base hits, Groves said defense was the real reason they won the game.

"We hit the ball well, but our defense held them down," she said. "That helped keep their momentum back after winning the first game."

Hughes said a good defense can inspire the offense.

"Defense is key for this team to do well because without a strong defense not making any errors, then you can contribute more easily on offense," Hughes said. "The offense started to click [in the second game] because everybody was feeding off of each other. So, if one person does well, then you want to do well."

Groves also had a triple that scored Allie Alverson in the fifth innning. Groves came around to score the teams' fifth run of the game on a Jordan Schoepflin's base hit for a 5-0 lead.

The Cougars added three more runs in the sixth inning. Hughes started things by drawing a bases on ball and then stole second. Hughes scored on an Amanda Saldivar single. Alverson and Megan Bourdon had back-to-back doubles to score runs.

Alverson went 3-for-4 from the plate with a near-cycle. The freshman from Tooele, Utah, had a single, double, triple, two runs and an RBI. Bourdon finished with two hits, including a double.

The second game was much needed after the Cougars suffered a 7-4 loss in the opener, which was their fourth straight loss of the season. The Cougars got on the scoreboard first with three runs in the second inning. Groves started things with a single and scored on a single by Jacqui Cappuccilli. Saldivar then reached on a fielder's choice, where both would score on a Bourdon double.

The Cougars went up 4-3 with a single run in the fourth inning, but the Geckos plated four runs in the fifth inning to steal the win.

Cappucilli went 2-for-3 in the game while Schoepflin went 2-for-4.

Taylor Anderson took the loss in the circle, going 4 1/3 innings. She walked one, struck out two and allowed 11 hits and six runs. Brittany Enterline finished off the game allowing one hit, one run and striking out three.

The Cougars, 13-6, will be back in action Thursday when they face Howard College and San Jacinto College in Coolidge, Arizona.

"We are definitely back on the right track," Hughes said. "But, it is one game at a time; that is how it works. Today, the team worked really well together in the second game."

First Game
WNCC 031 000 0 -- 4 6 1
GateWay 030 040 x -- 7 12 2
LP -- Taylor Anderson (6-3); 2B -- Megan Bourdon.

Second Game
WNCC (13-6) 002 123 -- 8 11 1
GateWay 000 000 -- 0 3 1
WP -- Ashton Hughes (1-0); 2B -- Allie Alverson, Megan Bourdon; 3B -- Katie Groves, Ashton Hughes; HR -- Katie Groves.

WNCC's Luzon throws 8 strong innings, Cougars pick up 8-2 win.

Submitted by Jeremy Woznick of the Star-Herald

PHOENIX - Carlos Luzon worked eight strong innings to help the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team get its spring break road trip off to a strong start in an 8-2 win over South Mountain Community College Tuesday afternoon in Phoenix.

Luzon, a freshman from Caracas, Venezuela, allowed just two runs on four hits in his eight innings on the mound. He also struck out three in recording his first win in a Cougar uniform.

"He was outstanding," WNCC coach Mike Jones said of Luzon. "It was the best start of the season for him and it was one of the best starts we've had so far this season. He threw his changeup a lot for strikes and kept them off balanced. It was really nice for him to go out there and pitch a strong eight innings for us. It was impressive."

JC Morales pitched a scoreless ninth inning for WNCC in relief of Luzon.

The lone two runs Luzon allowed came in the bottom of the fourth, which helped South Mountain trim WNCC's lead to 3-2. However, the Cougars scored single runs in the fifth and eighth innings before plating three insurance runs in the ninth.

Scottsbluff High School graduate Trace Marsden singled home a pair of runs in the top of the ninth.

Offensively in the game for WNCC, Camilo Baldelomar went 2-for-3. He drove in two runs and scored two runs. Elvis Garcia had a double and Shane Wade also collected a hit.

WNCC improved to 5-15 with the win. The Cougars have now won four of their last six games.

WNCC split a pair of conference doubleheaders at Lamar Community College and at Otero Junior College last weekend. On Saturday, the Cougars topped the Lopes 7-3 before falling 9-2. Then, on Sunday, they split with Otero winning 3-2 before falling 1-0.

"We've been playing better this last week," Jones said. "We still are trying to find some more offense. It's always a work in progress. As long as we keep pitching and keep playing good defense, we're going to be in a lot of games."

WNCC will be back in action today against Phoenix College. The squads will play a doubleheader beginning at 4 p.m.

Jones said Carlos Palomo and Sidney Jones will get the starts on the mound for the Cougars.

WNCC (5-15) 001 210 103 - 8 5 0
South Mountain 000 200 000 - 2 5 1
WP - Carlos Luzon (1-1).
2B - Camilo Baldelomar, Elvis Garcia.

WNCC softball will hold Scleroderma Day on March 27

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team will hold Scleroderma Day on Saturday, March 27, when the Cougars take on Garden City Community College at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

This is the second straight year that the Cougar softball team as held Scleroderma Day. Last year the team raised over $900 for the Foundation.

WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff started the special day to bring awareness to the skin disorder, which affects about 300,000 people in the United States. The event was started in honor of Cougar softball player Brenda Hearn last year when she had to give up playing the sport because of the disorder. Hearn is in her second year as manager for the softball team.

First pitch for the softball doubleheader will be at 1 p.m. with all proceeds from the gate, concessions and T-shirt auction donated to the Scleroderma Foundation. Also, the softball team will accept other donations to help the Scleroderma Foundation.

Individuals can start bidding on the T-shirts on Saturday, March 20 through noon on March 27. Pictures of the players with their special Scleroderma T-shirts, which they will wear during the game, are on the WNCC sports website located at sports.wncc.edu. The bid history will also listed on the website.

Individuals who want to bid on the T-shirts may send a text or email to one of the following individuals: Mark Rein at 308-631-0459 or mrein@wncc.net; head coach Maria Winn Ratliff at 308-672-5880; or winnm@wncc.net, or assistant coach Molly Bonuchi at 573-489-0484 or mollybonuchi@sbcglobal.net.

Winners of the T-shirts have one week after the closing of the auction to pay for the T-shirts. After that time the second highest bid will be awarded the T-shirt.

Individuals, businesses or organizations that would like donate or help with the Schleroderma Day may contact softball coach Maria Winn-Ratliff at 308-672-5880 or winnm@wncc.net.

WNCC volleyball players learn hands on while working with beans

WNCC volleyball players Emily Hoehn and Tania Torres learn from working with beans for a class. Read the story in the Saturday edition of PRIDE: Agriculture or read it online at the following link.

http://www.starherald.com/articles/2010/03/15/news/pride_2010/doc4b9e5df9ecc07388394418.txt

WNCC softball drops two in Arizona

PHOENIX -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball team's start to its games in Arizona didn't start off with a blaze after the Cougars dropped a pair of contests.

The Cougars were limited to just two hits as Odessa College blanked WNCC 9-0. Against South Mountain Community College, the Cougars allowed three late-inning runs to suffer a 5-3 setback.

Both contests saw costly fielding errors that caused their opponents to score momentum-building runs. The Cougars committed six errors in the two games.

In game one, Odessa scored a single run in the first and two more in the third for a 3-0 lead. They then opened the game with a six-run fourth inning to earn the run-rule shortened contest.

WNCC managed just two hits in the contest, a single my Tonya Atencio in the third inning and a double my Jordan Schoepflin in the fourth.

Taylor Anderson suffered the loss in the circle, going three innings while scattering eight hits and giving up five runs. Anderson struck out four in the contest.

Against South Mountain, the Cougars offense was a little more potent, out-hitting SMCC 8-7. WNCC too a 2-0 lead in the third as Megan Bourdan started things with a double. Allie Alverson followed with a run-scoring double before Adena Hagen blasted a triple to score Alverson.

South Mountain came back with two runs in the third and fifth inning, and a single run in the fourth for a 5-2 lead. WNCC tried to mount a comeback as Amanda Saldivar singled and scored on a Alverson single.

Alverson and Haden each had two hits for the Cougars. Alverson had a double, scored a run, and had two RBIs, while Hagen had a triple and a RBI. Bourdon finished the game with a double and a run scored. Also collecting singles for the Cougars were Schoepflin and Katie Groves.

Stephanie Townsend took the loss in the circle by going 4 1/3 innings. Townsend struck out two, walked two, scattered seven hits and gave up five runs and four earned runs.

Anderson finished off the game by going 1 2/3 innings, striking out one.

WNCC, 12-5 and losers of their last three games, will return to action Wednesday when they face Gateway Community College in a doubleheader in Arizona.

First Game
WNCC 000 00 -- 0 2 4
Odessa 102 6x -- 9 11 2
LP -- Taylor Anderson; 2B -- Jordan Schoepflin.

Second Game
WNCC (12-5) 002 000 1 -- 3 8 2
South Mountain 002 120 x -- 5 7 1
LP -- Townsend; 2B -- Megan Bourdon, Allie Alverson; 3B -- Adena Hagen.

Four WNCC basketball players make all-region

Four Western Nebraska Community College men’s and women’s basketball players earned all-region honors during the past year.

WNCC’s Francisco Cruz, who committed to the University of Wyoming last month, earned all-Region IX honors from the East Sub-region.

Cruz finished this season with a 20.4 scoring average while pulling down six rebounds a game. Cruz connected on 88 3-pointers during the season and converted 116 of 146 free throws.

Other men’s all-region members included Antonio Dye of McCook, Joe Ragland of North Platte, Antonio DiMaria and Arthur Steward of Casper, DeJuan Wright of Gillette, JR Cadot of Sheridan, Alfonzo Hubbard of Northwest Wyoming, Briahn Smith of Miles City, Davin Anderson of Laramie County, Matt Peeler of Otero, and Marqus Richards of Trinidad State.

The Cougar women had three players earn all-Region IX honors. Sophomores Amber Kistler and Stormye Everett and Freshman Yuki Morimoto were all tabbed for leading the Cougars to a 24-8 season. Everett and Morimoto were also the only Cougars to make the Region IX all-tournament that concluded last week.

Kistler, a Bayard High School graduate, averaged 10.7 points and 3.5 rebounds a game this season. She also connected on 36 3-pointers and shot a blistering 81 percent from the free throw line in 32 games.

Everett led the team in scoring and rebounding this season at 14.3 points and 7 rebounds a game. Everett also had 73 assists and 48 steals for the Cougars. Morimoto finished her first year at WNCC averaging 13.6 points and 5.5 rebounds a game. Morimoto also dished out 127 assists and had 59 steals. Morimoto led the team from the 3-point area, connecting on 53 long-range shots.

Other members of the all-region team include Sabelle Diata and Mrashi Karumba of Northeastern Colorado, Pavlina Chudarkova of Sheridan, Juliana Paunovic and Samira Van Grinsven of Casper, Sara Plavljanin of Miles City, Kari Ameling of Otero, LaTeesha Nez of Gillette, Jessica Brown of Eastern Wyoming, Amanda Jensen of Western Wyoming, Sofie Lundberg of Northeast Nebraska, and Brooke Tolman of Central Wyoming.

Other members of the women’s all-tournament team include Sabelle Diata, Maty Diallo, Amy Marin of Northeastern Colorado, Micki Scally of Sheridan, Juliana Paunovic, Samira Van Grinsven, and Shanice Billington of Casper, Kari Ameling, Chelsea Rotondo and Angie Andenucio of Otero, Brooke Tolman and Nicole Merrill of Central Wyoming, and Sofie Lundberg of Northeast Nebraska.

WNCC softball team splits with Trinidad State

Lamar, Colo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball split a conference doubleheader with Trinidad State Junior College Saturday afternoon in Lamar, Colo., despite strong starts in both contests.

Jordan Schoepflin started things with a bang in the opener, blasting a 2-run first-inning home run to power the Cougars to a 5-3 win. Game two wasn't so fortunate as Trinidad scored twice in the sixth inning to register a 4-2 win.

The Cougars jumped to a 5-0 lead on Schoepflin's fourth home run of the season. The Cougars also smashed three doubles in the first game with Allie Alverson connecting on two 2-baggers, while Brittany Chacon had the other double.

Alverson led the Cougar attack from the plate with a 2-for-4 performance, including an RBI. Schoepflin and Katie Groves each were 1-for-3 for the game, while Chacon was 1-for-2.

Taylor Anderson picked up the win in the circle with a dazzling performance, including finishing with a bang. Trinidad State loaded the bases with two outs in its final at bat when Anderson fanned the batter for the final out. Anderson picked up her fifth win of the season. The sophomore finished with seven strike outs and two walks, while scattering five hits.

WNCC played well in the second game but couldn't get the hit they needed in suffering the disappointing loss. Adena Hagen started things in the first with a single and scored on a Schoepflin single that went to the fence.

Trinidad tied the game in the first and then went ahead 2-1 with a single run in the fourth inning. The Cougars clawed back into the contest by tying the game in the sixth inning. Schoepflin started things with a single and scored on a Jackie Cappuccilli single.

WNCC couldn't hold the lead as the Trojans scored twice in the sixth inning to steal the game.

Brittany Enterline took the loss in the circle by allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings. The freshman from Tracy, Calif., stuck out three and walked three.

The Cougars outhit the Trojans 7-6 in the game. Schoepflin led the charge with a 2-for-3 performance, including a run scored and an RBI. Chacon also had two hits with a 2-for-2 game. Also collecting hits for WNCC was Grove, Hagen and Cappuccilli.

Saturday's doubleheader was the start of a wicked road trip for the Cougars. WNCC, 12-3, will have nine games in the next six days during a spring break trip to Arizona. WNCC is hoping to bounce back from the second game loss when they face Odessa College and South Mountain Community College on Monday in Phoenix.

First Game
WNCC 230 000 0 -- 5 5 1
Trinidad 000 100 0 -- 3 6 1
WP -- Taylor Anderson; 2B -- Allie Alverson 2, Brittany Chacon; HR -- Jordan Schoepflin.

Second Game
WNCC (12-3) 100 001 0 -- 2 7 2
Trinidad State (11-8) 100 102 x -- 4 6 0
LP -- Brittany Enterline.

Region IX Softball Standings
College Overall Conf.
Western Nebraska 12-3 4 -2
Trinidad State 11-8 7-1
Otero J.C. 15-11 10-2
Lamar C.C. 6-15 3-7
McCook C.C. 0-6 0-4
Dawson C.C. 0-8 0-8

WNCC men eliminated at regional tournaemnt by Sheridan

SHERIDAN, Wyo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball team fought hard, but just didn't have horses to stay with a talented Sheridan College team in falling 92-73 in the second-round of the men's Region IX tournament in Sheridan, Wyo., Sunday evening.

The Cougars hung with the Generals early one as they were tied at 9-9 after a Francisco Cruz bucket. Sheridan then went on a 8-0 run to push the lead to 17-9.

WNCC battled back, slicing the lead to 23-18 on a O'Rion Hughes bucket. WNCC kept hanging with the high-flying Generals on their home court trailing just by six points at 27-21. That was when the Generals hit back-to-back 3-pointers to go up by double digits. The double digit lead was short lived as Geoffrey Firmin connected on a 3-pointers and moments later Cruz, who verbally committed with the University of Wyoming last month, canned a field goal to trail 35-26. Sheridan would lead at halftime 38-28.

WNCC tried slicing the lead to single digits in the second half but never could manage to get within 10 points. The last time the Cougars trailed by 10 was at 51-41 on a Hughes bucket. After that, the Generals made a charge, outscoring WNCC 12-2 to go up 63-43.

To WNCC's defense, they never gave up as they came back to slice the lead to 12 points at 63-51 on a Joe Stock 3-pointer with about 11 minutes to play. Sheridan, however went on a 13-2 run to go up 76-63 with eight minutes left and coasted to the quarter-final win.

Shooting was the big difference in the contest as the Generals shot 51 percent for the game compared to 38 percent for the Cougars. The other big difference was the Cougars couldn't stop the General's big horses inside with a number of buckets from the paint, including a number of dunks.

Steven Ivory, Jr., led the Generals with 19 points followed by Antoine Proctor with 16 points and JR Cadot, who verbally committed to Texas Christian University, finished with 12 points.

WNCC also had three players hit the double digit column. Francisco Cruz wrapped up his 2-year career at WNCC with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. Hughes and Geddes Robinson also had 15 points each.

The Cougars finish the year at 19-13 and lose three sophomores from the team that played second semester in Cruz, Robinson and Saul Torres.

WNCC 28 45 -- 73
Sheridan 38 54 -- 92
SHERIDAN
Jarrell Crayton 8, Kendrick Morse 8, Antoine Procter 16, JR Cadot 12, Idris Lasisi 9, Omar McDade 5, Bryen Pyles 4, Steven Ivory, Jr., 19, Sam Iwueke 6, Charlton WIlson 5.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Geoffrey Firmin 9, O'Rion Hughes 15, Joe Stock 8, Francisco Cruz 15, Geddes Robinson 15, Andre Marone 2, Saul Torres 9.

WNCC softball splits with Garden City Community College

GARDEN CITY, Kan. -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball team split a doubleheader Sunday against Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kan.

The Cougars scored six times in the sixth inning to register a 7-4 win in the opener before falling 8-2 in game two.

In the first game, the Cougars trailed 3-1 heading through five innings. WNCC received a big lift from freshman Ashton Hughes, who delivered a 3-run home run that scored Jackie Cappuccilli and Stephanie Townsend to give the Cougars a 7-3 lead.

WNCC pounded out 10 hits in the game, including four extra base hits. Megan Burditt led the team with a 2-for-3 game, including a triple and a run scored. Adena Hagen went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI. Katie Groves finished the game with two runs scored on one hit, while Townsend went 1-for-4 with a double, RBI and a run.

Hughes went 1-for-3 in teh game with a home run and three home runs.

Taylor Anderson picked up her fifth win of the season. Anderson scattered nine hits, while striking out five.

The second game didn't go the Cougars' way. WNCC jumped on top 1-0 after one inning before falling behind the 8-ball as the Broncobusters went up 8-1 after four innings.

WNCC managed just five hits in the contest, while giving up 11 hits to Garden City.

Brittany Enterline took the loss in the circle, going four innings, while giving up eight runs, walking four and striking out three.

Hagen and Allie Alverson each went 2-for-3 in the game. Hagen had a double with a RBI, while Alverson had a double and run scored. Brittany Chacon had the other hit, a double, for the Cougars.

WNCC, 11-2, will next be in action this weekend when they travel to face the University of Colorado Club team on Friday at Longmont, Colo.

First Game
WNCC 100 006 0 -- 7 10 2
Garden CIty 000 300 1 -- 4 9 0
WP -- Taylor Anderson; 2B -- Adena Hagen, Steph Townsend; 3B -- Megan Burditt; HR -- Ashton Hughes.

Second Game
WNCC (11-2) 100 000 1 -- 2 5 3
Garden CIty 032 300 x -- 8 11 0
LP -- Brittany Enterline; 2B -- Hagen, Brittany Chacon, Allie Alverson

WNCC women fall to Otero at regional tournament

STERLING, Colo. – Otero Junior College connected on 12 3-pointers, seven in the second half, and the Rattlers upended Western Nebraska Community College 68-60 in the second round of the Region IX tournament in Sterling, Colo., Sunday afternoon.

The quarterfinal loss was typical of the Cougar’s second semester where they struggled defensively. Otero shot a blistering 57 percent (12 of 21) from the 3-point line including 7 of 9 in the second half. The Cougars, on the other hand, shot just 44 percent from the field and were outscored 36-9 from beyond the 3-point arc.

“We give up seven 3-pointers the second half and never made adjustments in knowing who the shooters are,” WNCC coach Dave Harnish said. “I think what hurt us all year hurt us tonight and that was unable to defend and rebound the ball.”

Another big key in the contest was losing sophomore Stormye Everett with about a minute left in the first half with an ankle injury. After that, Everett sat on the bench with her foot iced cheering on her teammates.

“We were hanging in there the first half and when Stormye went, it did hurt us,” Harnish said. “Still, the bottom line, kids have to step up and we just didn’t do that. We struggled all semester in recognizing who the shooters are and playing defense. That is what ultimately what caught up to us in the end.”

WNCC was sticking with Otero in the first half. In fact, WNCC zipped out to an 11-2 lead on a 3-pointer by Yuki Morimoto and four points each from Tiffany Moorer and Carolina Alves. Otero came back scoring the next six points to slice the lead to 11-8 before WNCC went ahead 16-11 on an Everett 3-pointer.

The Cougars led 28-23 after a bucket by Shelby Campbell and two field goals from Everett with four minutes to play. Otero came back to tie the game at 30 on a 3-pointer by Desiree Marrufo, Angie Angie Andenucio gave momentum to Otero heading into the locker room after she nailed a trey to tie the game at 33-33

WNCC started slow in the second half, but a bucket by Moorer and a driving layup by Amber Kistler put WNCC up 41-40. The Cougars pushed the lead to 46-43 on back-to-back Thais Pinto buckets. Otero fought back, in taking a 53-48 lead and led 57-50 at one stretch.

The Cougars came back scoring the next six points on a bucket by Moorer and four points from Pinto to cut the lead to 57-56. Otero wasn’t rattled as Chelsea Rotondo drained a 3-pointer followed by buckets by Marrufo and Tracy Fosterling for a 64;56 lead. The closest the Cougars got after that was 64-60 with 30 seconds to play.

Morimoto paced the Cougars with 16 points, 13 in the first half. Pinto also finished with double digits, finishing with 13 points. Morimoto also had nine rebounds.

Otero was paced by Marrufo with 19 points followed by Andenucio with 13 and Rotondo with 12.

The Cougars finish the season with a 24-8 record and losses just two sophomores – Everett and Kistler – from this year’s team.

“The disappointing thing is we had such a good first semester and expectations were high second semester. We just could never get that toughness and desire to really want to win every game back,” Harnish said. “Both of the sophomores were key for us this year. They were kids that were our two leading scorers on the team and they both competed and played hard and did the things we expected on the floor. I certainly wish them the best of luck and I appreciate the effort that they gave us.

“There is no question that Amber works hard. She is a local kid that comes in and works hard. She puts the time in and that is all you want from kids today.”

Otero 33 35 – 68
WNCC (24-8) 33 27 – 60
OTERO JUNIOR COLLEGE
Melinda Perry 4, Kari Ameling 11, Kaitlyn Lowen 5, Tracy Fosterling 4, Chelsea Rotondo 12, Desiree Marrufo 19, Angie Andenucio 13.
WESTERN NEBRASKA
Amber Kistler 5, Stormye Everett 7, Shelby Campbell 3, Yuki Morimoto 16, Ariane Brown 2, Tiffany Moorer 8, Carolina Alves 4, Thais Pinto 13, Kelli Culver 2.