WNCC, Lamar combine for 37 runs, 40 hits in game one; Cougars fall twice to Lamar

The Western Nebraska Community College and Lamar Community College baseball teams combined for 37 runs and 40 hits in game one of their doubleheader at Cleveland Field Saturday.

Unfortunately for the Cougars, they were on the wrong side of the scoreboard as Lamar claimed a action-packed first game 21-16, scoring five runs in the seventh inning for the win.

Lamar continued swinging a hot bat in game two, claiming a 9-2 win to sweep the doubleheader. WNCC, though, still is third in conference standings, tied with Otero and Trinidad, who all have 12-14 records. Lamar is second at 18-10, while Northeastern Colorado is 18-6, after play Saturday, which also featured NJC sweeping Otero, and Trinidad splitting with McCook.

WNCC, however, could have easily earned a split with the offensive production they produced in the opening game.

“When you score 16 runs in a ball game, that should be a win for sure,” coach Mike Jones said. “Unfortunately for us, we didn’t pitch real well and didn’t play very good defense in that first game and it got away from us. Offensively, though, we did a great job.”

WNCC finished the game with 19 hits compared to 21 for Lamar. The Cougars also left just seven base runners on base and were in control of the game several times, including leading 11-5 after three innings, after the Cougars put up six runs on seven hits in the third inning.

Most of the damage the Cougars did in the third inning game with two outs. The Cougars rattled off five straight hits to open up the game, including RBI singles by David Monteagudo, Norbert Susini and Carlso Garcia, and a two-run scoring double by Rich Miller to put the Cougars up 11-5.

WNCC added to the score by scoring two more runs in the fourth inning to go up 13-7. The Cougars, however, couldn’t hold the lead as Lamar scored nine runs in the fifth inning on just three hits. Zach Krueger, who played for the Chappell American Legion baseball team, picked up two hits in the inning including a double and four RBIs. Lamar led 16-13 at that point.

The Cougars, however, rallied back tying the game with two runs in the fifth and a single run in the sixth. In the fifth, Chris Hook started things with an one-out single followed by singled by Aurelio Monteagudo and Greg Crowe to slice the led to 16-15.

Susini then gave the Cougars live in the sixth as he smacked a solo home run to tie the game. But, WNCC couldn’t hold the lead as Lamar scored five times in the seventh inning for the victory.

WNCC had plenty of offensive heroes in the game. Susini went 4-for-4 with three runs scored, four RBIs, two singles, a double and a home run. Hook finished the game going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, three runs scored and three singles, followed by Crowe with a 3-for-4 game, including two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Also collecting multiple hits for the Cougars were Rudy Soto with a double and single, and David Monteagudo with two singles, two runs scored and two RBIs.

Lamar was paced by its eight and nine hitters. Sam Sena scored five times, while going 3-for-3 with two walks and four RBIs, while Evan Claus went 3-for-4 with a double, two singles, four runs scored and two RBIs.

Marco Jimenez took the loss, throwing 2 2/3 innings and giving up six runs and seven hits.

In the second game, WNCC had trouble keeping that first-game offensive attack alive as Lamar’s pitcher Brandon Van Riper shut down the Cougar bats, holding them to two runs and eight hits, while striking out six.

“There did a nice job of shutting us down in the second game,” Jones said. “Unfortunately for us, I think it was carry over from the first game. I think after putting up the 16 runs and still not coming out with the win, I think it really deflated us. You shouldn’t be like that. But as young ball players, they get down on themselves at times and I think it took a toll on us. Lamar did a great job of following up the first game and sticking it to us.”

WNCC took an early 1-0 lead as Crowe belted a solo home run in the second inning. That, though, was the end of the party for the Cougars as Lamar added three runs in the third and fifth inning to grab a 6-2 lead. The Runnin’ Lopes, then, added three insurance runs in the sixth for the victory.

Kyler Edgehouse took the loss despite giving a gutsy effort. Edgehouse went five innings, scattering six hits and striking out four.

Offensively, Crowe went 2-for-2 with a home run, single and a walk, followed by Miller with a 2-for-4 game, including a double.

Both teams will be back on the diamond Sunday in a doubleheader at noon at Cleveland Field. Jones said that Jackson Salazar and Jake Vulk will get the nods on the mound.

“We have to try put this behind us and come out and play better tomorrow. We will need better pitching. We gave up 30 runs in two games and that can’t happen. We have to come out and pitch a lot better tomorrow and let our offense settle in.”

First Game

Lamar 142 090 5 – 21 21 0

WNCC 416 221 0 – 16 19 2

WP – Mike Ramirez, LP – Jimenez; 2B – WNCC (Soto, Susini, Miller, Garcia, Crowe 2), Lamar (Krueger, Jim Morgan 2, Josh Payne, John Callahan, Sena 2, Claus); HR – WNCC (Susini), Lamar (J. Morgan, Sena).

Second Game

Lamar 003 033 0 – 9 11 1

WNCC 010 010 0 – 2 8 1

WP – Mike Ramirez, LP – Edgehouse; 2B – WNCC (Miller); HR – WNCC (Crowe), Lamar (Daniel Neumann).

WNCC softball hits five more home runs, sweeps Friends College

WICHITA, Kan. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team connected on five home runs Saturday as they won games 41 and 42 on the season over Friends College junior varsity.

WNCC’s Jessie McNabb had two home runs in game one as the Cougars won 6-0, while Kara Ryman had two jacks in game two in WNCC’s 6-2 win. Lauren Mills had the other home run for the Cougars in game one.

The Cougars’ home run fest has been outstanding in the last three days, where they blasted 17 home runs. Ryman has had four home runs in the last two days, while Mills has connected on four in the last three days. McNabb, with her two on Saturday, has hit three home runs.

Even with the wins, coach Maria Winn Ratliff said they didn’t play overly well.

“We did not show up to play,” she said. “Their pitchers did a good job of keeping us off balance and we needed to make some adjustments.”

Still, the Cougars were the better team on the day. In the opener, McNabb started the home run fest with a solo shot in the first. WNCC went up 3-0 in the third as McNabb doubled and scored on a Ryman single.

McNabb added to the lead in the fifth with a 2-run bomb. McNabb finished the game 3-for-4 with three runs scored, three RBIs, a double and two home runs.

Bourdon went 3-for-3 on the day with a double and two singles, while Ryman went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

Ashley Patton continued throwing well in the circle, picking up the win. Patton faced just 27 batters in seven innings of work, giving up five hits and walking just one.

Kelsey Garner picked up the win in game two, as the freshman hurler struck out six while allowing a run in five innings of work. Allie Griffin finished off the game throwing two innings, while striking out four.

Offensively, WNCC was paced by Ryman with a 3-for-4 game, including two RBIs, a double, two home runs and two runs scored. Ryman’s homers were solo shots in the second and seventh innings.

Mills also went 3-for-4 on the day, with four RBIs and a home run, while Kayli Allen went 1-for-1 with a single and stolen base.

The Cougars, 42-6, will face Hutchinson Community College Sunday on the final day of the four-day road trip.

First Game
WNCC 101 021 1 – 6 10 0
Friends 000 000 0 – 0 5 1
WP – Patton; 2B – McNabb, Bourdon; HR – McNabb (2).

Second Game
WNCC 011 012 1 – 6 12 0
Friends 001 000 1 – 2 4 1
WP – Garner; 2B – Ryman; HR – Ryman (2), Mills.

wncc softball hits seven home runs including to grans slams in doubleheader sweep of Sterling College

STERLING, Kan. -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball team blasted seven home runs, including grand slams by Kara Ryman and Alec Voci to register a double header sweep over Sterling College Junior Varsity Friday afternoon.

The Cougars blasted three home runs in a 21-0 win in the first game, and then had four home runs in the second game as the Cougars won 18-2. The wins give the Cougars 40 wins on the season.

“We swung the bats real well,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “Natasha [Dypchey] and Jessica [Pexton] did a nice job in the circle.”

WNCC had little trouble with Sterling College on the day. In the opener, the Cougars had 24 hits in the 21-0 win. Natasha Dypchey picked up the win, going five innings while scattering four hits and striking out four.

The Cougars started the hit parade with a bang as lead-off hitter Lauren Mills led off with a home run. Two batters later, Jessica McNabb blasted a 3-run shot for a 3-0 lead. In the fifth, Ryman recorded the third home run of the game as she blasted a grand slam in a 10-run inning.

Ryman paced the team with a 4-for-5 performance, including three runs scored, five RBIs and three singles. Also Mills went 3-for-3 with a single, double, home run, three runs scored and two RBIs, Lauren Bourdon going 3-for-4 with three singles and two runs scored, Lauryn Smith going 2-for-2 with a double, Voci going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Whittany Foster going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a double.

WNCC continued their hitting in game two, collecting 17 hits and scoring 18 runs. The Cougars had four home runs, as Voci finished with two homers. Voci had a grand slam in the first inning and then hit another dinger over the 275-foot slow-pitch fence in the fifth inning. Also collecting home runs were Ryman in the fourth and Smith in the fifth.

Mills and Bourdon each went 3-for-4. Mills had a double and two runs scored, while Bourdon had four RBIs, two runs scored and a double.

Amanda Hensley finished with a 2-for-4 game with three runs, while Ryman went 1-for-4 with the 2-run home run. Kayli Allen also finished 1-for-1 with a double, while Smith went 2-for-2 with a triple, home run and two RBIs.

Pexton picked up the win going five innings and striking out three.

WNCC, 40-6, will continue it’s Kansas swing with a double header at Friends College Junior varsity today.

First Game
WNCC 342 2(10) -- 21 24 3
Sterling 000 00 -- 0 4 0
WP -- Dypchey; 2B -- Mills, McNabb, Smith, Foster; HR -- Mills, McNabb, Ryman.

Second Game
WNCC 610 74 -- 18 17 1
Sterling 000 20 -- 2 3 1
WP -- Pexton, 2B -- Mills, Bourdon, Allen; 3B -- Smith; HR -- Voci (2), Ryman, Smith.

WNCC baseball set for key home stand against Lamar this weekend

One doesn’t have to tell Western Nebraska Community College coach Mike Jones how important this weekend’s series with Lamar Community College is.

In fact, the four games could mean the difference between WNCC hosting a first-round game or not making the playoffs at all when the Cougars and Lamar hook up in a four-game series Saturday and Sunday at Cleveland Field. Only the top four teams make the playoffs this season, which is different from past years when all six teams competed in the double elimination tournament.

“It is not quite the playoffs yet, but it will feel like a playoff atmosphere,” Jones said. “These games are that important for us, and to Lamar, it is just as important because they don’t want to slip from second to fifth. It is almost like the playoffs almost started. We have to come out and play well.”

This year’s Region IX playoffs will pit the No. 1 and 4 seeds and the No. 2 and 3 seeds together at the site of the higher seed in a best two-out-of-three series beginning May 2. The winners will then square off the following week for the Region IX title.

WNCC, 22-21 overall, holds the down the third position in conference standings with a 12-12 record. They also hold the tie-breaker over Otero Junior College and Trinidad State Junior College, who are breathing down WNCC’s neck. Otero is 12-12 in conference play, while Trinidad State is 11-13.

Northeastern Junior College leads the conference with a 16-6 mark followed by Lamar Community College at 19-10. Jones said WNCC can end up anywhere from second to fifth after this weekend’s series with Lamar.

“There is a pack of us from second to fifth that are real close, and everybody will play each other this weekend,” Jones said. “We will find out where everybody stands on Monday.”

Jones said the new playoff format is adding plenty of drama to the race.

“If it wasn’t for that new playoff, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal because everybody knows they would make the tournament and everybody knows they are even and they could beat anybody in the tournament,” he said. “Now since that new format is in place, it really puts a lot of emphasize on the games for everybody.”

Lamar and WNCC already split a doubleheader earlier in the season. Lamar won the first game 8-1 before the Cougars came back and lit up the Runnin’ Lopes winning 17-8. First pitch Saturday is slated for 1 p.m., while Sunday’s action begins at noon.

“They beat us the first game and then we put up quite a few runs in the second game,” he said. “We know we can beat them. It will definitely come down to our pitching and whether our pitching can hold down there lineup for seven innings in four games straight will be our biggest question.”

WNCC’s fate will rest in the hands of pitchers Todd Stachura and Kyler Edgehouse on Saturday, and Jackson Salazar and Jake Vulk on Sunday. But, Jones said they will need to come ready to swing the bat against a young but talented Lamar team.

“For us offensively we are so up and down right now. We can score 10 runs or we can score two,” he said. “I think playing at home helps us out a lot. We see the ball so much better at home and we like the bigger field. We have more area to get some singles and line drives down. I think it plays in our favor.”

While it is important for the Cougars to win, the standings will also depend on other conference play. Northeastern Junior College travels to Otero, while Trinidad State takes on McCook in four-game series.

“We talk about how important this series is, but I don’t know if it has sunk into them yet,” Jones said. “I believe they have been taking it one game at a time and now all of a sudden the big picture is on top of them.

“There is two different ways to look at this series. One is to just approach it as any other day and have some fun with it and play your game and see how it all finishes. But, there again, the other side of it is maybe you come out too relaxed. Maybe Lamar comes out really energetic hoping to get an advantage on us. I think for us, we are going to put a little bit more emphasize on it then we have other ball games.”

Conference Standings
School Conf. Overall
NJC 16-6 28-10
Lamar 19-10 21-18
WNCC 12 -12 22-21
Otero 12-12 19-27
Trinidad 11-13 27-21
McCook 4-18 14-30

Saturday’s Games
Lamar at WNCC
Trinidad at McCook
NJC at Otero

Sunday’s Games
Lamar at WNCC
Trinidad at McCook
NJC at Otero

WNCC softball hits five home runs, sweeps North Platte

NORTH PLATTE -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball pounded out 28 hits annd scored 25 runs in claiming a doubleheader from North Platte Community College Thursday.

WNCC also hammered five home runs on the day, icluding two from Lauren Mills in the opener 15-7 win. The Cougars came back and had three home runs in game two as they needed late-inning magic in claiming the 10-5 win.

“We didn’t play like we usually do,” sophomore Lauren Mills said. “We made a lot of errors on defense. Offensively, we made a couple of errors and then we started to hit the ball. Still we didn’t play very good today and lucky to come out with a win.”

Still, the Cougars found a way to win and come ever-so-closer to hosting the Region IX tournament May 1. WNCC is now 20-1 in conference play with three conference games left. All they need to do is win one more game to lock up being the tournament host. WNCC’s next conference game is April 22 at Lamar Community College followed by a home date with North Platte on April 24.

Thursday’s games showed just how good of an offensive team they can be, and it was the long ball that sparked the team..

“We picked it up when we needed to,” Mills, who had two home runs, six runs scored and six RBIs on the day, said. “We came out dead in the first two innings [of game two] and then we picked it up. We new we had to get some runs. We kept hitting and the balls started falling in.”

The second game definitely was a testament to how well this Cougar team can play and win ball games. North Platte quickly took a 5-1 lead in the first inning on five hits. After that, sophomore pitcher shut down the Knights’ offense, while WNCC’s offense woke up.

Jessie McNabb quickly got the Cougars back in the game with a two-run home run that easily cleared center field to cut the lead to 5-3. WNCC sliced the lead to 5-4 with a single run in the fifth as Lauren Bourdon singled and scored on a Kara Ryman base hit.

WNCC finally took the lead in the sixth by plating three runs. Mills led off by drawing a walk. Amanda Hensley then slapped a home run over the right centerfield fence to put WNCC up 6-5. The Cougars weren’t threw as McNabb singled and later took advantage of a North Platte fielding error on a hit ball by Amada Torimaru for a 7-5 lead.

The Cougars offense continued to shine in the seventh inning as Allie Griffin led off with a solo home run down the left field line. WNCC added two more insurance runs as Mills and McNabb each scored with Ryman providing a huge double up the middle for the 10-5 win.

Patton picked up the win in the circle coming in relieve of Natasha Dypchey. Patton struck out four and scattered seven hits, while walking just one. Patton’s toughness came up big in a crucial fifth inning where North Platte loaded the bases with no outs. The sophomore from Utah then struck out two Knight batters, and the the final out on a line-out to first base to stop the scoring threat.

“AP came in and did a wonderful job,” Mills said. “She shut them down and made them pop up while scattering hits. We also backed her up on defense.”

Offensively, WNCC finished with 12 hits. Hensley paced the team with a 3-for-4 performance, including a home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. McNabb and Ryman also collected two hits each. McNabb went 2-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBIs, while Ryman went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs.

In the first game, the Coguars didn’t have to worry about a late-inning comeback as the Cougars led from start to finish. They did, however, had to fend off a North Platte comeback that sliced a 6-0 lead to 6-5 on one time.

WNCC held a 7-0 lead after 2 ½ innings and seemed in control. North Platte, however, had other ideals as they put up five runs in the third inning on five hits to cut the deficit to 7-5.

The Cougars did withstand the Knights’ charge with five runs in he fifth inning. The big hit was a 2-RBI triple by Bourdon. Bourdon then scored on a Ryman sacrifice fly for a 12-6 lead. The Cougars added three more runs in the sixth as Mills hit her second home run of the game to score Whittany Foster and Griffin for the final runs of the game.

Kelsey Garner picked up her 22nd win of the season. Garner striking out nine while scattering 14 hits.

WNCC pounded out 16 hits in the win, including a 4-for-5 game from Bourdon and 3-for-5 games from Mills and Hensley. Mills had two home runs, six RBIs and six runs scored in the win, while Bourdon had a triple and four RBIs., and Hensley had a double and two runs scored.

Mills said while the Cougars picked up two conference wins, they realize that they need to play better with the Region IX tournament just around the corner.

“It is totally a wake-up call,” she said. “We need to show up and play our game. No team will give us a win and we need to take it from them.”

WNCC, 38-6, will continue a four-day series of games Friday at Sterling College junior varsity followed by contests with Friends College junior varsity on Saturday and Hutchinson Community College on Sunday.

First Game
WNCC 421 053 -- 15 16 1
NPCC 005 101 -- 7 14 4
WP -- Garner; 2B -- Hensley, Torimaru; 3B -- Bourdon; HR -- Mills (2).

Second Game
WNCC 102 013 3 -- 10 12 0
NPCC 500 000 0 -- 5 11 5
WP -- Patton; 2B -- Ryman, Torimaru; HR -- McNabb, Hensley, Griffin.

WNCC baseball team splits at McCook

Submitted by JEREMY WOZNICK, Star-Herald Sports Reporter

Making his first start of the season on the mound, Western Nebraska Community College's Rudy Soto helped the Cougars earn a doubleheader split at McCook Community College on Wednesday afternoon.

Soto, a sophomore from San Luiz, Ariz., struck out four in 5 1/3 innings of work in WNCC's 6-2 first-game win. However, the Cougars couldn't keep the momentum going as they dropped an 8-6 setback in game two.

"We didn't play all that well today," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "This was Rudy's first start of the season and it was nice that he threw solid innings for us. He gave us a good effort on the mound and got us a win in game one. Unfortunately in game two, we gave McCook too many opportunities with some walks and some errors. We would have liked to sweep, but now we'll start looking forward to Lamar this weekend."

The split kept WNCC in the third spot in the Region IX's Empire Conference, right behind Northeastern Junior College and Lamar Community College. Lamar and Otero Junior College split a doubleheader on Wednesday, which kept the Rattlers behind WNCC in the fourth spot.

Trinidad State Junior College is right behind Otero in fifth. Only the top four teams in the conference at the end of the regular season advance to the regional tournament.

In addition to getting a strong pitching effort out of Soto in game one, the Cougars received a pair of clutch hitting performances from Dustin Javins and Greg Crowe. Javins went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs in the contest and Crowe also drove in a pair of runs while going 2-for-3. WNCC finished the game with eight hits.

With the game tied at 2-2 entering the fifth inning, the Cougars erupted for four runs in the top of the inning to take control. Marco Jimenez gave the Cougars another strong effort out of the bullpen as he replaced Soto on the mound with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning and limited McCook to just a single hit the rest of the way.

In game two, WNCC dug itself a hole early as McCook built a 3-0 lead after three innings and led 7-1 after five. The Cougars plated three runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh before their rally came to an end.

David Monteagudo led WNCC's offensive attack by going 2-for-3 with a double.
Crowe took the loss on the mound. He struck out five in five innings of work.

WNCC, 22-21 overall and 12-12 in the conference, hosts Lamar in a key four-game series starting Saturday at Cleveland Field in Scottsbluff. The teams will play two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday.

"It's going to be a very important series for us," Jones said. "Lamar's a good ball club. We need to make sure we pitch well, play good defense and find some more ways to score some more runs."
Following this weekend's series, WNCC will host NJC on Wednesday in its final two conference games of the regular season.

Game One
WNCC 010 140 0 - 6 8 2
McCook 002 000 0 - 2 7 4
WP - Rudy Soto.

Game Two
WNCC 000 103 2 - 6 7 2
McCook 021 041 x - 8 8 0
LP - Greg Crowe. 2B - David Monteagudo.

Kelsey Garner tabbed co-pitcher of the week by the NJCAA

Western Nebraska Community College freshman pitcher Kelsey Garner was tabbed NJCAA co-pitcher of the week after picking up three over the weekend, including a pair of wins over Trinidad State and a win over Otero. In 16 innings last week she allowed 14 hits, five runs (one earned) and two walks and struck out 13. With six strikeouts in the opening game of the Trinidad State double header, Garner broke the single-season strikeout record at Western Nebraska. The previous record was 153 set last season. Garner is currently tied for the most single-season wins with 21.

Garner shares this week's honor with Wallace State's Holli Hill, who also won three games and had 38 strikeouts in 20 innings of work. Hill threw a perfect game in the 8-0 win over Snead State, striking out 11 over six innings. Against Northwest Shoals she threw a one-hit shut out, striking out 15.

WNCC's Busma signs to play basketball at Division 1 Idaho State

Devidas Busma didn’t have to worry about how many Division I colleges that wanted the 7-foot post players services. The question that Busma had to worry about was which school among the many that contacted the Western Nebraska Community College was he going to commit to for the next two seasons.

Busma, who averaged eight points and nine rebounds a game for the Cougars last season, had generated interest from Iowa, Iowa State, Rutgers and Nebraska to name a few. In the end, it wasn’t one of those high-profile institutions; it was Idaho State that won his services for the next two years when Busma signed to play for the Bengals this week.

“Idaho State recruited me for two years and they had a lot of influence on me. They supported me, found me this school, and kept following me through the whole two years,” Busma said. “They really have a good program and when I went for a visit there, I could see myself there. I thought I could be a real factor in the team and help the team.”

WNCC coach Brian Joyce, who also played basketball for Idaho State in the mid 1990s, said that Idaho State was the better fit, where he could use his talents more so then at a bigger school. Joyce said he had a lot of schools contact him throughout the season about Busma’s services.

“There were a lot of good schools that showed interest in Dave, and obviously he had a solid year for us,” Joyce said. “I think the thing about Dave that I found out is he is very loyal in this school, who helped him come over to the United States and find Western Nebraska. I think when some one shows that much interest in you over a period of time, you start to feel that more comfortable.

“In turn, he is going to play a significant role in the program, where in some other programs he maybe wasn’t seen as such a key player in what they were going to do. I think Dave’s best years are ahead of him. From the time I was fortunate to get this position, and last summer I was able to work with Dave for two or three months over the summer and through the season. He has made tremendous strides.”

Busma joins a Idaho State team that is a member of the Big Sky Conference, which includes the University of Northern Colorado. Last season the Bengals finished 12-19 before falling in the semi-finals to Portland State at the conference tournament.

Busma said that he expects to make a impact, but knows he needs to continue to work hard.

“They said I could be the key player that can take this program to the next level,” he said. “But, I will have to go there and earn a place myself. Take it from there and see what happens.”

Joyce said that he will continue to get better under Idaho State coach Joe O’Brien, who won three NJCAA national titles while at Southeastern Community College. Busma is expected to go to the Pocatello, Idaho, school to take some summer classes and work out with the team.

Busma said Joyce really helped him get better this past season, and said that he will miss the Scottsbluff community.

“I have improved really a lot from last year,” the big man said. “I gained a lot of confidence. My rebounding got better since Coach Joyce came here, and a lot of things changed and I started to progress a lot.

“I will miss the community and the people. The basketball program has been really good to me. I have become a better student and player, and I have gained so much experience for the future. I think this college will be useful for me."

WNCC baseball takes three of four from Otero, moves into third in conference standings

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team opened up the offense to get back into the conference race for a regional tournament spot in taking three of four games from Otero Junior College Sunday and Monday at Cleveland Field.

The Cougars used a late-inning rally in registering a 6-5 nine-inning win to open the series Sunday, before falling to the Rattlers later that night 6-3. Things were different on Monday as the Cougars pounded out 22 hits in sweeping Otero 10-3 and 8-4 to move into third place in the conference standings.

“We needed to win this series badly so we could come out of fifth place and right now we are sitting in third,” sophomore third-baseman Rudy Soto said. “We just need to stay consistent and we need to keep winning series to make regional playoffs.”

Indeed the Cougars needed a spark to stop a 5-out-of-6 game losing skid and it game in the form of the long ball, including a grandslam from Soto and a 2-run home run in Monday’s first game, followed by home runs by Greg Crowe and Norbert Susini in the second game.

“We played great and played a lot better then we have been this weekend,” Soto said. “Everybody came through from pitching, defense and offense.”

WNCC started Monday off on a hot start, pasting the Rattlers for eight early runs to grab an 8-0 lead. Garcia started things with a 2-run home run in the first inning followed by the grandslam by Soto in the third inning. The Cougars added two more runs in the fifth inning on a 2-RBI double by Rich Miller.

Miller paced the Cougars from the plate, going 3-for-4, followed by Soto going 3-for-5 with four RBIs and Garcia going 1-for-3 with three RBIs.

Jackson Salazar picked up the win going all seven innings in striking out 11 and walking one. Salazar also scattered five hits.

WNCC continued pounding the ball in the second game, and it didn’t take WNCC long to get on the scoreboard as Soto and Susini had back-to-back singles, followed by a Garcia Sacrifice fly to score Soto for the 1-0 lead.

The Cougars opened up the game in the third inning, platting six runs on six hits. Miller had a big 2-RBI single to start the rally and then Greg Crowe capped off the scoring with a monster 2-run home run to put WNCC up 7-0. Susini added the final run with a solo home run in the fourth inning.

Soto finished the game 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, followed by Aurelio Monteagudo going 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI.

Jake Vulk picked up the win going 6 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits three runs. Vulk struck out two and walked two.

WNCC had some hot bats in Sunday’s contests as well, especially in the first game where the Cougars mounted a seventh-inning rally to force extra innings. Down by four runs 5-1, the team exploded from the plate as Rudy Soto launched a 2-run home run and then Susini and Miller each had doubles to force extra innings.

The Cougars won the game in the ninth in thrilling fashion. Chris Hook started things by drawing a walk. A hits-batsman and a walk later, the Cougars found themselves with the bases loaded once again with two outs. This time, WNCC scored the winning run on a fielding error where the Otero third baseman lost a routine fly ball and let the ball drop as Hook raced in with the winning run.

Soto paced the Cougars with a 3-for-4 game with two RBIs, while Garcia and Crowe each had two hits. Marco Jimenez picked up the win pitching two innings in striking out two and not allowing a hit.

In the second game, Otero exploded for five runs in the top of the first inning before WNCC came back to slice the lead to 5-3 with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. The score stayed that way until late when Otero scratched across another run to get the win.

Kyler Edgehouse took the loss on the mound, giving up four hits and five runs in less then an innings work.

WNCC will be back in action Wednesday when they face McCook Community College on the road, before entertaining Lamar Community College in a crucial four-game set at Cleveland Field this weekend.

Sunday’s Games
First Game
Otero 100 300 100 – 5 7 4
WNCC 010 000 401 – 6 12 2
WP – Jimenez; 2B – Garcia, Crowe, Susini, Miller; 3B – D. Monteagudo; HR – Soto.

Second Game
Otero 500 100 0 – 6 9 0
WNCC 300 000 0 – 5 4 2
LP – Edgehouse; 2B – A. Monteagudo; HR – Susini.

Monday’s Games
First Game
Otero 000 030 0 – 3 5 1
WNCC 224 020 x – 10 11 2
WP – Salazar; 2B – A. Monteagudo; Miller; HR – Garcia, Soto

Second Game
Otero 000 000 4 – 4 3 1
WNCC 106 100 x – 8 11 1
WP – Vulk; 2B – Soto, Hook; HR – Crowe, Susini.

Conference Standings
Conf. Overall
NJC 16-6 28-10
Lamar 15-9 20-17
WNCC 11-11 21-20
Otero 11-11 18-26
Trinidad 11-13 26-20
McCook 4-18 14-30

WNCC baseball team splits contests with Otero Junior College

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team split conference games with Otero Junior College on Sunday, winning 6-5 in nine innings and then falling 6-3.

In the opener, the Cougars mounted a seventh-inning rally to force extra innings. Down by four runs 5-1, the team exploded from the plate as Rudy Soto launched a 2-run home run and then Norbert Susini and Rich Miller each had doubles to force extra innings.

WNCC had opportunities to win the game in the eighth inning as Greg Crowe opened the inning with an hit. WNCC proceeded to load the bases before Otero worked out of the jam.

The Cougars finally won the game in the ninth in thrilling fashion. Chris Hook started things by drawing a walk. a hits-batsman and a walk later, the Cougars found themselves with the bases loaded once again with two outs. This time, WNCC scored the winning run on a fielding error where the Otero third baseman lost a routine fly ball and let the ball drop as Hook raced in with the winning run.

In the second game, Otero exploded for five runs in the top of the first inning before WNCC came back to slice the lead to 5-3 with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. The score stayed that way until late when Otero scratched across another run to get the win.

Both teams will be back on the diamond Monday at 1 p.m. for another doubleheader.

WNCC softball sweeps Otero, take 2-game lead in conferecnce standings

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team has never swept Otero Junior College in the history of the program. Sunday the Cougars made history by registering a 4-2 and then a 12-2 five-inning win against the Rattlers to push the team’s record to 36-6 on the season.

The wins not only made history for the Cougar program, more importantly, it gave WNCC a two game lead in the conference standings and the leg up in hosting the Region IX tournament in May.

“These wins are huge,” second-game winning pitcher Ashley Patton said. “In order for us to bring the regional tournament here, we had to sweep them and I think we sent a message. These wins are big and we are very excited.”

The Cougars haven’t wrapped up hosting the regional tournament just yet. Currently, the are setting atop the regional standings with an 18-1 record followed by Otero Junior College at 21-3. Otero is finished with conference play, while the Cougars have five more conference games left -- four with North Platte and one with Lamar.

“I think we have been trying to prove ourselves all year what kind of team that we are and hopefully someone will recognize that we can go out and play with anybody,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “Otero is a great program with great tradition. I thought the girls showed up and they were ready to play.

“Obviously, it puts us in a good position in Region IX, but we still have five big games to play. North Platte and Lamar will claw and fight juyt like everybody else in the league. We really want to host this tournament to give back to our community and we want to show them how good we think we are “

But the way the Cougars played Sunday definitely showed just how good of a ball team they are. WNCC pounded out 19 hits and scored 16 runs in the wins, while holding a potent Otero lineup to just four runs and 13 hits.

“Defensively, we made a couple of mistakes but I thought we overcame them and we never got down,” Winn-Ratlliff said. “Offensively, we got big hits from everybody. Kelsey Garner and Ashley Patton’s jobs in the circle were amazing. We can’t be disappointed with what happened in the circle. I am extremely proud.”

In the opening game, Garner struck out six and scattered six hits in picking upp her 21st win of the season. But it was also great defense that helped the Cougars pick up the win as the WNCC defense only had two innings where they faced five or more Rattler batters.

WNCC, in the meantime, had their bats come alive and it all started in the third inning as Mandy Pounds reached base on a slap single. She later scored on a Jessie McNabb single for the 1-0 lead.

WNCC went up 2-0 in the fourth inning as Kara Ryman led off by stroking a double. Then, with two outs, Pounds registered another slap single to put runners in scoring position. Lauren Mills responded with a single to leftfield that scored Ryman and Pounds for the 3-0 lead.

The Cougars plated a fourth run in the fifth. Lauren Bourdon stroked a one-out double and scored later on a throwing error for the 4-0 lead.

WNCC couldn’t hold the shutout as Otero plated two runs on three hits and ann error in the sixth inning to cut the lead in half. But, Garner and the Cougar defense put the Rattlers to rest in the sixth and seventh innings for the win.

Pounds, Bourdon and McNabb each finished with two hits for the Cougars. Pounds was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

WNCC continued pounding the ball in the second game, while getting an excellent pitching performance from Patton. Patton, scattered seven hits, while striking out one. But, it was the defense behind the sophomore right-hander that came up big, turning two double plays.

In fact, it was the double play in the fourth inning that turned the tide for the Cougars. Otero just scored its second run of the game and had the bases loaded with one out. Patton then snared a shoe-top line drive and the doubled off the runner at third for the final out of the game.

While the defense was sparkling, the offense was just as sharp. WNCC scored three times in the first and third innings. In the first, Bourdon unleashed a 2-run scoring triple to open up the scoring. Bourdon then came around to score on a Ryman single for a 3-1 lead.

The Cougars went up 6-1 in the third as Amanda Hensley, McNabb and Bourdon each had singles to load the bases. Bourdon’s, in fact, was a clutch bunt single as the sophomore was just trying to sacrifice runners and ended up safely at first after the ball died on the field with no attempted throw.

Ryman then ripped a shot back to the circle that put bounced off Stacey Ortiz’s hand for the first run of the game. After a pitching change, Amanda Torimaru rocketed a shot off the left field fence to score the sixth run of the game.

WNCC put the game away in the fourth inning when they plated six runs. Amanda Hensley started the inning with a single followed by run-scoring doubles by Bourdon and Ryman. Then, with two outs, the Patton, Lauryn Smith and Pounds all earned walks to force in another run. Mills then added three more runs to the scoreboard with a triple to put WNCC up 12-2.

Bourdon and Ryman each collected three hits in the game. Bourdon was a home run shy of the cycle, collecting a single, double, triple three RBIs and three runs scored. Ryman had two singles, a double, three RBIs and a run scored.

McNabb and Hensley also tallied two hits each. Hensley went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, while McNabb went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Winn-Ratliff said that it is nice that the offense was on track against a good Otero pitching staff.

“We just wanted to control the counts the best that we could. [Jessie} Lessard is very good when she gets ahead in the count and hard to beat and Ortiz gave us problem the last time we played them,” she said. “I thought we made good adjustments and made her bring the ball over the plate. We just kept finding ways to win.

Winn-Ratliff said that the team’s offense has really came alive in the last four games, where they pounded out 42 hits in the weekend games against Trinidad and Otero.

“We have been struggling and the last four games we decided to swing the bats like we know how and score runs,” she said. “We came up with some great bunts when we needed to. We just want to keep putting as many runs on the board that we can and contain the other teams.”

WNCC has five more conference games left including doubleheaders with North Platte Thursday on the road and then April 24 at home, and a one-game match-up with Lamar Community College on April 22.

“It was all a team effort,” Patton said. “We have a great pitching staff and it is amazing with the defense that we have. We are going to stay focused [for the other conference games] and take it one game at a time.”

First Game
Otero 000 002 0 -- 2 6 1
WNCC 001 210 x -- 4 7 2
WP -- Garner; 2B -- Bourdon, Ryman.

Second Game
Otero 100 10 -- 2 7 0
WNCC 303 6x -- 12 12 1
WP -- Patton; 2B -- Bourdon, Ryman, Torimaru; 3B -- Bourdon, Mills.

WNCC softball sweeps Trinidad State; Garner breaks season pitching strikeout record

The Western Nebraska Community College and Trinidad State doubleheader Saturday featured nearly the entire spectrum of less then desirable spring weather, including strong winds, dipping temperatures, sprinkles, snow, sleet and bright sunshine.

The Cougars weathered the varied weather conditions in sweeping past the Trojans 11-1 in the first game and 10-2 in the second. The Cougars picked up the wins with an offensive attack that pounded out 23 hits as freshman Kelsey Garner picked up both wins. In the process of collecting her 20th win of the season, the right-handed flamethrower set a new school record for striketouts in a season with 155.

WNCC will continue it's homestand on Sunday with an important doubleheader with Otero Junior College at 2 p.m. The Cougars need to sweep or split with the Rattlers to have a chance to host the regional tournament. Otero comes in with a 21-1 conference record, while WNCC has a 16-1 conference record.

WNCC started its weekend homestand with a flurry of hits and a stifling defense in teh first game, plating 11 runs on 15 hits. Trinidad managed just one run on two hits, as Garner struck out six while facing just 17 batters in five innings of work.

Amanda Hensley started the Cougars offense with a triple in the first inning and then came around to score on an RBI single by Jessie McNabb, who was seeing her first action since she broke her jaw March 17.

The Trojans tied the game in the second inning, bot those would be the only hits for Trinidad State the remainder of the game as Garner would strike out five straight Trojan batters.

WNCC jumped back out in front in the bottom of the second as Kara Ryman opened the frame with a single and Lauryn Smith had an RBI bunt. Lauren Mills then delivered an RBI single followed by an RBI single by Hensley.

The Cougars continued their offensive power in the third inning as Ryman led off with a single. Smith followed with a double followed by Mandy Pounds loading the bases on a fielder's choice. Mills then brought two home on a single, Hensley plated two with a double, and McNabb finished off the scoring with a run-scoring single.

WNCC had two more runs in the fourth inning on run-scoring singles from Hensley and McNabb.

Hensley finished the game going 4-for-4, coming just a home run short of the cycle, hitting two singles, a double and a triple, while recording four RBIs and three runs scored. Also collecting multiple hits were Mills with a 3-for-4 day, including three RBIs; McNabb going 3-for-3 with three RBIs; Ryman going 2-for-2 with two runs scored; Smith going 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored.

In game two, WNCC was just as impressive both offensively and defensively as all the sophomores got a chance to play on sophomore appreciation day. WNCC led 8-0 after two innings.

WNCC scored three runs in the first inning as Amanda Torimaru knocked in teh first on a single followed by a two RBI single from Ryman.

In the second inning, Smith led off with a double followed by a bunt single by Mandy Pounds. Mills. The Cougars continued to find ways on board in the inning. Torimaru had a bit hit, collecting a two-out two-RBI single and then Ryman blasted a RBI double for the 8-0 lead.

WNCC finished off the Trojans in the fifth inning. Whittany Foster led off with a double followed by Allie Griffin collecting a pinch-hit hit that that the Trinidad Fielder threw into right-field allowing Foster to score the game-ending run.

Hensley had another good game, despite not getting a hit. The 4-foot-11 catcher scored two runs and had two stolen bases, while getting walked twice. McNabb went 1-for-1 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI; Torimaru went 2-for-2 with four RBIs and two runs scored; Ryman went 2-for-2 with three RBIs; and Foster and Smith each had a double and run scored.

First Game
Trinidad 010 00 -- 1 2 2
WNCC 135 2x -- 11 15 0
WP -- Garner; 2B -- Hensley, Smith; 3B -- Hensley.

Second Game
Trinidad 002 00 -- 2 4 2
WNCC 350 11 -- 10 8 1
WP -- Garner; 2B -- McNabb, Ryman, Foster, Smith.

WNCC's Lyles named honorary captain on All-Nebraska JUCO team by Omaha World Herald

The Omaha World Herald All-Nebraska Basketball teams have been announced and WNCC's Chelsea Lyles was tabbed the women's captain of the first team. Lyles is the only Cougar on the first team for Junior Colleges.

Several players made the second team. For the women's team who captured the regional tournament and went 2-2 at nationals, Tawny Drexler and Emma Beddome were listed. Also, Alison Cheney and Jenna Colwell received honorable mention status.

On the men's side, North Platte's Joseph Ogubula was honorary captain. Kelvin Franklin and Deividas Busma earned second team honors for Western Nebraska, while Drew Eisinger and Daniel Smith earned honorable mention status.

Complete story can be read Sunday's Omaha World herald or online at http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1200&u_sid=10308473

WNCC Miller glad to be back on the diamond after a couple years away from the game

Western Nebraska Community College’s Rich Miller is aiming to get back to the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament once again after being away from the game for a couple of years.

And, Miller knows the recipe it will take to compete at that national level after spending a year at Elgin Community College in Chicago.

“I was on a World Series my freshman year and to be honest with you, we have a better offense then my team did that went to the World Series,” Miller said. “It [pitching, defense and offense] all has to work at the same time. That is what we did real well my freshman year; we worked together all the time. But, we have more talent on this team and we can do things. I think we really can go far, especially if we get a playoff spot and everybody is geared up for the playoffs. If our backs are against the wall, I think we will play our best.”

The Cougars backs are against the wall to make the Region IX playoffs. Unlike years past when all the teams made the playoffs, this year only the top four teams earn a berth. Right now, the Cougars are setting fifth after a 5-6 record last week. That what makes Sunday and Monday’s home games with Otero Junior College crucial.

“I think for us being in the five hole, we are in the best position possible for our team to come together. We have a lot of young kids on the team. We have 22 freshmen and four out of our nine starters are sophomores,” Miller, who grew up in Chicago before moving to Denver a couple of years ago, said. “The biggest thing about college ball is experience; knowing the game, playing it right, and we have grown so much as a team from the time we got here in the fall to even last weekend. We just need to continue to grow and continue to get better and I think we will be playing our best baseball come playoff time. I think we can scrap off some wins now, get into the playoff picture and go from there.”

Miller is just the guy to help lead the team to a second-straight Region IX title after competing at that level a couple of years ago for Elgin Community College.

“We played well against Trinidad and got some big wins. Then the last couple of series that we played in, we struggled a little bit by not pitching too well and not hitting that great,” he said. “But, on the up slide, we have three series here at home with all being conference games and we have a chance to get back into the race. It was a big slide from two weeks ago when we were sitting in second, so we are looking to make up some ground and get back in the race and make the playoffs.”

After Sunday and Monday’s games against Otero, the team will travel for two games at McCook before finishing conference play at home against Lamar Community College in a four-game series and then Northeastern Junior College in a doubleheader.

"We are not out of the race yet. There is a lot of season left with 14 conference games. We can get back into this and the future is pretty much in our hands,” Miller said. “We have a very strong offense. Our pitching has started to throw a little bit better. We got some nice starts from some guys like Jackson Salazar, Kyler Edgehouse, and Todd Stachura. But, our offense is most definitely the most powerful point of this team. We can score a lot of runs. If our pitching is good enough to manage the game, our offense should be able to get some wins for us.”

Miller is one of those offensive weapons for the Cougars. The sophomore catcher is batting above a .350 batting average and has provided a lot of zing in the clean-up spot. But, what makes this season extra special for Miller is that he is just glad to be back on the diamond.

“Most people don’t get excited about school again after taking a couple years off. Most people go to school and then when they decide they are done, they are done,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to get the drive back and want to play again. This is a good program and a good school and glad to be in it.”

In fact, it is even more interesting how Miller ended up at WNCC. Danny Sheridan, who was recruited by Jones in the summer, was working with Miller at a Denver-based training facility when Sheridan asked Miller to go and try out.

“He [Sheridan] said he was going to Western Nebraska Community College as an outfielder, and I said good luck to you, hopefully you will do well,” Miller said. “This was three weeks before school even started, and he came back and said, ‘Rich, are you interested in trying out at this school in Scottsbluff.’ I said, ‘I might give it a shot.’ I tried out, gave it a shot and coach told me I was a talented guy and he would love to have me. That is it. I originally had no plans to come back.”

Now, Miller is looking to continue his playing career and the one school that has eyes on the talented catcher is Mesa State University in Grand Junction, Colo., the home of the NJCAA College World Series.

Miller is one of the leaders on a young team this season. The Cougars returned just four players back from last year’s Region IX championship team. Currently, the Cougars are 18-19 overall and fifth with a 8-10 in conference play.

WNCC coach Mike Jones said that finding someone of Miller’s talents late last summer has been a pleasant surprise. In fact, Miller said it was by chance that he even ended up coming back and he loves the game one again.

“To be honest, this is more then what I expected. The program is great and I like coach Jones a lot,” he said. “I like our field. I like my teammates. I like the school a lot. When I first got here, I thought this is a small school, small town and there wouldn’t be very much to do. But, to be honest with you, it has built relationships. It has built as all closer to each other. I like it a lot“The school and town are real close. The people in town really follow sports around here a lot. We are almost really treated like a Division I school and people know me. I walked into a store the other day and some gal said, “Hey, I saw you in the paper the other day. Don’t you play for the Cougars.” I said, ‘Holy cow.’ It is amazing and awesome how you are treated here. I am real excited to be back.”

WNCC athletic awards banquet set for May 7, tickets are $8

Western Nebraska Community College athletic department will host the fourth annual Cougar Athletic banquet on Wednesday, May 7 at Cougar Palace beginning at 5:15 p.m.

This year’s banquet theme is “Celebrating Excellence” and will feature community resident Jackie Cervantes-Guzman, who is also a dorm parent for Cougar athletics.

The awards banquet will also feature the Patron of the Year winners, as well as individual team Most Valuable Player and Cougar Pride (Sportsmanship) recipients. Also, the Male and Female Athlete of the Year will be announced along with the Cougar Award winner. There will also be other presentations during the evening ceremonies.

Tickets to the awards banquet, including a meal, costs $8 and can be purchased by calling Athletic Director Jennifer Pedersen at 308-635-6798 or Mary Wuest at 308-635-6151. This year’s meal will be a barbecue-style buffet.

For more information on the awards banquet, contact Pedersen at 635-6798.

WNCC to host Spring Volleyball Tournament on Saturday

Western Nebraska Community College coach Chris Green will have one final time coaching at Cougar Palace this weekend during the WNCC Spring Volleyball Tournament this Saturday.

WNCC, along with teams from Chadron State College, Eastern Wyoming College and Northeastern Junior College will play a round-robin format.

Action begins at 1:30 p.m. with WNCC facing Chadron State and Northeastern meeting Eastern Wyoming. Matches at 2:45 p.m. will have WNCC taking on EWC and NJC facing Chadron State, followed 4 p.m. contests of WNCC meeting NJC and EWC taking on Chadron State.

WNCC softball team schedule changes

The snow storm that hit the region this week has forced changes in the Western Nebraska Community College softball team's schedule.

Saturday's contest with Trinidad State Junior College, which was originally scheduled to start at 11 a.m., has been changed to a 1 p.m. start. The game with North Platte Community College scheduled for today (April 10) has been rescheduled for April 24 at 1 p.m. at Volunteer Field.

For updated schedule changes, visit the Cougar athletic website at sports.wncc.net.

WNCC's win streak snapped at the hands of NCAA Division 1 Northern Colorado

GREELEY, Colo. - The Western Nebraska Community College's 23-game winning streak came to a halt Tuesday against NCAA Division I University of Northern Colorado. The Bears swept the doubleheader by scores of 5-0 and 7-1.

WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said her team faced a determined Bear team that shut down the Cougars' offense. WNCC managed just five hits and struck out 22 times.

"You have to give Northern Colorado a ton of credit. They made adjustments at the plate. I thought Kelsey {Garner] threw well the first game - well enough to win a ball game - but offensively when you scamper out two hits, it is hard to win ball games," she said. "We had some great adjustments in game two. Ashley [Patton] came in and shut them down for two innings, and then they scored four times in the third."

Tuesday's games were a good learning experience for WNCC, which will be involved in some important conference games this weekend, beginning with a home doubleheader with North Platte Community College on Thursday, followed by contests with Trinidad State and Otero Junior College on Saturday and Sunday.

"The streak is over, and I think that is a good thing. We kind of got some reality back into our lives that we are not invincible," Winn-Ratliff said. "We have to play better. We have six conference games coming up this weekend. We have to find a way to help our pitchers out by producing runs."

WNCC did, however, stay with the Division I varsity team in both games, but it was two bad innings in each game that took the wind out of the Cougars' sails.

In the first game, Kelsey Garner threw an excellent game despite taking the loss. The freshman scattered six hits, walked two and struck out six. The difference in the game was a four-run fourth inning that put UNC up 5-0.

In the meantime, WNCC managed just three hits in the contests. The Cougars' best chance to break the ice was when Amanda Hensley led off the fourth with a double but was stranded at third.

The second game started better for the Cougars as they got on the scoreboard first. Lauren Bourdon earned a walk and was moved over as Natasha Dypchey recorded a bunt single. Bourdon later scored on a Mandy Pounds groundout for a 1-0 lead.

UNC came back with four runs in the third and single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to claim the 7-1 win. The Bears had a chance to add more runs in the third, but the Cougars' Lauryn Smith laid out for a diving catch in centerfield and proceeded to double off the runner at second base for the third out of the inning.

Ashley Patton took the loss in the second game, pitching 2 2/3 innings while striking out two.

Offensively, the Cougars managed just two hits in game two - by Dypchey in the third and Amanda Torimaru in the seventh.

WNCC (32-6) will have little time to think about the losses as it has home contests this weekend. Winn-Ratliff said they need to find a way to score runs.

"We have to find ways to produce runs," she said. "We are striking extremely too much. I think they learned a little bit, and this game showed what level you need to be at to play. We have three young ladies {Ryman, Hensley and Jessie McNabb] that have committed to come here next year, so it was nice for them to see an up and coming team."

First Game
WNCC 000 000 0 - 0 3 2
UNC 100 400 x - 5 6 1
LP - Garner; 2B - Hensley, Lauren Mills.

Second Game
WNCC 010 000 0 - 1 2 0
UNC 004 111 0 - 7 9 0
LP - Patton.

WNCC baseball drops two games to Northeastern on Sunday, falls to fifth in conference standings

STERLING, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team finds themselves behind the eight ball after dropping 3 of 4 games to Northeastern Junior College over the weekend, including falling twice to the Plainsmen on Sunday.

And, what makes the losses hard to swallow is the fact the Cougars could have won Sunday’s contests, falling 10-9 in eight innings in the first game and 3-1 in the second game.

“We had plenty of chances to win the ball games,” WNCC coach Mike Jones said. “In the first game, we put together a big rally and came back and made it a one run game. We were then able to get another run on the board and get it tied. Even in the extra innings, we had an inning there where we could have scored, but we couldn’t come up with the big hit.

“In the second game, we had plenty of opportunities. We had guys in scoring position a lot and couldn’t come up with any hits. Late in the ball game, it was a 1-1 game and we had the bases loaded with one out. Unfortunately we had a batter strike out and then the next guy hit a ground out to end the inning. We definitely had our chances.”

NJC took a commanding 9-2 lead after four innings and seemed to be in control. But, the Cougars found their offense, plating six runs in the fifth inning to cut the deficit to 9-8. WNCC tied the game in the seventh inning to force extra innings.

Chris Hook had the big offensive game, blasting a 3-run home run in the fifth to bring the Cougars back. Aurelio Monteagudo and Greg Crowe paced the Cougars from the plate with 3-for-4 games. Monteagudo also had two runs scored and a double. Crowe finished the game with a double, three RBIs and a run scored.

Also collecting multiple hits was Dustin Javins, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and a double.

Marco Jimenez took the loss on the mound, pitching the final inning. Jimenez allowed three hits in the contest. Jackson Salazar started, scattering eight hits and striking out four.

The second game was a little bit better for the Cougars as they opened the scoring with a single run in the second inning as Luis Caprilles scored on a Javins hit. The lead stayed that way until the fifth inning when NJC tied the game at 1-1. The Plainsmen won the game with two runs in the sixth inning.

The Cougars managed just for hits in the game off the bats of Caprilles, Crowe, Rich Miller, Norbert Susini.

Kyler Edgehouse took the loss on the mound despite pitching well. Edgehouse scattered five hits, while striking out six.

With the losses, the Cougars fall to 8-10 and to fifth place in conference play. Only the top four teams in the conference standings qualify for the Region IX playoffs.

“This was a bad week for us. We lost five out of six games, which really hurt us in the standings,” Jones said. “We dropped quite a bit in the standings and we are now playing catch-up. It puts a lot of pressure on us during this home stand over the next three weeks. We need to show up and play well and win some ball games.”

Northeastern Colorado holds down the top spot with a 12-6 conference record followed by Lamar Community College (11-7), Otero Junior College (10-8) and Trinidad State Junior College (9-9). WNCC is fifth at 8-10 followed by McCook bringing up the rear at 4-14.

If the Cougars are hoping to make the regional playoffs, they will need to change their fortunes in games at home beginning this weekend when they host Otero in a four-game set.

“This weekend is really, really big,” Jones said. “Otero sits there 10-8 and we are at 8-10 and that is a big swing. We will see what happens.”

First, though, the Cougars have a scheduled game with Colorado State on Wednesday at Cleveland Field, weather permitting. First pitch of that game will be at 3 p.m.

Weather is not looking good right now [for the CSU game], especially with snow in the forecast for Wednesday,” Jones said. “That is OK. We will then get some practice in indoors and get focused for this weekend.”

First Game

WNCC 020 000 10 – 9 11 3

NE Colorado 030 600 01 – 10 11 2

LP – Jimenez; 2B – A. Monteagudo, Javins, Crowe; HR – Hook.

Second Game

WNCC (18-19) 010 000 0 – 1 4 1

NE Colorado (24-10) 000 012 x – 3 5 2

LP – Edgehouse;

Conference Standings

College Conference Overall

NE Colorado 12 - 6 24 – 10

Lamar C.C. 11 - 7 16 – 15

Otero J.C. 10 – 8 17 – 21

Trinidad State 9 – 9 24 – 16

Western Nebraska 8 – 10 18 - 19

McCook C.C. 4 – 14 14 – 26

This Week’s Games

Wednesday

McCook at Northeastern Colorado
Lamar at Trinidad State
Garden City at Otero
Colorado State at Western Nebraska

Saturday’s Games

Northeastern Colorado at McCook C.C.
Trinidad State at Lamar C.C.
Otero J.C. at Western Nebraska

Sunday’s Games
Northeastern Colorado at McCook C.C.
Trinidad State at Lamar C.C.
Otero J.C. at Western Nebraska

WNCC baseball drops three of four to Northeastern Colorado

The Western Nebraska Community College dropped three of four games to Northeastern Junior College over the weekend.

After splitting contests on Saturday with WNCC winning game one 10-7 in nine innings on a Carlos Garcia grand slam and then falling 12-3 in game two, the Cougars dropped both games on Sunday to the Plainsmen 10-9 in eight innings and 3-1.

WNCC coach Mike Jones said Sunday’s contests were completely different games. The first one was offensive-minded and the second game was about defense.

On Saturday, The Cougars had a little bit more luck thanks to Garcia’s grand slam in the ninth inning. Before that, the Cougars had to battle back, after trailing by four runs on two different occasions in game one. WNCC finally tied the contest at 6-6 with four runs in the sixth inning, on two-run home runs by Aurelio Monteagudo and Dustin Javins fueled the comeback.

In addition to getting clutch hits late in the games, WNCC also received a stellar performance out of the bullpen by Marco Jimenez. Jimenez, a freshman from Miami, struck out four in four innings, to get the win on the mound.

David Monteagudo and Greg Crowe each had two hits for the Cougars.

In game two, NJC scored eight runs over the course of the first three innings to build a commanding 8-1 lead. WNCC tried another sixth inning comeback, but only could scratch across two runs.

Rudy Soto, Rich Miller and Aurelio Monteagudo all had doubles for the Cougars. WNCC finished the game with six hits.

Jeff Fauss suffered the loss on the mound.

More details on Sunday’s games will be available later.

WNCC splits doubleheader with Northeastern Colorado on Saturday

Carlo Garcia’s grand slam in the top of the ninth inning of game one helped Western Nebraska Community College baseball team earn a split of conference leading Northeastern Junior College Saturday.

The grand slam gave the Cougars a 10-7 win in the opener, before NJC rebounded to take game two 12-3.

Garcia’s slam, though, was huge for the Cougars who trailed by four runs on two different occasions in game one. WNCC finally tied the contest at 6-6 with four runs in the sixth inning, on two-run home runs by Aurelio Monteagudo and Dustin Javins fueled the comeback.

In addition to getting clutch hits late in the games, WNCC also received a stellar performance out of the bullpen by Marco Jimenez. Jimenez, a freshman from Miami, struck out four in four innings, to get the win on the mound.

David Monteagudo and Greg Crowe each had two hits for the Cougars.

In game two, NJC scored eight runs over the course of the first three innings to build a commanding 8-1 lead. WNCC tried another sixth inning comeback, but only could scratch across two runs.

Rudy Soto, Rich Miller and Aurelio Monteagudo all had doubles for the Cougars. WNCC finished the game with six hits.

Jeff Fauss suffered the loss on the mound.

First Game
WNCC 000 024 004 – 10 8 4
NE Colorado 031 020 001 – 7 15 0
WP – Jimenez; 3B – Crowe; HR – A. Monteagudo, Javins, Garcia

Second Game
WNCC 001 002 0 – 3 6 2
NE Colorado 314 013 x – 12 12 2
LP – Fauss; 2b – Soto, Miller, A. Monteagudo.

WNCC softball earns a pair of 1-0 wins over Lamar with dazzling pitching performances

Western Nebraska Community College’s Natasha Dypchey and Kelsey Garner put together a couple of pitching gems and the Cougar defense was in prime form Friday afternoon at Volunteer Field against Lamar Community College.

WNCC definitely needed that kind of defensive performance as offensive runs were at a premium as the Cougars pushed their winning streak to 23 games with two 1-0 wins over the Runnin’ Lopes, the second in nine innings.

“Defense today was key for sure,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “I thought in the circle we had great outings from Natasha [Dypchey] and Kelsey [Garner]. We had great defensive plays all day long, so I don’t have any complaints what-so-ever from the defensive side.”

The job that Dypchey and Garner did in the circle was eye-popping. Dypchey picked up the win in game one, scattering four hits and striking out five. Dypchey faced just 27 batters in the win and never allowed a Lamar runner past second base.

“She is very fortunate that every time we play Lamar, she has had good outings,” Winn-Ratliff said. “We tried to flip our lineup around a little bit to give her some confidence and she came out and threw really, really well. We even had her warmed up in the second game during the late innings in case we needed to go back to her.”

In the second game, Garner dazzled from the circle, registering her 17th win of the season against one defeat. Garner threw all nine innings, striking out 12 while throwing a 2-hitter. In fact, at one time, Garner put down 17 straight Lamar batters.

“It is good for us to have that kind of pitching performance from Kelsey because she has been struggling a little bit,” Winn-Ratliff said. “But, she is still picking up wins, despite giving up some hits and more hits then we would like. It was nice for her to go out and have a good outing and pick up another conference win for us.”

Dypchey and Garner weren’t the only ones responsible for the shut-out wins. The defense also played sensational and Dypchey said they deserve plenty of credit.

“Our defense played very well behind us, and KG and I came out ready to pitch,” the sophomore right-handed pitcher from South Surrey, British Colombia said. “Lamar is always a tough game for us, and we just wanted to get two more conference wins.”

The last time the two squads played, back in February, WNCC registered a 7-6 nine-inning game. Winn-Ratliff said that this team just finds ways to pull out victories.

“We just keep finding ways to win. That is the unique thing about this team in that they don’t want to give up and they want to prove to everybody that they are good,” the coach said. “We just keep telling them that no one knows who Western Nebraska is and you have to prove day in and day out that you are as good as what you tell people. I was a little bit disappointed offensively, but I thought their pitchers did a great job. The last time we played them at their place in a snowball fest, there was quite a bit of runs scored. To scrap out with two 1-0 games, a lot of teams don’t hold us to one run and our pitchers don’t get out with a lot of shutouts, so I am definitely happy with the shutouts, but we need to put more runs on the board.”

WNCC definitely put suspense into the games. In the opener, both teams managed just four hits. The contest came down to just one hit -- a fourth-inning solo home run by Amanda Torimaru. That actually was all they needed as the Cougars defense shut down the Lopes offense to get the win.

The second game was a pitcher’s duel between Garner and Lamar’s Brittany Bourque. WNCC had plenty of opportunities to score in regulation as they left five runners in scoring position. Lamar, however, had just one prime scoring chance in the first inning as they left runners at second and third.

After that, Garner baffled the Lamar hitters, allowing just two runners in the final eight innings. At one time, Garner retired 17 straight batters before allowing a ninth-inning single.

The Cougars, on the other hand, scattered seven hits in the game but couldn’t get the clutch hit to plate a run until the ninth inning. In fact, the best change for WNCC to score a run early came in the third inning when Mandy Pounds reached safely on a bunt single followed by Lauren Mills reaching base on an error. WNCC left both runners stranded in scoring position.

WNCC almost won the game in the eighth inning. Mills led off with a single and then took second, catching the Lamar defense loafing. After a sacrifice bunt moved Mills to third, Amanda Hensley lofted a shallow fly to left-field for an out. Mills tagged on the catch, but was thrown out at the plate to force another inning.

The Cougars took care of business in the ninth. Lauren Bourdon reached base by being plunked by a pitch. Amanda Torimaru then sacrificed Bourdon to second. Kara Ryman then singled to left field to score Bourdon with the winning run.

Mills paced the Cougars offensively with a 2-for-3 game, including a triple. Ryman finished with a 2-for-4 performance.

WNCC, 32-4, will next be in action Tuesday when they travel to face the University of Northern Colorado, before coming back home for three home dates Thursday against North Platte Community College, Saturday against Trinidad State Junior College and Sunday against Otero Junior College.

“We are going to go down and play UNC at Greeley Tuesday. They are a team that is up and coming,” Winn-Ratliff said. “I would say on paper we are overly matched, but if we play like we did today defensively, we can be in any ball game as long as we score runs.”

First Game
Lamar 000 000 0 -- 0 4 1
WNCC 000 100 x -- 1 4 0
WP -- Dypchey, LP Emily Huhta; HR -- Torimaru.

Second Game
Lamar 000 000 000 -- 0 2 0
WNCC (32-4) 000 000 001 -- 1 7 1
WP -- Garner, LP Bourque; 3B -- Mills.

WNCC softball drops McCook in home opener, runs win streak to 21 games.

Rain, sleet and snow couldn’t stop the Western Nebraska Community College softball team Thursday against McCook Community College as the Cougar women made a success home debut with a sweep over the Indians for their 21^st straight and 30^th win of the season.

The Cougars needed some 7^th-inning magic in the first game by scoring two runs to claim the opener 6-5, before topping McCook in game two 10-2. The Cougars will be back in action Thursday when they host Lamar Community College at 2 p.m. at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

“In the beginning we needed to pick it up a little bit,” sophomore Amanda Torimaru said.

“[In the seventh] we knew we needed to pick it up and get done what we needed to. We found a way to win and found the intensity. Then, in the second game we took care of what we needed to get done.”

Torimaru was one of the heroes from the plate on the day. The sophomore from Ft. Collins, Colo., went 4-for-7, including a single, a double and two triples. She also had three runs scored and two RBIs.

The other hitting star on the day was sophomore Lauren Bourdon. Bourdon slapped two home runs in the doubleheader and both came at ripe times.

In the first game, seventh-inning, lead-off home run tied the game at 5-5 and gave the Cougars some momentum. Then, in the second game, Bourdon smashed a 2-run shot over the left-centerfield fence to give the Cougars a 4-1 lead.

Bourdon's solo shot definitely did lift the spirits of the team in the opening game. WNCC just took a 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Lauren Mills drilled a bases loaded, two-out single for the Cougars first lead of the game.

McCook came right back to go ahead with two runs in the top of the seventh on three hits and an error for a 5-4 lead.

That was when Bourdon delivered with the tying home run. But, the Cougars weren’t finished as Torimaru followed with a single and Kara Ryman worked her way aboard with a walk. Whittany Foster then delivered a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. WNCC scored the winning run on the next pitch on a passed ball.

Kelsey Garner picked up her 17^th win of the season, despite giving up five runs on 10 hits. She also walked three and hit two batters, while striking out five.

Offensively, Lauryn Smith paced the Cougars going 3-for-3 with a home run (solo shot in the second inning) and two runs scored. Mills also went 2-for-3 with two singles, a walk, a run scored and two RBIs.

While the Cougars pulled together some seventh-inning magic in the first game, the second game was totally different. WNCC pounded out 13 hits, including six extra base hits, to get the win.

McCook scored first as Tiffany Lokken delivered a first-inning solo home run for a 1-0 lead. WNCC fought back in the bottom of the inning as Natasha Dypchey and Amanda Hensley had back-to-back singles. Then, with two outs, Torimaru delivered a two-run-scoring double to put WNCC up 2-1.

WNCC added three more in the third inning. Dypchey led off with a walk followed by Bourdon’s 2-run home run. The Cougars weren’t finished as Torimaru delivered a triple to rightfield before scoring on a double by Ryman for a 5-1 lead.

The Cougars put the game away in the fifth inning all with two outs. Torimaru started the rally with a 2-out triple. Ryman then reached on a dropped fly ball in centerfield that scored Torimaru.

Ashley Patton then scored Ryman with a single followed by singles by Smith and Foster. Foster’s single scored Patton for an 8-1 lead. Mills was then walked to load the bases followed by a pinch-hit two-RBI double by Allie Griffin to end the game.

Natasha Dypchey picked up the win in the circle facing just 19 batters and allowing six hits. Dypchey struck out four and did not walk a batter.

Offensively, Torimaru went 3-for-3 with a double, two triples, two runs scored and two RBIs. Dypchey went 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored, followed by Bourdon with a 1-for-2 game, including a home run and two RBIs. Smith also finished with a 2-for-3 game, including a run scored and a stolen base.

Bourdon and Torimaru both said that this team is finding ways to win game.

“At first we started out a little slow, but we finally came around with the bats and hit the ball well at the end,” Bourdon said. “Every one has those days, I guess. Our team is a lot about hitting.”

Torimaru said they need to remember how they played in game two for another important contest Thursday at Volunteer Field against Lamar Community College. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.

“I think we are doing a really great job. We are great hitters and we have a lot of great batters on the team and know what they need to get done. We just need to come with the intensity that we had in the last game, then we are good to go.”

First Game
McCook 200 100 2 – 5 10 1
WNCC 110 002 2 – 6 11 1
WP – Garner, LP – Marie Sieperda; 2B – WNCC (Hensley), McCook (Sieperda); HR – WNCC (Smith, Bourdon).

Second Game
McCook (13-24) 100 10 – 2 6 0
WNCC (30-4) 203 05 – 10 13 0
WP – Dypchey, LP – Jessica Martinez; 2B – WNCC (Griffin, Torimaru, Ryman), McCook (Sieperda); 3B – WNCC (Torimaru 2); HR – WNCC (Bourdon).

WNCC baseball drops doubleheader to Otero Junior College

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team dropped a doubleheader to Otero Junior College Wednesday on the road.

The Cougars fell 8-3 and 4-1 to fall to 7-7 in conference play and 17-16 overall. The losses dropped WNCC from second to tied for third with Trinidad State in conference play.

In the opener, the Cougars plated two runs in the first inning, but couldn't hold the lead as the Rattlers scored four in the second inning and one in the third to grab a 5-2 lead and never looked back. Greg Crowe took the loss on the mound.

Game two the Cougar bats were silenced once again falling 4-1. Jake Vulk suffered the loss.

WNCC will look to get back on the winning streak Saturday and Sunday when they travel to league leading Northeastern Junior College for conference doubleheaders.

WNCC claims two from McCook, extends win streak to 19 games

MCCOOK – Western Nebraska Community College’s Kara Ryman has been swinging a hot lately and Tuesday night, the sophomore infielder continued that streak in leading the Cougar women to their 19^th straight victories with a sweep over McCook Community College.

Ryman finished the doubleheader going 5-for-7 including a home run to power the Cougars to the 7-3 and 5-1 wins to push the Cougars to 28-4 on the season.

“We played really well as a team. Offensively we all came together and defensively we worked well,” she said. “McCook has improved since last year.”

The Cougars played just well enough to collect the two Region IX wins Tuesday, and head coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said they can play better.

“We are playing well enough to win,” she said. “We put up enough runs to get the win. We need to play better.”

Tuesday, not only did the Cougars pick up two regional wins, they also got three more dazzling pitching performances. In game one, Kelsey Garner picked up her 16^th win of the season against one defeat in shutting down the Indian offense. Garner scattered seven hits in allowing three runs, all earned. She also struck out eight batters and walked one. Garner now has 125 strikeouts on the season.

In game two, Ashley Patton picked up her third straight win, going four innings, while scattering four hits and striking out one. Natasha Dypchey finished off the game throwing the last three innings.

“I thought our pitchers did O.K.,” Winn-Ratliff said. “We are just in a rut, playing good enough to get wins.”

Ryman agreed.

“As a whole they all bring different things to the table,” she said. “They all have different pitches. They all are different type of pitchers that work well as a whole.”

No matter what the score, the Cougars always find ways to win, whether it be pitching, offense or defense. Tuesday, it was pitching and defense with an offensive attack that scored when they needed to.

In the opener, WNCC started things early plating three runs in the second inning in the opening game. Amanda Torimaru led things off with a single, followed by singles by Ryman, Alec Voci, Patton and Lauren Mills. Mills’ base hit scored to run to give the Cougars a 3-0 lead.

The Cougars added to the lead with two more in the third, as Ryman came up big with a run-scoring single for the second run of the inning and a 5-0 lead.

McCook sliced the lead to 5-2 in the bottom half of the inning, before WNCC added insurance runs in the fifth and seventh inning for the win.

Ryman went 3-for-4 in the game with three singles, a RBI and a stolen base. Also collecting extra base hits for the Cougars in the game were Lauren Bourdon with a double and Amanda Hensley with a triple.

WNCC continued the offensive onslaught in the second game, pounding out nine hits in the win. WNCC scored single runs in the first and second innings before opening up the game with three in the fifth. Ryman led off the second inning with a solo home run, her fourth of the year.\

Bourdon led the attack with a 3-for-3 performance, including three singles, a run scored, a RBI and a stolen base. Ryman also hit well going 2-for-3 with a home run, double and two RBIs. Dypchey also collected a double in the win.

WNCC, 28-4, will finally be at home on Thursday against McCook Community College, weather pending. Ryman said they are excited to be at home finally. If the forecast is glooming, the Cougars home-opener will be Friday against Lamar Community College and the McCook game will be played on Monday, Winn-Ratliff said.

First Game
WNCC 032 010 1 – 7 11 1
McCook 002 000 1 – 3 7 0
WP – Garner; 2B – Bourdon; 3B – Hensley.
Second Game
WNCC (28-4) 110 030 0 – 5 9 1
McCook (13-22) 100 000 0 – 1 8 1
WP – Patton; 2B – Ryman, Dypchey; HR – Ryman.