WNCC basketball recruits ready to compete in Saturday's Panhandle Prep all-star game at Cougar Palace

Hemingford’s Shelby Campbell, Scottsbluff’s Madison Keller and Mullen’s Taylor Puttergill never played together or against each other on a team in high school.

Saturday night, the three will change all that as the Panhandle Prep All-star basketball game will take center stage at Western Nebraska Community College. The girl’s game tips off at 5:30 p.m. with the boy’s game to follow.

The three all-stars will also be playing on the floor that they will call home next fall when they enroll at Western Nebraska Community College and become a part of the Cougar women’s basketball program. The three, however, are not teammates in the all-star classic. Campbell and Keller are members of the Gold team, while Puttergill is a member of the Blue team.

The all-star classic will be a chance for them to get ready for the college season and see a little bit about their upcoming teammates.

“I am very excited to be playing in this game and I think it will be an experiment, a lesson, and a good learning experience [for next year],” Campbell , who scored over 1,100 points for the Bobcats, said. “It is sad knowing this is it for my high school career, but I know I will be playing throughout college. It is just like when one chapter closes, one more opens. I will be sad, but I will carry on from it.”

Puttergill, a 5-10 wing player, is excited that she gets the chance to play in this all-star classic.

“I was really excited that they invited me to come,” Puttergill, who averaged 19.3 points and finished with 1,137 career points, said. “This is a good experience especially with the different classes here combined. It will be a good experience for all of us.”

Keller, unlike Campbell and Puttergill who haven’t played at Cougar Palace before, is ready

“I am ready to play in the game and it will be fun,” the Scottsbluff graduate said. “It is the last chance to play with the high school girls and some of my friends.”

The teams should be pretty balanced. The Gold team, what they lack in height, make up for with speed and tenacity on defense.

“We have pretty good talent,” Keller said. “We have some good shooters and we are pretty fast and we are athletic. We are little short, though.”

The other think Keller needs to worry about Is going against her former teammate DaNae Quijas, who is a member of the Blue squad.

“That is going to be the hardest part because we get after each other on the court,” she said. “But we will see what happens. I know her strengths and weaknesses. She also knows mine, so there are drawbacks.”

Campbell said height doesn’t matter in an all-star game, it is the heart and the drive that counts the most.

“We are short, but that is OK. We are up tempo. We have a couple of tall girls that know how to post up,” she said. “I have a wonderful group of girls to work with, and it seems like we will have an awesome team. I think it will be great and a fun time.”

Puttergill’s all-star team will definitely have the height advantage five girls 5-10 or taller, including Chadron’s 6-4 Kelsie Lliteras, who is headed to North Carolina State next year, and 6-1 Alyssa Norton, who will do volleyball and track at Chadron State.

“We definitely have quite a bit of height and they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t an all-star,” she said. “I think everybody has pretty good talent. We will all put it together and I think it will be a good game.”

Puttergill loves basketball so much that she is actually giving up her second love this weekend, rodeo.

“I am actually missing a rodeo for the Panhandle Prep all-star game,” she said. “I like rodeo, too, but basketball is my first love and I will choose it over Rodeo.”

After the game, the three will then have a couple months off before heading back to WNCC to begin their college careers for the Cougars. All three are excited for that chapter in their life. Keller said that she can’t wait to begin those college workouts.
“I won’t really have any time off,” she said, because I have to work out for the Cougar team.”

The other two are also excited to be playing for the Cougars.

“I chose WNCC because they have a really good basketball program and Coach [Dave] Harnish has a reputation that speaks for himself,” Puttergill said. “I am pumped up to play for WNCC and Harnish. I don’t have words for it. I am just pretty lucky.”

Campbell is also pumped to putting on the blue and gold of the Cougars for the next two years.

“It has always been my dream since I was a seventh-grader to play here [on Cougar Palace],” Campbell, the 5-4 four-year starter at Hemingford, said. “I never got to fulfill my dream in that in high school, so this all-star game is the first time playing on this court.”

For Campbell, her decision to come to WNCC was a pretty easy one.

“I actually decided to come to WNCC because it has a good basketball program and it is far enough to be close to home, if that makes any sense,” she said. “It is also a good place to start, a good foundation and the coaching is really good. All together it is a really good school.”

Campbell realizes that it won’t be easy, but she has the work ethic to succeed. Her long-term goal next year is to finish her career at WNCC the same way she finished her high school career, scoring over 1,000 career points.

“I would love to do that at the college level,” she said. “It is just doing it that will count. I just have to work double hard because the college level is a lot different and more up tempo. I am just very excited to become a Cougar and get a feel of the court this weekend. This is going to be my future home. I am going to give it my all [today] and just give an insight of what will be happening [for the next two years].”

WNCC hosts girl's, boy's basketball camps in June

Western Nebraska Community College will hold girl’s and boy’s basketball camps during the separate weeks in June at Cougar Palace.

WNCC women’s basketball coach Dave Harnish will kick off his camp June 15-18 for girls in grades first through eighth. The camp will run from 9 a.m. until noon. The cost is $50 per camper and includes a T-shirt.

Harnish said the camp is designed to give campers a competitive opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of basketball. The camp will teach the camper basics such as passing, shooting, dribbling and pivoting.

Harnish, along with assistant coach Jennifer Pedersen and former and current Cougar players will instruct the camp.

WNCC men’s basketball coach Brian Joyce’s basketball camp will be held June 22-25 at Cougar Palace. The cost is $70 with a T-shirt if a camper is pre-registered, and $75 at the door.

The camp is open for boys from kindergarten to 12^th grade. Boys from Kindergarten through 8^th grade will attend from 9-11:30 a.m., while the older campers will attend from 1-3:30 p.m. The format of the camp will be similar to what the Cougar players go through for player development and practices.

Joyce said the camp is designed to give campers a competitive opportunity to develop the fundamental skills of basketball. The camp will teach and focus on basic skills of basketball. The camp will involve different stations with individuals going through drills to mold and enhance their game.

The camp will be instructed by Joyce, his assistant Gianno Biaconi, and former and current Cougar players.

For more information on the camps, contact Joyce at 308-635-6780 or joyceb2@wnc.net, Harnish at 308-635-6027 or dharnish@wncc.net, or download camp registration forms from the WNCC athletic website at sports.wncc.edu.

WNCC hosts Cougar Golf Classic on June 6

The Western Nebraska Community College athletic department will be holding a Cougar Golf Classic Saturday, June 6 at the Monument Shadows Golf Course in Gering.

This year’s golf tournament will be a four-person scramble. Registration is $60 per person and includes green fees, cart and lunch. There will be a payout for first, second and third place. Each team will also receive a group picture with Scotts Bluff National monument in the background. The Golf Classic is open to the first 36 teams with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.

All proceeds benefit the Ron Brillhart Scholarship fund at WNCC.

To register for the Cougar Golf Classic, contact athletic director Jennifer Pedersen at 308-635-6798 or email at Pedersen@wncc.net. Registration forms can also be picked up at Monument Shadows Golf Course.

Balza, Cruz take top awards at WNCC athletic banquet

For more photos, go to http://wncccougars.albumpost.com/bluffs

Western Nebraska Community College’s Fatima Balza and Francisco Cruz picked up the top awards at the WNCC athletic banquet Sunday evening at Cougar Place.

Balza earned the female athlete of the year honor as well as the picking up the Most Valuable Player award for the volleyball team. Balza, a sophomore, will graduate May 16 and will head to Penn State University to play volleyball.

Cruz, a freshman, earned the male athlete of the year award. Cruz averaged nearly 16 points a game for the Cougar men’s basketball team last year, while leading the team in rebounds and 3-point percentage.

Athletic director Jennifer Pedersen said both athletes demonstrated character on and off the court. What Cruz does on and off the court should be something the young people can look up to.

“Every single young man comes through this program with hopes and dreams of where they want to end up in life. This is just a stepping stone of where they want to go,” she said. “So, I went out to the community and asked them what kids that have been here, been in your school, what kids have stayed late after a game and talked to parents, fans and signed autographs. What kid have come in and shot, or been at the field, longer. I wanted a student athlete that came here and hasn’t given us any trouble and is the epitome of what I want a student-athlete to become.”

Cruz was humbled by the honor.

“The award surprised be a lot because I didn’t expect it and I just felt great when I got it,” he said. “I really didn’t think I was going to get the award. I just want thank everybody for what they do for me and how they talk about me. I just want to thank everyone that supports me and the team.”

Cruz said the team does a lot of community work, something which he enjoys.

“We go and play with kids and eat with kids. We try to show everyone how much we appreciate everybody.”

As for Balza, she, too, was pleasantly shocked to receive both honors.

“it was a surprise for me,” she said. “Every effort I did for my team and every goal we reached together was not only for me, but for the team because I could not have made it without my team. It is for them that I get the MVP and if it wasn’t, I would have never got it.”

Balza enjoyed this season a lot more than her freshman year when they won the national championship

“I am really, really happy with everything I have done this year and everything we did. I am happy with my team, the coaches, and every single person that helped us,” she said. “I have to say that even last season when we won the national championship, that this year I am happier of the third place that we got this year because we were like a team and did everything together.

Volleyball coach Giovana Melo described Balza as an athlete that became like the mother of the team in helping them to a third place finish at the national tournament.

“I sat down with her once before we started and told her I was going to give her a role,” Melo said. “I said your role is to be a leader and get them to work hard, and do everything you possible can do to get this team prepared. I promise you that I will give you whatever it takes to make the team and you better. She is now going to one of the best volleyball programs in the country.”

All seven sports presented its MVP and Cougar Pride winners.

MVP winners included Balza in volleyball, Scott Bamforth in men’s basketball, Shaquilah Davis in women’s basketball, Josh Parker in baseball, Katie Groves in softball, Cesar Bazana in men’s soccer, and Terri Huntington in women’s soccer.

Cougar Pride winners included Gering’s Brooke BlomenKamp in volleyball, Chris Hamblin in men’s basketball, Tawny Drexler in women’s basketball, Brittany Chacon in softball, Elvis Garcia in baseball, Mark Zigray in men’s soccer, and Jaime Gastelle in women’s soccer.

Each of the coaches had good things to say about each Cougar Pride winner. Melo was very honored to give the honor to a Gering High graduate.

“Brooke has probably has 300 questions every single day. It is like question, question, question and I am not kidding,” Melo said. “She loves WNCC and loves wearing WNCC colors. She definitely is the pride of our team. She does not realize it, but she keeps this team together with her personality and the way she acts not just on the court but outside the court.”

Academic honors were also presented. The top grade point average for a female athlete belonged to Casey Simpson, of Nokomis, Saskatchewan, while the top GPA for a male athlete went to Ryan Dawson, of Front Royal, Venezuela. Dawson is a member of the men’s soccer team, while Simpson was a pitcher on the softball team.

The top team GPA academic awards went to the softball team for the fifth straight year.

The Cougar Award, an all-campus award which honors an athlete for his academics and community work, went to men’s basketball player Saul Torres, a freshman.

The Patron of the Year honors went to FBG Services and Carr-Trumbull Lumber.

Before the awards, Trisha Downing, the first female paraplegic to complete an Iron distance triathlon, talked about not giving up. Downing said that when she was competing in a half-marathon in Texas to qualify for the Ironman triathlon in Hawaii, she willed herself to finish the race. She finished in 8 hours, 29 minutes and the qualifying mark for the full triathlon was 8 hours, 30 minutes.

She said that there were many times, climbing up those steep hills in Texas, that she stopped and cried and said, “go get the car. I can’t do it.” She realized, from support from others helping her, that they didn’t want her to give up. That is why, or motto in every race is “it is not over until it is over.”

Since her car/bicycle accident in 2000, she had competed in 13 marathons and a variety of triathlons. She used a special hand bike to compete in the races and was named the Colorado Sportswomen of the year in 2007.

Complete List
Volleyball
Most Valuable Player – Fatima Balza, Merida, Venezuela
Cougar Pride – Brooke Blomenkamp, Gering, Neb.
Men’s Soccer
Most Valuable Player – Cesar Bazana, Americana, Brazil
Cougar Pride – Mark Zigray, Windsor, Colo.
Women’s Soccer
Most Valuable Player – Terri Huntington, Bluffdale, Utah
Cougar Pride – Jaime Gastelle, Ft. Collins, Colo.
Men’s Basketball
Most Valuable Player – Francisco Cruz, Nogales, Mexico (Abe Lincoln High in Denver)
Cougar Pride – Chris Hamblin, St. Paul., Minn.
Women’s Basketball
Most Valuable Player – Shaquilah Davis, Denver, Colo.
Cougar Pride – Tawny Drexler, Golden, Colo.
Baseball
Most Valuable Player – Josh Parker, Canberra, Australia
Cougar Pride – Elvis Garcia, Miami, Fla.
Softball
Most Valuable Player – Katie Groves, Bluffdale, Utah
Cougar Pride – Brittany Chacon, Broomfield, Colo.

WNCC baseball camp set for June 1-4

Western Nebraska Community College will hold a summer baseball camp June 1-4 at the 23 Club Diamonds in Scottsbluff.

The four-day camp will run from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and costs just $40 per camper before May 26 and $55 after the early registration.

The camp will be an excellent opportunity for youngsters to learn the game of baseball. The camp will include instruction on hitting, throwing, fielding and pitching, along with actual game play during the camp.

The camp will be instructed by WNCC baseball coach Mike Jones, his assistants and former/current coaches.

Registration forms can be downloaded at sports.wncc.net. For more information on the camp or to request a camp registration flyer, contact Jones at jonesm@wncc.net or (308) 635-6198.

WNCC baseball season comes to a close with two losses to NJC in regional playoffs

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team knew they needed to play well against a red-hot Northeastern Junior College to get by the first round of the Region IX playoffs Sunday at Cleveland Field.

In the early going, WNCC hung with NJC only to see the Plainsmen come storming back to capture a doubleheader sweep. The Cougars fell in the opening game 12-6 after watching NJC score eight times in the eighth and ninth inning. NJC closed out the 2-out-of-3 series by dropping the Cougars 9-3 in the second game. NJC advances to play Trinidad State Junior College this weekend in Trinidad, Colo. Trinidad needed three games to dispose of Lamar Community College, winning the if-necessary game 10-4.

“NJC is playing really well,” WNCC coach Mike Jones said. “They are very aggressive at the plate right now. They are playing with a lot of confidence and I wish them the best of luck.”

WNCC, however, hung with the Plainsmen in both games holding a 6-4 lead through seven innings in game one.

“I thought we played a decent ball game in the first game. We pitched really well in the first game and we got a couple really big hits in the first inning and we were able to jump out to a lead early,” Jones said. “We went to the bull pen late in the game and let the game get away from us.

“We also had a chance in the second game, even though we gave up four in the first inning on just one hit. We came out in game two and made some key mistakes on defense and it wasn’t a lack of hustle or lack of focus; it was just one of those things where we ran into each other, through a ball of balance and gave them some runs early. I thought we fought back really well. We had a chance in about the sixth inning to get another run on the board. We just came up a little short.”

WNCC definitely was in striking range of claiming one, or even both games. In the opening game, the Cougars scored four times on four hits to take a 4-0 lead all with two outs. WNCC had four straight singles from Oscar Rodriguez, Shane Wade, Trace Marsden and Brady Sanchez to the early lead.

The Cougars watched NJC slice the lead to 4-3 after five innings. WNCC rebounded, scoring once in the sixth and seventh to lead 6-4. Rodriquez had a solo home run in the sixth inning, while Jared Baros doubled and scored on a Josh Parker single in the seventh.

The Cougars couldn’t hold the lead in the final two innings. NJC scored seven 8^th-inning runs on five hits to take an 11-6 lead. The Plainsmen added another run in the ninth as Scott Dalrymple homered to double up the Cougars.

Matt Klein picked up the win for NJC, throwing a complete game. Klein scattered eight hits, while striking out 15 Cougar batters. Rodil Martinez took the loss, throwing just a 1/3 of an inning in relief of Tim Kupfner. Kupfner threw a strong seven innings, scattering eight hits and striking out one, while throwing 79 pitches.

Rodriquez and Parker each finished the game with two hits. Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a home run, while Parker went 2-for-5 with a run scored, RBI and a double.

NJC jumped on WNCC quickly in game two, scoring four times in the first inning on two hits. The big blow was a double by Rhett Morgan. NJC went up 5-0 threw 4 ½ innings before WNCC made a comeback, slicing the lead to 5-3 in the bottom of half of the fourth.

Anthony Paniagua started things with a one-out single. Alex Arias, Wade and Marsden all followed with singles to cut the deficit to two runs.

In the meantime, starting pitcher Ben Doran settled down after the 4-run first inning, allowing just one run over the next five innings, while allowing just four hits and striking out four. NJC added two insurance runs in the seventh and ninth inning off of Cougar relievers, including a 2-run home run by Dalyrmple.

The Cougars also couldn’t find an answer to NJC pitchers Luke Oeltjenbruns and Trevor Lundgren. Oeltjenbruns threw seven masterful innings, striking out five and allowing nine hits. Then, Lundgren closed out the game, striking out three and allowing just two hits.

Doran suffered the loss on the mound.

WNCC managed 11 hits in the contest, but couldn’t string enough together to get rallies going. Parker finished 2-for-5 with two singles, while Wade went 3-for-4 with a runs scored, a RBI and three singles. Baros also had two hits, going 2-for-4 with two singles.

WNCC finishes the season at 25-29 and made the Region IX playoffs after falling short of the post season a year ago. Jones said they had a very young team on the field Sunday, which bodes well for next year.

“It was an extremely young ball club that was out there,” Jones said. “They got a lot of experience throughout the course of the season. Now they have a Region IX playoff day under their belt. We have a lot of room to grow and having all the experience will only help.”

First Game

NJC 011 010 171 – 12 15 2

WNCC 400 001 100 – 6 8 3

WP – Matt Klein, LP – Rodil Martinez; 2B – WNCC (Jared Baros), NJC (Jonathon Crews, Billy McHenry); HR – WNCC (Oscar Rodriguez), NJC (Scott Dalrymple).

Second Game

NJC 400 100 202 – 9 10 1

WNCC (25-29) 000 300 000 – 3 11 4

WP – Luke Oeljenbruns, LP – Ben Doran; 2B – NJC (Rhett Morgan); HR – NJC (Scott Dalrymple).

WNCC softball ends season at regionals

TRINIDAD, Colo – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team came up short of a repeat regional title falling in a heart-breaker to Trinidad State Junior College 7-6.

The Cougars, never-the-less, put on a good show after falling in their opener on Friday. The Cougars opened Saturday by dropping Dawson Community College 11-6. WNCC followed that with a 13-6 thumping of Lamar Community College as Stephanie Townsend had six RBIs and two home runs.

WNCC sophomore pitcher Kelsey Garner said it is a disheatening way to end the season, but they had a good season, finishing 42-17.

“I am really proud of our team,” Garner said. “We fought back the whole way, whether we were down, we just kept fighting back and didn’t let anyone stop us.”

“I think we had a pretty up and down season but we started to get more ups then downs in the end and that was nice. It just really sucks to end this way because I don’t think any of us expected it.”

WNCC did flex its offensive muscles Saturday, hitting five home runs. Against Dawson, though, they scored 11 runs on just eight hits – all singles.

Dawson struck first with a solo home run in the first inning. WNCC bounced back scoring three times in the second and six times in the fourth to take a 9-1 lead. In the fourth, the Cougars had five straight singles and then Megan Burditt had a 2-RBI hit that cleared the bases.

Katie Groves and Brittany Chacon each had two hits. Groves went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Chacon was 2-for-3 with three RBIs as well.

Casey Simpson picked up the win, allowing five runs on 10 hits and striking out two. Stephanie Townsend recorded the save allowng one run and striking out one.

In the contest against Lamar, WNCC took it to the Runnin’ Lopes early, scoring five times in the first inning. Groves opened things with a triple and then Megan Burditt reached on an error and Adena Hagen walked to load the bases. Townsend ripped a 2 run scoring single. Later, Alyssa Hickey scored two runs on a double and then Garner had a run-scoring double for the 5-0 lead.

WNCC added three more runs the second to go up 8-0. Groves led off with her 16^th home run of the season, which breaks the season record of home runs that was set by Kari Marsico in 2006. Hagen then had a 1-out double and then Townsend crushed a pitch over the fence to score two runs.

Townsend connected on another 2-run home run in the fourth when she drove a pitch over the rightfield fence for a 11-3 lead. WNCC added two more runs in the sixth as Kelly Pearson walked followed by a single by Gomes. Tonya Atencio and Chacon also had singles in the inning.

WNCC finished the game with 16 hits, including nine that were extra-base variety. Townsend went 3-for-4 with six RBIs, three runs scored and two home runs. Groves went 2-for-3 with a triple, home run, and two runs scored.

Also collecting multiple hits were Hagen (2-for-3 with three runs scored and a double), Gomez (2-for-2 with a double and run scored), and Chacon (3-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI).

Garner picked up the win, going six innings and allowing six runs on eight hits. Garner struck out four.

WNCC continued hitting in the last game against Trinidad, falling in a heartbreaker. WNCC took a 2-0 lead in the first as Burditt walked and then scored on a Townsend 2-run home run. Trinidad answered with a solo home in the first to cut the lead to 2-1.

WNCC added a single run in the second before Trinidad took a 4-3 lead in the third inning with three runs on four hits. The Cougars quickly retook the lead in the fourth inning. Chacon reached base after getting hit by a pitch. Then Groves hit her 17^th home run of the season, tying the career record set by Lauren Mills last season with a 2-run shot.

The Cougars added a single run in the fifth as Garner had a one-out single. Chacon was then hit by a pitch and then Groves was intentionally walked to load the bases. Burditt then scored a run after she was walked to put WNCC up 6-4.

Trinidad tied the game in the fifth with a 2-run home run and then won the game in the sixth with a single run on just one hit.

Groves finished the game 1-for-3 with two runs scord, a home run and two RBIs, while Townsend was 2-for-4 with a home runs and two RBIs.

Garner said it is tough too swollow right now, that their season has come to an end.

“It is really hard because we will never wear this jersey again,” she said. “We are not going to play with any of these people again and be coached by them again. It is hard to go away with a loss like that.”

First Game
Dawson 100 040 1 – 6 13 1
WNCC 030 611 x – 11 8 0
WP – Simpson, S – Townsend; 2B – WNCC (Sofia Gomez); HR – Dawson (Brittany Ceaser (2), Amanda Morris, jessica Stevens (2).

Second Game
Lamar 003 021 – 6 8 1
WNCC 531 202 – 13 16 0
WP – Garner; 2B – WNCC (Hagen 2, Hickey, Gomez, Pearson); Lamar (Maddie Maestas, Kayla Bruner, jessica Eddleman); 3B – WNCC (Groves); HR – WNCC (Groves, Townsend 2).

Third Game
WNCC 210 210 0 – 6 7 1
Trinidad 103 021 x – 7 9 1
LP – Simpson; 2B – Trinidad (Leah Hanson); HR – WNCC (Groves, Townsend), Trinidad (Tanisha Bradford, Nikole Morgan).

WNCC softball falls at Regional Tournament, will play Dawson Saturday at noon

TRINIDAD, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team left 13 runners on base as Otero Junior College upended the defending Region IX champions 8-2 in the first round of the Region IX tournament in Trinidad, Colo., Friday.

The Cougars, who managed six hits in the contest, will need to battle their way through the loser’s bracket and win five straight games to capture the regional title. WNCC will now face Dawson Community College, a 4-2 victim to Trinidad State Junior College earlier in the day, Saturday at noon.

WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said this team can come back, but they will need to play better over the next two days.

“It won't be easy but we can do it,” she said. “Nobody would step up. They were all waiting on their teammates to.”

WNCC did, however, play well at the beginning and that part impressed Winn-Ratliff. She said they just couldn’t get the hit they needed.

“Good game thru five innings,” she said. “We just didn't have it today. We left 13 on and seven were in scoring position. They [Otero] played well and their pitcher did what she needed to keep them in the game.”

The Cougars were definitely their worst enemies, leaving the bases loaded in three innings. And, that was after a strong start.

WNCC’s Kelsey Garner started the game on fire, sitting down the first three Otero batters. The Cougars followed with a strong first inning offensively.

Katie Groves started things with a single followed by Lauryn Smith reaching base after getting plunked by a pitch. Groves and Smith scored on a Sofia Gomez single for the early 2-0 lead.

WNCC couldn’t hold the lead, allowing Otero score eight times over the next five inning. Otero’s Ally Goniea started the Rattler comeback with a solo home run in the second inning. The Rattlers took the lead in the fourth inning with two runs on three singles for a 3-2 lead.

Otero opened up the game in the sixth inning, plating five runs on two home runs. The big blow was a 3-run shot by Kristy Partridge, followed by a 2-run blast by Kristen Gertner.

WNCC had plenty of opportunities to plate runs throughout the contest. WNCC left the bases loaded in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings. In fact, the Cougars managed just six hits in the contest.

WNCC tried a comeback late. In the sixth, Stephanie Townsend and Kelsey Garner drew leadoff walks. Then, after two strike outs, Groves was walked to load the bases before a groundout ended the threat.

The Cougars tried a comeback in the seventh as well. Gomez and Kelly Pearson had back-to-back singles with one out. Alyssa Hickey was then walked before Jordann Hathorne fanned the final two Cougar batters. Hathorne struck out six Cougars on the day.

Garner picked up the loss, allowing eight runs on nine hits. Garner struck out five and walked four.

Groves and Gomez paced the Cougar hitting attack with two hits each. Groves was 2-for-4 with two singles, two walks, and a run scored, while Gomez was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a walk.

The Cougars could have three games Saturday as they battle their way back through the loser’s bracket. After the contest at noon, if they keep winning, they could play contests at 4 and 6 p.m. The championship game is slated for Sunday at noon, with an if-necessary game at 2 p.m.

The contests can be heard live on the Internet at http://sports.trinidadstate.edu/region9/.

Otero 010 205 0 – 8 9 0

WNCC (40-17) 200 000 0 – 2 6 1

WP – Jordann Hathorne, LP – Kelsey Garner; 2B – WNCC (Garner); HR – Otero (Kristen Gertner, Ally Goniea, Kristy Partridge).

WNCC's Smith inks with NCAA tournament team Morgan State

Western Nebraska Community College’s Daniel Smith has held that dream of playing for an NCAA tournament team in the back of his head since playing high school basketball at Woodlawn High In Baltimore.

Friday morning, Smith officially made his dream come true, signing a letter of intent with Morgan State University.

"One of the reasons I decided to go there was because I will be able to play in front of my friends and family and closer to home,” he said. “It will be a fun experience these next two years just getting to play in front of them.“

Morgan State, located in Smith’s hometown of Baltimore, finished last season 23-12 before falling in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Oklahoma 82-54. It was the Bears’ first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.

Smith is excited about the chance to play for an up-and-coming program.

“It is actually a blessing that I get to join their crew and just work towards going to another NCAA tournament,” he said. “It is special to participate in the NCAA tournament.”

Smith had a successful sophomore season for the Cougars, helping the team to a 25-7 record. Smith averaged 8.59 points a game, while dishing out 3.1 assists and collecting 1.8 steals a game.

Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman told Smith that he projects him playing the same role he did at WNCC.

WNCC coach Brian Joyce said Smith was one of those players that was unselfish on the court.

"Danny has learned a lot the last two years. He has matured as a person and as a player,” Joyce, who has sent over 50 players in his junior college coaching to the Division I level, said. “They are looking for guys that can come in and play right away and impact and lead the team right away at that position. I think Danny is very well prepared to do that. I think at that level, I think he can have a lot of success, and I know without a doubt he will influence the program in the right way, considering the growth I have seen over the last two years.”

Smith said that if it wasn’t for Joyce, he wouldn’t be playing for a team that qualified for the NCAA tournament in March.

“My goal was definitely to go Division One and my game has improved tremendously,” he said. “My shooting has improved tremendously and my ball handling and thinking on the court has improved. I have improved a lot of things and I give the thanks to Coach Joyce and the coaching staff along with the players that push me in practice.”

Joyce said that Smith had a lot of schools that were interested in her services for the next two years, but Morgan State was the best fit for him.

“To me, it is not necessarily about the level they go to, it is about whether they get the right fit in a place they are comfortable with and a place they will have an opportunity to be successful,” Joyce said. “If that is at the Division One or Division Two level, to me that is insignificant. I want them to be in places where they will be happy and comfortable because sometimes guys choose places that are too high for where they should be playing and choose things for the wrong reason.”

Smith, who will graduate on May 16 from WNCC, has learned a lot about not only basketball, but life, while attending this institution the last two years.

“I learned really good leadership skills and I really built it during my last two years here,” he said. “Those good leadership traits will help me down the line as a husband and a future father.”

Weather causes postponements with WNCC events

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team will have to wait an extra day to begin their first-round Region IX playoff series with Northeastern Junior College. The two teams were supposed to play Friday and Saturday, but because of weather conditions, the series has been pushed back to Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday’s action will begin at 2 p.m. at Cleveland Field, while Sunday’s action will start at noon, with a if-necessary game to follow. The series is a best 2-out-3 format, with all games 9 innings. Admission to the regional playoffs is $3 for adults and $1 for students.

Also postponed one day is the WNCC Turf Challenge volleyball tournament that was scheduled to begin Saturday at Lacy Park. The tournament will now just be held on Sunday. WNCC volleyball coach Giovana Melo said that registrations for the doubles tournament are still being accepted for just $20 a person.

Melo also said that if individuals want to partner up with a Cougar volleyball player, bids are still being accepted. Only three players have received bids so far for an individual to have one of the players on their doubles team. To register for the tournament, contact Melo at 308-635-6028 or melog@wncc.net.

Groves hopes to lead softball to regional title

Katie Groves can see a resemblance between her senior year in high school and her freshman year at Western Nebraska Community College.

And, for Groves and the WNCC softball team, that is a good thing heading into the Region IX tournament this weekend. WNCC, 40-16 and No. 16 in the NJCAA national polls, will look to defend their Region IX title from last year at Trinidad, Colo., Friday through Sunday. WNCC will open up with Otero Junior College at 4 p.m. Friday.

“We need to stay focused and come out ready to play and ready to win,” Groves, the freshman from Bluffdale, Utah, said. “We have to come out wanting to win. Sometimes we come out a little flat and if we do that, I don’t think we will do much. We have to be fired up and ready to go because other teams are aiming for us because the girls last year brought home a title, so we have the big X on our back this year.”

The other match-ups at the regional tournament include Trinidad State Junior College facing Dawson Community College Friday at 2 p.m., with the winner facing Lamar Community College at 6 p.m. The championship is slated for Sunday at noon. Groves said Lamar is the team to beat since the Runnin’ Lopes have beaten the Cougars 3 of 4 games.

“Their pitchers don’t throw a lot of pitches, but they are slow enough that sometimes they catch us off guard a little,” she said. “We’ve struggled with their pitching in the past, but I think we are more ready for them now. We have seen them four times and we are a little bit more determined to do what we need to do.”

Groves sees a resemblance from her senior year at Bingham High to her first at the collegiate level. In high school, her team won the state title with a squad that had a lot of youth. Groves also stepped up to the plate and helped deliver the state title for her high school, hitting eight home runs in eight games, including going 11-for-11 in the last three games at state with a grand slam and three home runs. This year’s team is very symbolic to that high school team.

“It was intense [winning that state championship] and a feeling that you can’t explain. We came out and did what we needed to do,” she said. “We weren’t expected to win it. We came out with a young pitcher and a young team, and all of a sudden, our seniors started producing and our young players started pushing our seniors and we got a state championship. I can’t really explain the feeling.”

Groves has definitely continued that hitting explosion at WNCC this past season where she tied a school record for home run with 15, and is the team leader in triples (3), runs scored (71), runs batted in (72), walks (29), while batting .517. She is also among the leaders in several national categories, including No. 8 in batting average, No. 7 in RBI leaders and 15^th in home runs.

In fact, she is flabbergasted with the type of season that she is having.

“I am very competitive and it is surprising that I am doing this well,” she said. “I did not expect to come in here my freshman year and have the year that I had. I did not expect any of it. I did not expect our team to do what we have done so far. I didn’t expect myself to do what I have done, but I have worked hard and set goals and most of them have been accomplished.”

Groves’ remarkable season picked up in April when she was named the NJCAA player of the week a couple of weeks ago. She also had a big 7^th inning solo home run against Otero Junior College that gave the Cougars a 3-2 win at Volunteer Field.

Last week against Southeast Community College, Groves had an unbelievable day when she went 11-for-11 in a doubleheader. What was different about that performance was in the opening game she was 6-for-6 with six singles. In the second game, she was 5-for-5 with three doubles and a home run.

“I guess I just got sick of going to first and needed more exercise on the day,” ,” Groves said about the 11-for-11 performance. “Singles and doubles scores runs either way.”

Groves actually doesn’t go up o the plate looking for a home run, it just naturally comes.

“I don’t know how I hit the home runs,” she said. “You could ask me what I do different in the swing and I couldn’t tell you. It is just how you connect with the ball and your timing. It just happens. You see it, you hit it, and somehow it goes.”

While Groves is having a break-out season, the team is enjoying plenty of success. After starting the season 1-5 after the opening tournament the end of January, the Cougars have 20 of 21 wins. The Cougars are now batting .348 as a team with 48 home runs, 98 doubles and 11 triples. And, it is just not one person that is providing the power. The last 10 games saw the power come from the Cougar’s three pitchers, Kelsey Garner, Casey Simpson and Stephanie Townsend. The three have combined for 17 home runs of the team’s 45 hit this season. Last week, the threesome had 11 home runs in 10 games.

Simpson hit five jacks, including two each in separate games, while Townsend had four home runs and Garner two. Garner leads the pitchers with home runs with eight. The team leader in home runs is Groves with 15, and Groves had three in the last 10 games. She also had a slugging percentage of 1,300 last week.

Nothing Groves does should surprise anyone. Groves was born with a glove on her hand, starting to play the sport when she was six years old on a 10-under team.\

“I think it is just the rush to play softball and it is hard to explain,” she said. “It is a game with girls that you become family with, and you get to spend time with them every day. The team, the players and the competitiveness makes the sport fun.

“I actually started playing because I wanted to be better than my sister (Kim] and she quit when I started playing. Honestly, I don’t know if I am better than her because she quit playing before she gave herself an honest chance.”

Softball is something she wants to continue as long as she can.

“I want to keep playing as far as they will let me take it,” she said. “I want to play past WNCC whether that it is DI or DII and whatever is best for me educationally. If they let me go past that, that would be cool. But you have to stay realistic at the same time.”

Groves is one of those players that will do anything and play everywhere to help the team. When she came here in the fall, she was expecting to play third base, but instead she started the season at shortstop and moved around the horn, playing second base and now is at first base.

“Since I came here and I will fill any roll that they need me to fill. It doesn’t matter. I am doing whatever I need to for the team. I like wherever they need me to play,” she said. “I just like to go out and focus on one job, one thing, get my job done and help the team.”

What would make for the perfect icing on a stellar season would be a trip to the national tournament in her home state May 14-16 in St. George, Utah.

“I would love to go to St. George and play [or the national title],” she said. “That would be awesome. I could see my entire family and have the people that can’t travel out here to come down there because it is three hours from where I live.”

WNCC baseball set to open playoffs at home Friday

Last year, the Cougars failed to make the Region IX playoffs. This year, they left little doubt in securing a spot in the 4-team regional playoffs.

In fact, WNCC earned the No. 2 seed and will host a first round contest against Northeastern Junior College in a best 2-out-3 series. Action begins at 3 p.m. Friday and continues Saturday. Tickets for the regional playoffs are $3 for adults and $1 for students. No passes will be accepted.

WNCC catcher Jason Sloan, who sat out Sunday’s contests with a bruised hand, said the team is looking forward to the regional tournament.

“We need honor, pride courage and commitment in order to win the tournament,” he said.

Cesar Castro says the key to winning is the amount of heart they put into the games.

WNCC earned the right to host NJC by winning once against Trinidad State Junior College, and that was enough to give them the No. 2 seed. The other first-round contest has Lamar Community College traveling to No. 1 Trinidad State Junior College. The two first-round winners will battle for the Region IX championship next weekend at the home of the higher seed.

WNCC earned the right by topping Trinidad 3-2 on Sunday and they got the win by receiving a complete game pitching performance from Victor Rubio. WNCC, later, fell 7-6 to Trinidad State on Sunday.

Still, the way the Cougars bounced back from Saturday’s pounding at the hands and split a pair of one-run ball games on Sunday had WNCC coach Mike Jones pleased.

“We had a much better day today. We got a great pitching performance out of Victor Rubio. He threw a real big ball game,” Jones said. “He was able to run the ball inside on them and mix it up with a breaking ball and change it up with a change-up. That was a big game for us because it allowed us to lock up that second place spot in conference play and gives us [first round] home field in the conference playoffs.”

Rubio will be one of the pictures that will get a start this weekend in the first-round. Starting on Friday will be freshman Tim Kupfner, of Superior, Colo. Kupfner is 4-4 on the season and picked up a big complete-game win against McCook Community College 7-5.

Rubio is scheduled to pitch game two, but could come in from the bullpen in game one if needed.

NJC is a hot team, winning nine straight before falling 7-5 to Lamar Community College on Sunday. They bounced back to register an 8-6 win over Lamar, taking three of four from the Runnin’ Lopes. What makes the Plainsmen dangerous is their bats, including they are scoring runs left and right, averaging about seven runs a game.

WNCC softball pitchers hitting home runs, team ready for regionals

Major league pitchers hit a home run once in a blue moon. Even junior college baseball pitchers seldom hit a home run or even get an at bat.

For the Western Nebraska Community College softball team, their pitching staff is not afraid to swing the bat and they have produced at the plate.

The Cougars will need plenty of hitting when they open the Region IX tournament Friday in Trinidad, Colo. The No. 16-ranked Cougars enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed and will face Otero Junior College at 4 p.m. Last year, WNCC won the regional title behind the pitching of sophomore Kelsey Garner.

Garner, who earned player of the year and freshman of the year last year in helping the Cougars to the regional tournament, knows that they have to be ready to play from the start.

“I am going to tell the team you have to play hard right from the very first inning all the way to the seventh,” she said. “Also, everyone comes to play and anyone can win on any given day.”

The one area that stands out for the 40-16 Cougars this season is they have plenty of offensive weapons, and the three pitchers, Garner, Casey Simpson and Stephanie Townsend have been on a home run mission as of late. The three have combined for 17 home runs of the team’s 45 hit this season. Last week, the threesome had 11t home runs in 10 games.

Simpson hit five jacks, including two each in separate games, while Townsend had four home runs and Garner two. Garner leads the pitchers with home runs with eight. The team leader in home runs is Katie Groves with 15.

“I think it is different for us to hit home runs because usually pitchers don’t hit,” Garner said. “But I think it is good to show people that our pitchers are just as good as everybody else at the plate.”

Definitely the three pitchers have produced from the plate this season. In the 10 games last week, the Cougars as a team hit .457 and had a slugging percentage of .740. Five players had a slugging percentage of 1,000 or better, three of which came from the pitching group.

The home run power isn’t a big surprise to the three hurlers; they have hit plenty of home runs before. But coming to college they don’t get a lot of at bats, so when they get that home run, it means something.

“I primarily was a batter before coming here, so coming here has been a big change for me,” Simpson said. “I haven’t been in the line up as much, so hitting a couple of home runs over the past few games has been really big for me because I have become more confident as a hitter.”

For Townsend, her home run power does come as a surprise as she was a power hitter, as well as the clean-up batter for her high school team.

“I am kind of surprised that I hit home runs last week,” she said. “I hit home runs in high school, and it is not surprising that I am hitting like this here, it is just surprising how she puts me in.”

A lot of times, Townsend or Simpson come up as pinch hitters. That says a lot of the confidence that WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff has in her pitching staff as hitters.

“I get a little nervous [when called upon as a pinch hitter],” Townsend said. “But I just have to try to put the ball into play because she believes in me to put me in as a pinch hitter. “

For Simpson and Townsend, it will be their first regional tournament. They, however, know they have to be ready to go at any moment.

“I think we have to go in really focused,” Simpson said. “We have been playing really well against Otero and Trinidad and team likes that, but we struggle with teams like Lamar. It will be a matter of going out and being really focused and determined so we can come out with a win.”

Hitting will be one of the keys in bringing home back to back Region IX championships. But, like Garner said, it is not about getting home runs, they need to get hits to score runs.

“Hopefully, we can keep hitting like this at regionals and come out with, if not home runs, but runs right from the first inning,” she said.

Townsend is hoping the team continues hitting at the pace they have been the last two weeks of the season, especially last week, when they had 14 home runs, 11 of which came from the three pitchers.

“At first we went into a slump, so now we are starting to pull together,” she said. “We will have to play together and bring out the bats like we did last weekend.”

The pitchers all agree that a major reason for the home runs that the team has hit this season is because of head coach Maria Winn-Ratliff’s batting philosophy.

“I think it is the swing style that coach Winn teaches,” Garner said. “Everyone is starting to get more used to it and use it in games.”

That batting style is starting to pay off. In the last 10 games, the Cougar hitters have had 45 extra base hits, including 23 doubles and 20 home runs. On the season, they have 154 extra base hits, including 98 doubles.

Last season, the team finished with 215 extra base hits, including 134 doubles, 22 triples and 59 home runs on their way to a 54-10 season. Two years ago, the team had just 123 doubles and 41 home runs.

And for the Cougars to repeat as champions, they will need to come ready to play, no question about it.

“We can absolutely win regionals,” Simpson said. “I think we can as long as we come out focused. If we really want it, we can have it because we have a lot the talent that would work for us.”

WNCC baseball team to host NJC in first-round series beginning Friday

Submitted by Jeremy Woznick, Star-Herald Sports
For more coverage of Cougar sports, go to Starherald.com

After missing out on the Region IX playoffs a year ago for the first time in school history, the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team is back in the postseason where it belongs.

The Cougars, who posted an 8-8 record in their final 16 games of the regular season, managed to hang on to the No. 2 seed in the conference standings after earning a big win over Trinidad State Junior College on Sunday.

WNCC's reward for that is a first-round home playoff series against a streaking Northeastern Junior College ball club that ended the season winning eight of its final nine games. The first game of the best-of-three series will be held Friday at 3 p.m. at Cleveland Field in Scottsbluff.

"Right now NJC is hot. They are red hot," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "They are playing their best baseball right now and peaking at the right time. We have to try and cool those guys off."

The series will continue with game two on Saturday at noon. A third and deciding game would also be played on Saturday if needed.

The winner will advance to the regional championship series against the winner of this weekend's other first-round series between Lamar Community College and Trinidad State Junior College. The title series will begin on May 8 at the higher seed.

For WNCC to have any chance of moving into the second week of the playoffs, the Cougars will have to come up with a way to slow down an NJC team that seems to have all the momentum in the world. One thing that looks to be in WNCC's favor is the success the Cougars enjoyed against the Plainsmen during the regular season. WNCC won four of the six contests, but dropped the most recent meeting just a week ago.

"They're a totally different team right now than they were in the middle of March," Jones said of NJC. "We beat them earlier in the year when they weren't playing so well. They've come a long way as a group since then. Baseball is a game of momentum and they have a lot of momentum in their favor right now."

WNCC will look to Tim Kupfner to try and slow down some of that momentum provided by the Plainsmen bats. Kupfner, who is 4-4 on the season, will get the start on the mound in Friday's opener. He pitched the Cougars to a big win over McCook Community College last week.

Jones' decided to start Kupfner in game one because of his ability to induce ground balls.
"When he's throwing the way he's capable of, he gets a lot of ground balls," Jones said. "That's what we're hoping he can do for us on Friday."

Victor Rubio, who pitched the Cougars to a 3-2 win over Trinidad State on Sunday to clinch the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, is scheduled to start game two. However, Jones said Rubio will be on call Friday if needed.

"We're just taking it one game at a time," Jones said. "We're going to try and do everything we can to win every single ball game. If you can win game one, you're going to be in the driver's seat. You'll put a lot of pressure on the other team to try and beat you twice the next day."

WNCC's last appearance in the postseason proved to be a thrilling one as the Cougars won the regional tournament in 2007. After being forced to win a number of games in a row in the span of just a couple days, the region's coaches voted to change the tournament from a double-elimination format to the current format that takes just the top four teams.

The new format also allows the regional winner a few extra days off before competing in the district-playoff round.

"The format is a little different than the last time we were in the playoffs," Jones said. "But after having so much success in the tournament in 2007, and then having the down year last year, it feels real good to get back in the playoffs and have an opportunity to play in the postseason."

WNCC has been hit hard with injuries the last couple weeks of the season. A number of regular starters have been in and out of the lineup with various injuries. Jones credits his ball club for battling through the adversity to finish second in the conference standings.

"We definitely didn't end like we wanted to. We wanted to be playing a little bit better toward the end of the season than what we have been," Jones said. "I do feel fortunate to be the No. 2 seed. We really had to scrap, battle and come from behind in some of those ball games to get that seed. It was one of the goals that we were trying to accomplish and we were able to get it accomplished. But it wasn't easy. It was a tough road down the stretch."

Trinidad State, the No. 1 seed in the playoff field, won last year's tournament. The Trojans didn't seem to lose a beat this season and are a heavy favorite to handle Lamar in their first-round series this weekend in Trinidad, Colo.

"Trinidad is definitely the favorite," Jones said. "They have a great lineup and a couple solid pitchers. They definitely earned the No. 1 seed."

WNCC baseball splits with Trinidad, will host first-round playoff series against NJC

SCOTTSBLUFF – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team put Saturday’s contests behind them and came out Sunday and put together two complete games to earn a split with TrinIdad State Junior College Sunday at Cleveland Field.

The Cougars, who lost to Trinidad State Junior College 15-0 and 13-0 on Saturday, turned the trick on the Empire Conference leading Trojans receiving a complete game pitching performance from Victor Rubio to earn a 3-2 win. The win guaranteed the Cougars the No. 2 seed and host of the first round regional playoff contest that begins Friday.

WNCC also played well in the second game as well, but came up short as a 7^th-inning rally fell short and the Trojans upended the Cougars 7-6.

WNCC will open the regional playoffs on Friday against Northeastern Junior College in a best 2-out-of-3 series. The games are 9-inning. NJC split contests with Lamar Community College on Sunday, falling to Lamar 7-5 before topping the Lopes 5-4. Lamar will travel to Trinidad State in the other first round game. The winners of this weekend’s contests will play the following week at the higher seed.

WNCC coach Mike Jones said his team was relaxed today and showed a different brand of ball on the field then Saturday’s two shutouts losses.

“We had a much better day today. We got a great pitching performance out of Victor Rubio. He threw a real big ball game,” Jones said. “He was able to run the ball inside on them and mix it up with a breaking ball and change it up with a change-up. That was a big game for us because it allowed us to lock up that second place spot in conference play and gives us [first round] home field in the conference playoffs.”

Not only did they get a strong pitching performance, they also received some clutch hits as well as a stern defense.

“Getting Josh Parker back [at shortstop] makes our defense solid and it was nice to get him back in the lineup,” he said. “Then we played pretty good defense all day long.”

Jones said another reason for the turnaround between Saturday’s and Sunday’s games was playing relaxed and it showed in their offense.

“We hit the ball much better today because I thought we came out a little bit more relaxed,” he said. “We just settled in with our bats and we didn’t try to do so much. We play much better when we are relaxed because the playoffs will be intense. It will be a struggle for us to keep that even keel. We play pretty good under pressure so I am looking forward.”

Sunday’s contests had the playoff feel to it. The first game, Rubio and Trinidad pitcher Ryan Salt hooked up in a pitcher’s duel with Rubio getting the upper hand. Rubio, the sophomore from Miami, tossed a five-hitter, while striking out two and walking two. Salt allowed five hits and struck out eight in the loss.

Trinidad scored the first runs of the game in the fourth inning a single run on just two hits. WNCC, however, came right back in their half of the fourth with two runs on three hits. Shane Wade started things with a 2-out triple. Brady Sanchez followed with a run-scoring single followed by a run-scoring double by Jared Baros.

WNCC went up 3-1 with a single run in the fifth inning. Again, with two outs, Alex Arias was hit by a pitch and came around to score on a throwing error to first base off a hit by Scottsbluff’s Dallas Liptac.

Trinidad had opportunities to tie the game. In the sixth, they scored once and had the go-head run at third before the Cougars turned a double play. In the seventh, Trinidad had the tying run at second and Wade, the Cougar’s catcher, threw a strike to Trace Marsden at third base for a caught stealing.

Wade led the Cougars with a 2-for-3 performance, including a triple, run scored and a RBI. Marsden Baros each had a double in the game.

WNCC played well in the second game as well. Trinidad took a 1-0 lead after the opening frame, but WNCC answered with two runs in the second for a 2-1 lead. Ronald Miller and Oscar Rodriquez reached base via walks. Miller then scored on a Sanchez single and Rodriquez would race home on a passed ball.

Trinidad went up 4-2 in the top of the third, but the Cougars quickly answered in the bottom of the inning. Josh Parker delivered a one-out double and scored on a Miller single to slice the deficit to 4-3.

Trinidad scored once in the fourth inning on two hits for a 5-3 lead. WNCC, however, went up 6-5 with three runs in the fifth. All the runs were scored with two outs.

Parker led off the inning with single. Then, after two strikeouts, Liptac earned a walk. Rodriquez followed with a clutch 2-out single to score Parker. Sanchez earned a walk to put two players on and then Wade delivered a two RBI single to put WNCC up 6-5.

WNCC couldn’t hold the lead as Trinidad scored twice in the seventh inning on three hits for 7-6 lead. The Cougars, had the tying and go-ahead runners on before the Trojans’ centerfielder robbed Marsden of a tying single for the final out.

David Castle started the game and went four innings, giving up four runs on seven hits. Castle, a Gurnsey-Sunrise graduate, struck out two. Even Ljunghag, Cesar Perez and Ben Doran all pitched one inning, with Doren getting tagged with the loss.

WNCC finished with nine hits. Wade was 2-for-4 with a double, a stolen base and two RBIs. Parker finished the second game 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while Rodriquez went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a RBI.

WNCC, 25-27, will have four days to prepare for Northeastern Junior College for the first-round playoff games. Jones said they will use that time to get healthy.

“We now have to figure out who we are playing first and then we have to put together a pretty good scouting report and get our guys prepared during the week in practice for the game,” Jones said. “We also have to get healthy. We still have a bunch of guys still beat up and banged around and we have to get those guys healthy. From there we have to focus. We have some time off, now, and we need it. We will take our time and not force anything.”

First Game
Trinidad 000 101 0 – 2 6 1
WNCC 000 210 x – 3 5 1
WP – Rubio, LP – Salt; 2B – WNCC (Baros); 3B – WNCC (Wade).

Second Game
Trinidad (40-16) 102 110 2 – 7 12 2
WNCC (25-27) 021 030 0 – 6 9 2
WP – Joel Rodriquez, LP – Ben Doran; 2B – WNCC (Parker), TSJC (Zack Maes, Mick Wiggins); HR – TSJC (Vinnie Mattivi).

Baseball Region IX Standings
Team Conf. Overall
Trinidad State 24-6 40-16
WNCC 16-14 25-27
NE Colorado 15-15 21-24
Lamar 14-16 24-24
Otero 13-17 19-26
McCook 8-22 18-34

Saturday’s Games
Trinidad State 15, Western Nebraska 0
Trinidad State 13, Western Nebraska 0
NE Colorado 5, Lamar 4 (8 innings)
NE Colorado 7, Lamar 3

Sunday’s Games
Western Nebraska 3, Trinidad State 2
Trinidad State 7, Western Nebraska 6
Lamar 7, NE Colorado 5
NE Colorado 8, Lamar 6

Friday, Saturday Games
First round of Playoffs
No. 4 Lamar at No. 1 Trinidad
No. 3 NE Colorado at No. 2 Western Nebraska

WNCC baseball falls toTrindad State twice

SCOTTSBLUFF -- The Trinidad State Junior College Trojans showed why they are the favorites entering the Region IX playoffs.

The Trojans, who have a 23-5 conference record, received two sterling pitching performances from Jordan Romine and Loran Carosella. Trinidad then watched their bats go wild in the cold conditions at Cleveland Field, lighting up the WNCC defense for a combined 28 runs and 22 hits.

In the opener, Romine allowed just two hits and struck out three in lifting the 39-15 Trojans to a 15-0 win. Carosella was even more dominating in the second game, tossing a 1-hitter while striking gout 10 in the 13-0 win.

Both teams will be back at Cleveland Field Sunday in a doubleheader beginning at noon. In fact, Sunday’s regular season finale games have put the Cougars in a must win situation in order to host the playoffs this week. WNCC is 15-13 in Empire Conference standings followed by Northeastern Colorado at 14-14, Lamar Community College at 13-15 and Otero Junior College at 13-17.

Northeastern Colorado swept Lamar Community College in contests on Saturday, earning a 5-4 8 inning win and then winning 7-3.

WNCC coach Mike Jones said they need to put these games behind them and concentrate on Sunday’s contests.

“Right now it is important for us to just put together a complete ball game. We haven’t played a complete ball game for a couple weeks now,” Jones said. “I think it is important for us to get back to some basic things that we need to focus on and stop worrying about wins and losses and back to playing the game a little bit better.”

Trinidad quickly took control of the contest, scoring twice n the first inning on two hits and could have had more, except for a diving snag by shortstop Trace Marsden that ended the inning and a 2-0 lead.

Trinidad put the game away in the second inning, scoring 13 runs on eight hits. WNCC’s defense didn’t help batters, as the pitchers issued three free passes and while the fielders had two clutch errors.

After that disastrous second inning, the Cougars settled down on defense. Still they couldn’t get the bat on the ball to generate any offense against Romine. WNCC’s only two hits came in the first inning from Jason Sloan and then the fourth inning from Alex Arias.

The second inning wasn’t much better, both ways for the Cougars. WNCC trailed 1-0 after one inning and then saw the deficit balloon to 6-0 after two innings and 10-0 after three. WNCC had just one hit in the contest, a fifth-inning single by Marsden.

WNCC, however, was playing banged up as starting shortstop Josh Parker couldn’t play after injury suffered in the McCook game on Friday. Sloan also left the second game after getting hit in the hand. Still, Jones said injuries are part of the game.

“We have a lot of injuries going on, but that is part of the game in a long college season,” he said. “We did not have an infielder out there today playing their regular position. That is part of It and we need to get through that. We need some time off, that is for sure. We will have to come back tomorrow [today] and battle for everything and give it all we got.”

Sam Diaz took the loss in the opening game, allowing 13 runs and striking out three. Armani Gonzalez came in relief and allowed two runs while striking out three. Rodil Martinez suffered the loss in game two, giving up 10 runs on four hits and striking out three. Marco Jiminiz finished off the game, going 2 1/3, while allowing three runs and striking out two.

Jones is hoping Sunday’s starters, Victor Rubio and David Castle, can produce the same results that the Trinidad starters had Saturday.

“He [Carosella] threw a great game,” he said. “He has a little bit of a cut on his fastball and he follows it up with a slider. We weren’t very aggressive with our approaches trying to go the other way. It will be important the next time we see him.”

First Game
Trinidad 2(13)0 00 – 15 10 1
WNCC 000 00 – 0 2 2
WP – Ronine, LP – Diaz; 3B – Trinidad (David Fox).

Second Game
Trinidad (39-15) 154 03 – 13 12 0
WNCC (24-26) 000 00 – 0 1 1
WP – Carosella; 2B – Trnidad (Jason Veyna, Zack Mees, David Fox, Joe Manders).

Baseball Region IX Standings
Team Conf. Overall
Trinidad State 23-5 39-15
WNCC 15-13 24-26
NE Colorado 14-14 20-23
Lamar 13-15 23-23
Otero 13-17 19-26
McCook 8-22 18-34

Saturday’s Games
Trinidad State 15, Western Nebraska 0
Trinidad State 13, Western Nebraska 0
NE Colorado 5, Lamar 4 (8 innings)
NE Colorado 7, Lamar 3

Sunday’s Games
Trinidad State at Western Nebraska, noon
Lamar at Northeastern Colorado, noon

WNCC baseball drops McCook at Cleveland Field, host Trinidad State Saturday and Sunday

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team scored four eighth inning runs to come back to topple McCook Community College in an Empire Conference contest Friday at Cleveland Field.

The win was huge entering the final weekend of the season as the Cougars are battling to host a first-round playoff game on May 1. With the win, WNCC still holds a 2-game advantage over Lamar Community College for the No. 2 seed. The top two seeds host first-round games in the regional playoffs.

WNCC is 15-11 in conference play, while lamar is 13-13. Northeastern Colorado is 11-14 and has an outside shot of hosting a playoff spot. The Cougars will host conference-leading Trinidad State Junior College in action Saturday and Sunday, while Lamar Community College travels to Northeastern Junior College this weekend. Saturday contests begin at 1 p.m., while Sunday’s cames are at noon.

“This win is real big, especially coming up on region games and preparing us for Trinidad,” the freshman from Miami, Fla., said. “This is a big week for us, especially since now we are going to face the No. 1 seed. We need to win those games so we can have some home games in conference. We just came up big today and that is what we have to do all the time.”

Arias was one of the heros on the day, finishing with two RBIs and a big eighth-inning home run that jumpstarted the Cougars offensive attack. Arias said he stay focused at the plate, hitting his second home run in two games.

“I got a fastball away and a fastball inside and I just connected on the pitch,” he said.

The way the Cougars came back, in the late innings, is something the Cougars are accustomed to.

“We just know what we have to do when we come up short in the first couple innings,” Arias said. “We know we have to step up late in the game. The bats, lately, have not been so good, but we are picking up pace and hopefully everybody is getting out of their slump.”

WNCC won the game with a lot of clutch hits from a variety of people. That is something that will help the team down the stretch, said Arias.

“We need those kind of hits,” he said. “Those two out hits are the ones that win the games.”

The eighth inning proved huge for the Cougars. WNCC trailed early 4-2 and then sliced the lead to one, 4-3 in the seventh. Trace Marsden led off with a double and scored on a Shane Wade had a run-scoring single.

McCook came right back in the eighth with a solo home run by Matt Raabe. WNCC didn’t fold, coming right back. Arias started things with a one-out solo home run. Then Ron Miller reached on an error followed by Anthony Paniagua walked. Pinch-hitter Elvis Garcia then was plucked by a pitch to load the bases.

Jared Baros scored two runs with a single to right field to put the Cougars up 6-5. Josh Parked added an insurance run, scoring pinch runner Brady Sanchez from third with a single to left field.

WNCC’s Tim Kupfner threw an excellent game, going eight innings while yielding five runs, four of which came in the second inning. Kupfner allowed 11 hits. Kupfner struck out two. He was also helped with some strong defensive play behind him as the Cougars turned two two double plays.

Victor Rubio picked up the save, throwing the ninth inning and striking out one.

WNCC stranded seven batters in the contest, four of which were in scoring position. McCook left eight on base, with two in scoring position.

WNCC finished with 11 hits in the game with four players get multiple hits. Parker was 3-for-4 with a runs scored, double and a RBI, while Arias was 2-for-4 with a home runs, run scored and two RBIs. Baros went 2-for-3 with two singles and two RBIs, while Marsden went 2-for-4 with a double and run scored.

McCook 040 000 010 – 5 12 1
WNCC 101 000 14x – 7 11 1
WP – Kupfner, LP – Austin Parker; Save – Rubio; 2B – WNCC (Parker, Marsden), RBI – WNCC (Arias), McCook (Raabe).

WNCC hits eight home runs, Groves ties season record for dingers

BEATRICE – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team hit eight home runs and 13 doubles in sweeping a doubleheader from Southeast Community College 22-0 and 16-4 to register their 40^th win of the season Friday in Beatrice.

WNCC’s Katie Groves was the offensive weapon on the day, finishing the doubleheader going a perfect 11-for-11, including tying the school record for season home runs with 15. Groves hit the tying home run in the first inning of the second game.

Groves finished the first game going 6-for-6 with two RBIs and six singles, and then went 5-for-5 in the nightcap with three runs scored, three RBIs and three doubles.

The freshman from Bluffdale, Utah, led off the second game with a double and then nine batters later, hit a 2-run home run to help the Cougars to an 8-0 lead in the first inning. After Southeast cut the lead to 8-3 after three innings, WNCC added five runs in the third and three more in the fifth for the win.

The Cougars finished the second game with 20 hits and 16 runs, including three home runs. Besides Groves season-tying blast, Brittany Chacon had a solo shot in the third inning and then Kelsey Garner had a solo shot in the fifth inning.

Garner and Alyssa Hickey each went 3-for-4. Garner had three runs scored, four RBIs a double and a home run, while Hickey had three runs scored, a RBI and three singles.

Also for WNCC, Megan Burditt was 2-for-2 with two singles; Stephanie Townsend was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a double; Casey Simpson was 2-for-2 with a run scored, a RBI and two singles; and Lauryn Smith was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, three RBIs and a double.

Townsend picked up the win from the circle, throwing five innings, four runs, eight hits and striking out four.

In the opening game, Garner sizzled from the circle, throwing a no-hitter, while striking out 12 to get the win.

Offensively, the Cougars had nine players record multiple hits. WNCC also had five home runs in the opener, including two each from Casey Simpson and Townend. Simpson had a solo blast in the second inning and then had a 2-run shot in the fifth. Townsend had a 3-run shot in the first and then had a solo home run in the second.

The other home run came off the bat of Hickey as she had a solo shot in the fifth.

Besides Groves’ 6-for-6 performance, Adena Hagen went 3-for-6 with a run scored, a RBI, a single and two doubles; and Tonya Atencio went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and three singles.

Also, Megan Burditt went 2-for-4 with a run scored, a RBI, and two singles; Townsend went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, four RBIs and two home runs; Kelly Pearson went 2-for-5 with two runs scored, a RBI and a double; Hickey went 2-for-5 with five runs scored, a RBI and a home run; Ganer went 2-for-5 with three runs scored, three RBIs and a double; and Simpson went 2-for-5 with three runs scored, 6t RBIs and two home runs.

WNCC, 40-16, will finish off the regular season Saturday when they travel to face the University of Wyoming in Laramie. The Cougars will then compete in the Region IX tournament may 1-3 with their first game scheduled for Friday against Otero Junior College at 4 p.m. Regionals will be played in Trinidad, Colo.

First game
WNCC 646 33 – 22 24
Southeast 000 00 – 0 0
WP – Garner; 2B – WNCC (Adena 2, Pearson, Garner); HR – WNCC (Simpson 2, Townsend 2, Hickey).

Second Game
WNCC (40-16) 805 03 – 16 20
Southeast 030 01 – 4 8
WP – Townsend; 2B – WNCC (Groves 3, Townsend, Garner, Smith); HR – WNCC (Groves, Garner, Chacon).

WNCC volleyball finishes recruiting by getting four more players

Western Nebraska Community College volleyball coach Giovana Melo is pleased with her first recruiting class, describing next year’s team as a fun group to watch.

“We will be very talented and fun,” Melo said. “They [the recruits] fit perfectly with our returners.”

Melo finished off her recruiting by getting four more players to join the program, including all-state performer from Louisiana Kathryn Stock, a 6-foot hitter from Thibodaux, La. Melo also inked Tania Delgado, a 6-1 middle/rightside hitter from Camuy, Puerto Rico, as well as 5-5 setter/libero Kulleialohamiaikalani (Kuulei) Kabalis of Hilo, Hawaii. Kuulei is the younger sister of current volleyball player Kalaini Kabalis.

Scottsbluff’s Mackenzie Westphal will also join the Cougar program next year after spending a year away from the game. Westphal, a 5-10 outside hitter who earned Star-Herald volleyball player of the year honors in 2007, originally inked with Wagner College after her senior year. She was one of the Bearcats leading hitters as a senior, leading them to the state tournament in 2005 and 2006.

Melo said the latest recruits will be good additions to the program.

“They are very promising athletes,” she said. “They will be a big addition for our team next year as well as all the other incoming freshmen. Mackenzie Westphal has also decided to come back and play for us.”

Stock, who was being recruited by a number of nationally-recognized programs such as Salt Lake Community College, Hillsborough Community College, Casper College, North Idaho College, Spartanburg Methodist, University of Lousiana-Lafayette and Nicholis State, earned all-state honors all four years of her high school career.

Stock finished her senior season with 321 kills, 125 aces, 324 digs and 111 blocks in 28 matches. She was named the MVP of the state championship team, MVP of the all-star game, and a Gatorade Player of the Year in volleyball for Lousiana.

Stock said she sent Melo an email about playing at WNCC.

“I choose WNCC because of the quality of education and the volleyball program,” Stock said. “The coaches and the team members attracted me to the college, plus the history of the program.

Stock not only shined on the volleyball court, but she excelled in the classroom, where she had a 4.0 grade point average and earned first place at the Academic Fair the past two seasons. She is hoping to continue excelling on both fronts at WNCC.

“I want to win a national championship, make new friends, share the gospel and get a good education,” she said.

Delgado also had the same playing and academic credentials as Stock, where she graduated with honors from Colegio San Felipe High School. She learned about WNCC from current volleyball Paloma Alvarez, who attended the same high school as she did.

“I choose WNCC because it is a good opportunity to improve my English,” she said. “I like the fact that there are a lot of international students there. I will also be able to improve my game and be with a very good team with good coaches.”

Delgado also participated in basketball and weighlifting San Felipe High. She was on the national honor society, was an honor program student and nominated to represent her high school in the “El Nuevo Educador” competition. She hopes to get an associate degree in biology and continue on to get a doctorate in surgery with a specialty in pediatric cardiology.

These four join three earlier volleyball players signing to play for Melo. They include Gering’s Sierra Schmidt, Kearney Catholic’s Emily Hoehn, and Woodland Park, Colo.’s Ariel Austin.

“As of right now, we will have 13 players overall,” Melo said. “We have seven freshmen and six sophomores, which is a pretty good balance.”

WNCC will open the season Aug. 28 and 29 at a tournament in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

WNCC softball hits five home runs, sweeps CCC-Columbus on the road

COLUMBUS – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team had five home runs, three of which came from the pitchers, as they swept a doubleheader from Central Community College-Columbus Thursday at Columbus.

WNCC trailed early in game one and then scored six times in the sixth inning to register a 9-3 win. The Cougars scored eight times in the nightcap to register a 14-1 win to push the Cougars to 38-16 on the season. WNCC will continue its eastern Nebraska road swing with contests against Southeast Community College in Beatrice Friday at 3 and 5 p.m.

“I thought in game one we came out a little flat and they [central] did a nice job of putting the ball in play,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “Then Alyssa Hickey hit the home run and tied the came up and we came back with six runs in the sixth inning to get the win.

“We continued that momentum in the game two where we played really well. We played much better. They strung a few hits together, but that was it. Also, all three of our pitchers [Casey Simpson, Stephanie Townsend and Kelsey Garner] had home runs today.”

WNCC trailed early in game one 3-2 after one inning. Hickey then had a solo home run in the third inning to tie the game.

The Cougars opened the contest up in the sixth inning as Simpson and Garner led off with back-to-back home runs. Tonya Atencio and Lauryn Smith followed by reaching base on a single and a walk. Katie Groves hit both in with a triple to make the score 7-3.

Garner picked up the win, allowing three runs, 10 hits and striking out 10.

Megan Burditt went 3-for-5 with three singles and two runs scored, while Groves went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, two RBIs, a triple and two walks. Hickey went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a home run.

WNCC made quick work in game two, scoring eight times in the first inning. Groves went 3-for-4 in the game, including having two hits, two RBIs and two runs scored in the first inning along. She also hit her 14^th home run of the season, a 2-run shot in the first inning.

Townsend went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBIs, a double and a home run. Townsend’s home run was a 2-run shot in the third inning.’

Also for the Cougars, Kelly Pearson went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBIs and three singles, Hickey went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBIs and three singles; and Smith went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two singles.

Townsend picked up the win, going three innings, scattering three hits and striking out one. Simpson started, going two innings in allowing a run, two hits and striking out one.

Game One
WNCC 201 006 0 – 9 10
CCC-Columbus 300 000 0 – 3 10
WP – Garner; 3B – WNCC (Groves); HR – WNCC (Simpson, Garner, Hickey).

Game Two
WNCC (38-16) 812 12 – 14 16
CCC-Columbus 010 00 – 1 5
WP – Townsend; 2B – WNCC (Townsend); HR – WNCC (Groves, Townsend).