Garner inks with Troy University, Voci headed to Adams State

Western Nebraska Community College softball players Kelsey Garner and Alec Voci will be continuing their softball careers at the next level after signing letter of intents last week.

Garner, who was the freshman and player of the year last season, will be pitching at the NCAA Division I level after signing with Troy University, the same school that former Chadron State College softball coach Jim Webb is now an assistant.

Voci will continue her playing days at Adams State in Alamosa, Colo. Adams State is a member of the RMAC conference.

Both softball players are excited to be continuing their softball careers. Garner is expected to be the Trojans No. 2 hurler next season.

“It is a good program and I think it is the best place to continue my softball career,” Garner said. “They already have a No. 1 pitcher, who has been there since she was a freshman. I will be their No. 2 going in.”

Garner has had a sterling tw0-year career at WNCC, where she will practically hold every WNCC pitching record. In two seasons, Garner has a 44-10-3 pitching record, while fanning 428 batters. Garner had a career earned run average of 1.90.

Last season, Garner helped the Cougars to the national tournament, while collecting a 31-4 record as a freshman and fanning 259 batters, a single-season WNCC record. Garner was also named the freshman and player of the year for Region IX.

“I think I had a good two years here,” the Regina, Saskatchewan, pitcher said. “I had had a lot of success and there has been a lot of competition. Hopefully, I can learn from this and bring it to Troy and see even better competition and get even better. I will definitely miss playing here.”

Garner had a lot of schools that were interested in her talents, but decided on the southern school located in Troy, Alabama. She is excited for the opportunity to pitch at the Division I level. She said that coming here for two years has prepared her for that next level.

“I think it will be really tough. I will have to get better and work hard,” she said. “I don’t think if I went to a four-year school right off the bat I would have been ready for it mentally or as a pitcher at all.”
Voci, who came to WNCC from Colorado Springs, Colo., said she decided on Adams State because it is close to home.

“I decided to go to Adams State because I played for coach Dervin Taylor [head coach] before and their program is really good, plus it is close to home.’
Voci has appeared in 87 games as a Cougar and in two seasons with 39 runs scored. Last season, Voci smashed seven home runs, which was third on the team. For her career, she has eight doubles and eight home runs.

Garner and Voci were key members on last year’s Region IX championship team and have a career record of 81-25. Last season WNCC was 54-10 and this year they are 27-15.

“It felt really good to go to nationals as freshman because all that hard work actually came to success and it paid off in the long run,” Voci said. “It was just a great feeling to win Region IX, especially beating Otero 6-0.”

Garner added, ““It was an eye-opener coming to college and going to nationals our first year here. I just think that we saw really good ball and it showed us how good we can be.”

Garner and Voci are just two of three players back from last year’s Region IX championship team and are now looked upon as leaders. Garner said it is a different role, but they learned what needs to be done by last year’s sophomores, who set the precedence for future players.

“When we were freshmen, we looked up to our sophomore class like we wanted to be as good as they were,” Garner said. “If everyone does that when they come in as freshmen and try to be as good as the sophomores, I think it will keep getting better and the sophomores will just keep setting the precedence.”

Voci said that what helped her the most was getting pushed to be a winner.

“I am going to miss most is how all of us girls are coming together and just how coach pushes us when she knows when we can be better.

The Cougars finished the home portion of their schedule last Saturday and both Garner and Voci were instrumental in getting wins against Trinidad State. Garner picked up both pitching wins, striking out 16, including 10 batters in the first-game, and then striking out six batter while facing just nine batters in the second game.

Three volleyball sophomores officially sign with Division I schools

The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team is becoming a pipeline of volleyball talent to the NCAA Division I level.

All three sophomores on this year’s Region IX championship team will be headed to the Division I level after officially signing letter of intents last week.

Fatima Balza and Nayka Benitez, who both verbally committed last December, officially signed to attend two top-level volleyball programs. Balza, the 6-foot-3 middle hitter is officially a Nittany Lion after inking with the NCAA national champions Penn State. Benitez is staying in-state after signing with Creighton University.

Paloma Alvarez, the third volleyball sophomore, will also compete at the Division I level after signing with Western Carolina University.

Alvarez, who transferred to WNCC from Colby Community College, is excited to be able to play at the Division I level. Alvarez said she wouldn’t have had that opportunity if it wasn’t for WNCC.

“Being here and even going to nationals which was a very big experience for me because I have I have never been to a national tournament it is pretty big,” the 5-foot-10 outside hitter said. “I hope I can bring that to the school I am I going to know and help improve the program and help to get them big.”

While Western Carolina isn’t a high level volleyball program, it is a program that Alvarez is happy with. She was also leaning towards attending the University of North Florida.

“It was kind of hard because it was between them and UNF,” she said. “Even though they are small and kind of unknown schools, they each had good things. I choose Western because it goes more with my personality and how I am, and I really think I can help them.”

Last season for the Cougars, Alvarez finished with 494 kills in 172 sets. She also served 120 points with 51 aces. She also finished with 114 blocks.

Western Carolina finished last season with a 6-26 record under head coach Manuel Concepcion, who used to coach at Colby Community College. Concepcion is originally from Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, where Alvarez is from.

While Alvarez will be attending a team that is on the rise, Balza and Benitez are headed to schools that are well known. Balza will be joining a Nittany Lion team that went 38-0, including topping Nebraska in the national semi-finals in five sets, in capturing back-to-back national titles.

Balza is not intimidated by the success of the Penn State program. She is just going to go in and play her role.

“The principal reason I chose to go to Penn State is because of the coach,” she said. “He told me he doesn’t want a player that carries a team, because everyone has their own role. He wants me to go there and play and not carry the team.”

Balza is excited to be going from one national championship team to another. WNCC volleyball won a national title in 2007.

“That is so good [from going to one championship team to another),” she said. “It will still be hard because I have to practice hard. It will also be different because it is totally different levels.”

“This year, the Cougars won a school record 59 matches and finished third at the national tournament, topping No. 1 ranked Iowa Western Community College in five sets. Balza was also named an NJCAA first-team all-American.

Balza also established herself as one of the top hitters in school history becoming only one of eight players to notch over 1,000 kills in her career. Balza had 1,055 total kills, including a team-leading 632 this season.

Balza also led this year’s team in service points, finishing with 375 points, including 64 aces. She had a service percentage of 90 percent. Balza also had 227 total blocks, which was second overall in the record book, just behind Silvia Oliveria’s 433 blocks back in the 2000-01 seasons. She also finished this season with 57 solo blocks.

Balza also finished this season with 152 digs and had a hitting percentage of .466.

Balza is slated to arrive at Penn State May 18 to begin summer workouts.

As for Benitez, the 5-4 libero, who also was a NJCAA first-team all-American, had plenty of colleges she was looking at. She was also leaning towards the University of South Florida so she could be closer to home.

“I choose Creighton because when I went there to visit, the team was nice and I really liked it,” she said. “That school is like a family, just like here. I think I will be comfortable. I am excited because maybe I will see them again. It will be a new experience.”

Benitez is not worried about following in another former Cougar’s footsteps at Creighton in Bianca Rivera. Rivera finished her stellar career at Creighton earning honorable mention all-American honors by the AVCA. Benitez earned second team AVCA all-American honors this past fall.

“That is no big deal [following in Bianca’s footsteps],” she said. “I know I can do the work and try to be just as good. I really don’t want people to compare me to her so I am going to work hard and do my work. I am not worrying about that. It will help me in some way, but it is not a big deal. I still have to work hard in trying to get my position. I think I will do it.”

Benitez had a stellar two years at WNCC at the libero position, helping the team to 115 wins in her two years at WNCC.

Benitez finished this year at the school’s all-time leader in aces served, collecting 250 in her two years. She had 142 as a freshman and finished this season with 108. Rivera finished her career at WNCC with 188 aces.

Benitez also collected 1,110 career digs, including 539 this past season. She is just one of nine volleyball players in WNCC history to collect over 1,000 digs. Rivera finished with 1,425 digs when she played for WNCC in 2005 and 2006. Benitez, who played in 301 games, also had 672 points.

WNCC scores five late-inning runs to topple NJC on the road

STERLING, Colo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team scored five times in the final two innings to register a come-from-behind 5-4 win against Northeastern Junior College Monday afternoon in Sterling, Colo.

The win pushes the Cougars Empire Conference record to 12-7 and 21-20 overall. The Cougars are currently in second place in the conference race behind Trinidad State’s 16-4 record and just two games ahead of Lamar Community College, who is at 11-9.

WNCC’s win Monday saw the Cougars facing a 4-0 deficit through seven innings. WNCC coach Mike Jones said the way his team won the game was outstanding.

“This turns out to be a really big win in the manner that we won the ball game. Being shut out through seven innings and then coming out in the eighth to string together some hits. We got a real big hit out of Josh Parker to drive in three runs. That was outstanding. Once we got momentum going, we really got confident and we were able to stop them. Victor Rubio comes into the game and shuts them down to give us an opportunity to win.”

It was the eighth inning where the Cougars scored four times on five hits to tie the game. Oscar Rodriquez started the comeback with a single followed by singles by Vince Rouse and Jared Baros to load the bases. Parker then came through with a triple that plated three runs.

Then, with no outs, Josh Sloan singled up the middle to score Parker with the tying run.

WNCC took the lead in the ninth inning on just one hit. With one out, Rouse singled, stole second and was awarded third base on a balk call. With two outs, Parker hit a hot shot and reached first on a throwing error, scoring Rouse from third for the go ahead run.

Jones was elated to see his team come back from a 4-0 deficit for the win, something this team has done all year in coming back from deficits.

"It has really grown amongst the team in the regard that we don’t panic,” he said. “Just because we are not hitting early, nobody is losing focus, nobody is losing confidence. We understand we are a good offensive team. Maybe we need to see the pitcher one or two at bats before we will really get to them. As long as we continue to pitch and play defense and let our offense settle in we will be O.K.”

The Cougars, however, were in trouble early, letting the Plainsmen score two times in the first inning on just one hit. NJC went up 4-0 as they scored twice in the sixth inning on three hits, including a solo home run by Cory Miller.

Victor Rubio then came in and shut down the Plainsmen bats to pick up the win in relief of Rodil Martinez. Rubio went 3 1/3 innings, allowing two hits and striking out three. Martinez also pitched well, allowing five hits and giving up three runs.

Jones was pleased with his two pitchers, after a big first-inning error gave the Plainsmen a 2-0 lead.

“Rodil pitched a good ball game, too,” he said. “We made one big, big mistake in the first inning and gave up two runs with that error. But Rodil didn’t lose focus. He kept his composure and was able to pitch six strong innings”

Offensively for the Cougars, Anthony Paniagua and Rouse each went 2-for-4. Rouse had two singles, while Paniagua had two early singles. Parker finished the game 1-for-5 with a triple and three RBIs, while Baros was 1-for-4 with a runs scored.

WNCC will next be in action Wednesday when they host McCook Community College in a conference game beginning at 2 p.m. at Cleveland Field in one 9-inning game.

“We are still in the No. 2 spot with a lot of big ball games left,” Jones said. “We can’t lose focus right now with McCook coming in on Wednesday and then we have a huge four games with Lamar on the weekend on the road. It should get interesting.”

WNCC (21-20) 000 000 041 – 5 11 1
NJC (15-23) 200 002 000 – 4 9 1
WP – Rubio, LP – Justin Huggins; 2B – NJC (Mike Goldy); 3B – WNCC (Parker), NJC (Scott Dalrymple); HR – NJC (Cory Miller).

WNCC softball earns sweep of Trinidad State

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team earned at least a share of the conference championship after sweeping through Trinidad State Junior College Saturday at Volunteer Field.

The Cougars scored six times in the second inning and Kelsey Garner recorded nine strikeouts to lift WNCC to an 8-4 first-game win. In the second of a twinbill, Garner and Casey Simpson combined for nine strike outs in powering the Cougars to a 9-3 win and raising their overall record to 27-15. It was WNCC’s seventh straight victory.

“For us, we want to be Region IX champions and not just the regular season champs,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “We want to prove to everyone that we are good enough that we can be a champion. All week we just told them to do what we do and it will take care of itself. The pressure is off of us. We have proved we should be a co-champion, if not champion. We will see what happens this weekend if Dawson finds a way to take one from Lamar and that puts us in the No. 1 seed [entering the regional tournament]. I don’t know if that matters in the tournament, but it is a lot of pride and shows where our program is going and where we want it going such as back-to-back champions. “

Saturday’s doubleheader sweep, and last home game of the season, brought how many heroes throughout the line up.

“Casey threw well. She had a couple of bumps in the road, but we knew they were going to score runs because they hit the ball well. They hit the ball well in the first game, too. It was just a matter of when were we going to come out of our shell and put some things together,” Winn-Ratliff said. “Alec [Voci] comes up with a big double in the second game to start off a big inning. She hasn’t seen a lot of time and that was great for her, especially on sophomore day.

“We were just piecing things together today. All-in-all, it is about bending and not breaking, and we did that again today. They went up early in both games and we allowed ourselves to do what we do best to get back in the game. I thought at the plate we were much more patient with the count. We lowered our strikeouts from the last time we played them and made their pitchers work a lot harder than before. We won twice [earlier this season] at their place but the games were in the seventh inning. It is nice that we didn’t have to rely on those big seventh-inning, hero-type games. We saw some kids do some things that hadn’t been doing things.”

In the opener, Trinidad State got on the board as Alyse Billick hammered a Garner fast-ball over the fence for a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

WNCC responded quickly, plating six runs in the bottom of the second inning to lead 6-1. The inning started as Alyssa Hickey was plunked by a pitch. A couple of batters later, Katie Groves rapped out a single that scored two runs. After Lauryn Smith got on by an error, Adena Hagen singled scoring another run.

WNCC added two insurance runs in the fifth inning to go up 8-1. Brittany Chacon had a two-out double off the fence to start the rally. Groves then roped a triple down the rightfield line and scored on an overthrow to third base.

Trinidad sliced the lead in half with three runs in the seventh, including a 3-run home run by Leah Hanson.

Garner picked up the win in the circle, allowing just four hits while striking out 10.

WNCC finished the contest with eight hits. Groves went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a triple, while Hagen went 2-for-4. Chacon finished the contest 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a double.

Garner also picked up the win in the second contest in relief of Simpson. Garner entered with a 3-1 deficit and faced just nine batters, striking out six.

In the meantime, the Cougar bats woke up after falling behind 3-1 in the fifth inning. The bottom half of the frame saw the Cougars score four times to jump in front 5-3. Tonya Atenciio started things with a single followed by Chacon earning a walk. Then, with one out, Lauryn Smith tripled to left field to tie the score.

After Smith scored on a passed ball, Kelly Pearson single to right field to score Hagen for the fifth run.

WNCC added another four runs it the sixth inning to put the game out of reach. Voci started things with a hard-hit double to left centerfield. Groves later had a run-scoring single, followed by back-to-back, run-scoring doubles by Smith and Hagen for the final margin.

Garner gets the win, allowing no hits and getting six strike outs in three innings of work. Simpson allowed just six hits and struck out three in her time in the circle.

WNCC finished with 10 hits, led by Smith and Hagen with two hits each. Smith was 2-for-4 with a double, triple, two runs scored and three RBIs, while Hagen was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, a double, RBI, and a stolen base.

WNCC (27-15) will next be in action later this week when they face Friends College J.V on Thursday, followed by contests with Sterling College J.V , Colby Community College and the 2-day Colby Tournament.

First Game
Trinidad 010 000 3 – 4 4 2
WNCC 060 020 x – 8 8 1
WP – Garner, LP – Julia Diehl; 2B – WNCC (Chacon; 3B – WNCC (Groves); HR – Trinidad (Billick, Hanson).

Second Game
Trindiad (21-16) 001 020 0 – 3 6 2
WNCC (27-15) 000 144 x – 9 10 2
WP – Garner, LP – Rachel Lovato; 2B – WNCC (Smith, Hagen, Voci); 3B – WNCC (Smith).

WNCC baseball splits with Northeastern Colorado

The Western Nebraska Community College responded with some timely hits in game two to earn a split with Northeastern Junior College Saturday afternoon at Cleveland Field.

The Cougars managed just four hits and watched the Plainsmen light up the WNCC pitchers for 18 hits and 12 runs in a 12-1 first game loss. In the second contest, WNCC had six hits and received a superb pitching performance from Sam Diaz to earn the split 3-1.

WNCC is now 11-7 in conference play and still three games out of first place behind Trinidad (16-4). Trinidad and Otero Junior College split a four-game series this weekend.

“We are still trying to hang onto that number two spot right now,” WNCC coach Mike Jones said. “This conference is a battle. Every day you go out there in conference doubleheaders, it is tough. Nobody is going to let up and I think it will just get better. The teams are going to put more and more pressure on each other. It is important for us to keep our composure in these games. That is the biggest thing, to be able to stay under control, keep our heads on straight and play fundamental baseball.”

WNCC had an opportunity to slice Trinidad’s lead to just two games, with an important four-game series against Trinidad coming up at the end of the month. NJC, however, had other ideas as the Plainsmen are battling to stay in the midst of a playoff berth.

“Northeastern did a real good job in game one. They put up 18 hits against us and we didn’t have anything for their left hander. That is twice now that he has pitched real good against us,” Jones said. “But to bounce right back in game two with Sam Diaz giving us a great outing as a starter with some good defense behind him, was good. We were able to rally for some hits there late in the game.”

NJC took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on three hits. WNCC sliced the lead in half in the second inning. Oscar Rodriguez walked and scored on a Rich Miller single.

The Plainsmen came back scoring 10 runs in the fourth through sixth inning to put the game away. NJC had five hits in the big fourth inning, where they scored three runs, including a double by Cory Miller.

NJC then scored one in the fifth, before scoring six in the sixth inning on eight hits, including a double by Nick Nguyen and a triple by Scott Dalrymple to put the game away.

Tim Kupfner suffered the loss, allowing eight hits while striking out one. NJC’s Matt Klein picked up the win, striking out seven and scattering four hits – all singles by four different Cougar batters.

NJC continued rolling offensively in the second game, scoring once in the first inning. Mike Golby led off with a double and scored on a throwing error for the quick 1-0 lead.

WNCC had a prime scoring opportunity to score in the third inning. Trace Marsden led off with a triple to left field. After Josh Parker walked, both runners were stranded.

The Cougars finally opened up offensively, scoring three times on three hits in the fifth inning. Marsden started the rally by getting walked. Then, with two outs, Jason Sloan delivered a clutch single to score Marsden with the tying run. Aurelio Monteagudo and Elvis Garcia followed with back –to-back run-scoring doubles for the 3-1 lead.

Rodil Martinez and Victor Ribio then came in and pitched the sixth and seventh innings to help the Cougars get the win.

Sam Diaz collected the win by going five innings, allowing five hits and striking out two. Diaz threw just 65 pitches before giving way to Martinez in the sixth inning. Martinez allowed two hits and struck out one, while Rubio pitched the seventh inning to get the save.

WNCC pounded out six hits in the contest. Marsden went 2-for-2 with a triple, a walk and a run scored.

WNCC (20-20) will next be in action Monday when they travel to Sterling, Colo., to face Northeastern Junior College in a 9-inning contest beginning at 1 p.m. WNCC will then be at home to face McCook Community College on Wednesday before traveling to Lamar Community College over the weekend for a key four-game series.

“We have to go to their [NJC} place and it is a little tougher to play there sometimes,” Jones said. “We will throw Rodil Martinez and we will have a strong bull pen behind him. We are looking for good things on Monday.”

First Game
NJC 200 316 – 12 18 2
WNCC 010 000 – 1 6 0WP – Klein, LP – Kupfner; 2B – NJC (Miller 2, Nguyen).

Second Game
NJC (15-22) 100 000 0 – 1 8 0
WNCC (20-20) 000 030 x – 3 6 2
WP – Diaz, LP – Ty Cardona; Save – Rubio; 2B – WNCC (Monteagudo, Garcia), NJC (Golby); 3B – WNCC (Marsden).

WNCC softball team tops Otero in doubleheader

Katie Groves’ 11^th home run of the season couldn’t have come at a better time for the Western Nebraska Community College softball team Wednesday in their conference doubleheader against Otero Junior College.

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh in the first game against Otero, Groves took the first pitch and sent it deep over the left centerfield fence. The blast helped the Cougars earn a 3-2 win against the Rattlers Wednesday at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

WNCC carried the momentum of the first-game dramatics into a 9-1 5-inning defeat over Otero Junior College to move the Cougars to 10-4 in conference play and 25-15 overall. The Cougars will have two more conference games left against Trinidad State Junior College on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.

“I think if we would have lost that first game, the second game momentum would have changed drastically,” the freshman from Bluffdale, Utah, said. “We needed to win that first game to give our pitchers some support and show them that we want it and we are going to fight for them.”

The Cougars, trailing 2-1 in their final at bat, needed a rally. In the previous six innings, the Cougars managed to strand six runners in scoring position and manage to connect for five hits.

Groves was anticipating a pitch that she could take out of the ball park from Otero pitcher Jordan Hathorne. She got it.

“I was thinking, ‘Please throw me a ball that I actually can swing at’,” she said. “At some point, I knew she had to bring me something instead of just walking me. I didn’t get very many good pitches all game and then all of a sudden, come the seventh inning with the game on the line, she gave me a pitch that I could get a hold of. And, it went.”

That home run, though, only tied the game. Lauryn Smith followed Groves home run by getting plunked with a pitch on the elbow. A couple pitches later, freshman Adena Hagen burned the outfield, stroking a double to the fence that scored Smith from first with the winning run.

WNCC did have to fight from behind the entire game in the opener. Otero took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on just one hit and three walks. After that, though, Kelsey Garner settled in and shut down the Otero bats, allowing just three hits the rest of the way. Garner also struck out nine Rattlers, including five of six batters at one stretch.

The Cougars sliced the lead in half in the third inning. Groves led off with a walk and scored on Hagen’s double to left field. Neither team score again until the bottom of the seventh.

Hagen and Groves finished the game with two hits apiece. Groves went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, two walks, a RBI and a home run; while Hagen went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs. WNCC managed just three other hits after that.

The second game saw the Cougars start the offense from the get-go and never let up.

“The second game, we decided after our between games meeting, that we were going to go out there and take it to them. We were sick of coming back and pull it out. It was time that we made a statement,” Groves said. “They [Otero] were joking around and laughing a little bit in game one. They thought they had it won. Then all of a sudden there it was, the win was ours. You could see their entire faces the next game that they were down.”

WNCC scored two runs in the first inning. Groves led off by reaching on a throwing error. Smith then singled. Hagen then scored Groves with a sacrifice fly and Smith came around to score on a ground out for the 2-0 lead.

Otero sliced the lead in half in the second. With one out, Taylor Todacheene walked and scored on a Kristen Gretner double. That would be it for the Otero offense, as Casey Simpson shut down the Otero bats, tossing a five hitter, while striking out three.

WNCC also put the game away in the third inning by plating six runs on eight hits. Groves got things started by singling to left field, followed by Smith getting a single. Hagen scored both runners with a triple.

Sofia Gomez followed with a double that hit the fence to make the score 5-1. Kelly Pearson and Alyssa Hickey came through with singles before Garner was walked to load the bases with just one out. Tonya Atencia and Brittany Chacon followed with run-scoring singles to make the score 8-1.

WNCC put added another run in the fourth inning. Hagen led off with a double and scored on a sacrifice fly by Hickey to go up by eight runs.

WNCC finished the contest with 10 hits, including three extra base hits. Hagen finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs, two runs scored, a double and a triple. Smith ended the contest 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Groves went 1-for-2 with two runs scored.

WNCC (25-15) will take its five-game winning streak into Saturday’s home finale against Trinidad State Junior College and Groves is hoping the team comes out ready to play.

“Every win is good and it is nicer to have a big lead and keep a big lead then hope we can pull it out at the end,” Groves said. “We are going to go out there [on Saturday] and give it our best shot for the crowd and the sophomores and hope to get two wins.”

First Game
Otero 200 000 0 – 2 4 1
WNCC 001 000 2 – 3 7 2
WP – Garner, LP – Jordan Hathorne; 2B – WNCC (Hagen), Otero (Regina Aragon, Ally Goniea); HR – WNCC (Groves).

Second Game
Otero (16-17) 010 00 – 1 5 1
WNCC (25-15) 206 1x – 9 10 0
WP – Simpson, LP – Shannon Traxinger; 2B – WNCC (Hagen, Gomez); 3B – WNCC (Hagen).

WNCC softball shuts out McCook in doubleheader sweep

McCOOK – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team tuned up nicely for Wednesday’s conference games against Otero Junior College by scoring 39 runs in a doubleheader sweep over McCook Community College Tuesday on the road.

In the opener, Casey Simpson struck out 13 and the Cougar bats erupting for nine second-inning runs in posting a 16-0 win. WNCC was just as lethal in the second game, rapping out 15 hits in securing a 23-0 win.

The Cougars will right back on the diamond Wednesday as they host Otero Junior College in conference contests. First pitch for the contests is 2 p.m. at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said the games against Otero are crucial for the regional tournament.

“These games will determine our seed for the regional tournament next month,” she said.

Winn-Ratliff said while the Cougars hit well, they also took advantage of scoring opportunities. WNCC had 22 hits in the two contests, but were helped by 33 McCook walks.

In the opener, WNCC quickly took control scoring once in the first inning and then plated nine runs in the second inning to take a 10-0 lead. The Cougars managed three more runs in the fourth and fifth innings.

Simpson also threw a sterling contest, allowing just one hit. The freshman from Nokomis, Saskatchewan also struck a season high 13 batters. In fact, Simpson was responsible for 13 of the 15 outs in the run-shortened contest. The other two outs were a fly out and a ground out.

Offensively, Lauryn Smith went 2-for-3 with a double, four RBIs and two runs scored, while Katie Groves finished 2-for-4 with a runs scored, two RBIs, a single and a triple.

Tiffany Lookabill also had a nice showing, going 1-for-3 with three runs scored, two RBIs and two walks.

Alyssa Hickey finished with three runs scored and an RBI without getting an official at bat. Hickey was walked three times and hit by a pitch in her four plate appearances.

WNCC was even more explosive offensively in game two, scoring 23 runs on 15 hits. The Cougars opened the contest scoring seven times in the first inning and then put up 14 runs in the fifth inning.

Stephanie Townsend also controlled the McCook batters from the circle in getting the win.. The freshman from Roosevelt, Utah, allowed two hits, while striking out three. The Cougar defense also allowed just three Indian baserunners.

Groves, the team leader in batting average, home runs and RBIs, led the team with a 3-for-4 performance, including three singles, three runs scored, three RBIs and a walk.

Three other players also contributed two hits. Townsend and Megan Burditt each went 2-for-2, while Smith went 2-for-3. Smith finished with two singles, two walks, two RBIs and four runs scored. Townsend had a double, three walks, two runs scored and two RBIs, while Burditt had two singles, two runs scored and two RBIs.

Hickey finished the night without a plate appearance for the second straight contest, as the freshman from Boulder, Colo., was walked three times and hit by a pitch another time. Kelly Pearson also added a double in the win, while going 1-for-2.

WNCC (23-15) is tied for the conference lead with Lamar Community College with 8-4 records. Otero, today’s conference opponent, is 8-6 in conference play and 16-16-15 overall. Otero and WNCC split a doubleheader back on March 15 with Otero winning the first game 3-2 before WNCC won the second 5-3.

First Game
WNCC 190 33 – 16 7
McCook 000 00 – 0 1
WP – Simpson; 2B – Smith; 3B – Groves.

Second Game
WNCC (23-15) 702 0(14) – 23 15
McCook 000 00 – 0 2
WP – Townsend; 2B – Pearson, Townsend.

Cougar baseball drops doubleheader to Otero

Submitted by Jeremy Woznick, Star-Herald Sports Reporter

LA JUNTA, Colo. - The Region IX baseball standings grew a little tighter after Otero Junior College posted a pair of one-run wins over Western Nebraska Community College on Monday afternoon in La Junta, Colo.

The wins pulled the Rattlers into a virtual tie with the Cougars for the third position in the conference standings. The top four teams in the conference advance to the regional tournament.
The two teams will face off in another doubleheader today beginning at noon.

Otero held off WNCC by a score of 3-2 in game one on Monday before Nike Arapkiles blasted a walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to give the Rattlers a 5-4 win in game two.

"They were good, intense, conference games," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "We had plenty of opportunities offensively in both games, but just didn't get enough big hits when we needed them."

In game one, Tim Kupfner proved to be the hard-luck loser on the mound for WNCC. Kupfner struck out nine and allowed just five hits in six innings of work.

The Cougars jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Elvis Garcia drove in the game's first run. Otero answered with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth to take a 3-1 advantage.

WNCC threatened in the seventh by loading the bases with no outs. Trace Marsden's run-scoring, sacrifice fly pulled the Cougars within 3-2, but that would be as close as WNCC would get.

Aurelio Monteagudo paced WNCC at the plate by going 2-for-3 with two singles. Alex Arias added a double for the Cougars.

"We got a great pitching performance from Kupfner in game one. He pitched a great ball game," Jones said. "We definitely had our chances throughout the game, especially in the seventh."

In game two, WNCC managed to hold leads on two different occasions, including 2-0 in the first inning. Otero answered with three runs in the bottom of the first before Monteagudo blasted a two-run home run in the top of the third to put the Cougars back in front 4-3. It was Monteagudo's team-leading ninth homer of the season.

Otero managed to scratch across a single run in the bottom of the third to knot the score up. Arapkiles' home run in the bottom of the seventh put an abrupt end to the contest. Arapkiles, Otero's cleanup hitter, went 4-for-8 at the plate in the doubleheader.

Jared Baros went 3-for-3 to pace WNCC offensively in game two. Garcia and Jason Sloan both went 2-for-4. Garcia and Arias both tallied a triple, while Arias drove in a pair of runs.

Sam Diaz was saddled with the loss on the mound out of the bullpen. He allowed one run on just two hits, while striking out three. Ben Doran started the game for WNCC. David Castle also saw action on the mound.

Jones said Rodil Martinez and Victor Rubio will start on the mound in today's games for WNCC.

Game One
WNCC 100 000 1 - 2 6 2
Otero 000 120 x - 3 5 0
WP - Caleb Monteil; LP - Tim Kupfner (3-2).
2B - Alex Arias.

Game Two
WNCC (17-19) 202 000 0 - 4 9 1
Otero (16-19) 301 000 1 - 5 10 1
LP - Sam Diaz (1-2).
HR - Aurelio Monteagudo. 3B - Elvis Garcia, Arias.

Monteagudo enjoying a big season on the diamond for WNCC baseball team

Submitted by Jeremy Woznick, Star-Herald Sports Reporter

There's not much more Aurelio Monteagudo enjoys in life than playing baseball.

"For me, baseball is my life," said Monteagudo, a WNCC sophomore from Miami. "I've been playing baseball for as long as I can remember. It's always been part of my life growing up."
His enjoyment level for the game is at an all-time high this year as he is in the midst of one of his best seasons on the diamond. Monteagudo currently leads the Cougars in six offensive categories, including home runs with eight. He also is tops on the team in batting average, slugging percentage, hits, runs batted in and total bases.

"He's been having a monstrous season for us," WNCC coach Mike Jones said. "He has really grown up and matured this year, not only as a ball player but as a person as well. He's really impressed me with his work ethic and his dedication to the game."

As one of just a handful of players back from last year's team that missed out on qualifying for the regional tournament, Monteagudo has proven to be a big reason the 17-17 Cougars have won their last eight conference games heading into Monday's doubleheader at Otero Junior College. WNCC is currently third in the conference standings, just a few games behind front-runner Trinidad State Junior College.

"It definitely has been a good season so far," Monteagudo said. "We have a good group of guys that work hard and train hard. We've been coming together as a team, and that's something we didn't do last year. If we keep working hard, I think we can win a lot more games."

Last season Monteagudo admits he didn't put up the type of numbers he should have. Like many freshmen, he struggled with the speed of the college game. In particular, he had a hard time adjusting to the pitching, specifically the amount of breaking balls he was faced with in the batter's box.

"Last year I wasn't prepared for the pitching," Monteagudo said. "In all of my at-bats I would see a lot of breaking balls, and it was hard for me to adjust."

At the end of the season, Monteagudo went home to Miami and devoted himself to a summer full of training in order to make the adjustment to the pitches he would see at the collegiate level. When he returned to the ball club this year, the hard work he put in was quickly noticed.

"As a hitter, he's really learned a lot about how to take an approach at the plate," Jones said. "He knows what pitches to look for to hit, and he knows how to make the adjustments to what pitchers are doing to him. He's just becoming a real smart ball player.

"He's come up with some huge hits that were very important for us. He's driven in a lot of runs, and he's really our offensive leader right now."

Hitting third in what's become a powerful Cougar lineup, Monteagudo still sees his share of breaking balls. But unlike last year, he's been able to patiently adjust with a hitting style that has him batting .404 with 40 hits and 34 runs batted in.

"I knew this year that I still would see a lot of breaking pitches. But I'm just more relaxed than I was last year," Monteagudo said. "I'm adjusting a lot better. I still need to try and stay back a little bit longer on the ball, but I'm adjusting better than last year. If it's in my zone and I like it, I'm going to swing."

About the only thing that has really been able to slow Monteagudo this season was a recent bout with a chest cold. He didn't make the trip with the team to Colby, Kan., on Wednesday. However, Jones expects him to be back in the lineup when the Cougars head south to take on the Rattlers in La Junta, Colo., on Monday and Tuesday.

As one of the sophomores on an extremely young ball club, Monteagudo has also been trying to help the freshmen on the team by sharing his experiences from a season ago.

"He's sharing his knowledge and letting guys know some of the mistakes he made as a freshman," Jones said. "He's really stepped up and been important in that role."

Monteagudo is also leading the Cougars in slugging percentage at .717. He also has scored 27 runs, hit seven doubles, has 71 total bases and owns an on-base percentage of .521.

Basketball clinic postponed

Due to the weather, the WNCC Boy's Basketball Clinic scheduled for April 4 from 1-4 p.m. at Cougar Palace has been postponed until a later date. Notification of the new date will be posted and published.

WNCC softball splits with Lamar

LAMAR, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team pounded out 16 hits in the second game of a doubleheader against Lamar Community College on Friday in Lamar, Colo.

The Cougar’s 16-hit offensive attack earned the team an 8-3 win to earn a split against the Lopes. In the opener, WNCC managed just four hits in falling 4-2. Both Lamar and WNCC are tied for the conference lead with 8-4 marks.

“We played very well in game two,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “We got a good performance in the circle from Kelsey Garner and we showed up to play in the game two.”

Garner picked up the win with a superb pitching performance. The sophomore from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, scattered four hits. Garner also struck out 12 and walked just one.

Offensively, the Cougars were just as explosive as four Cougars finished with a 3-hit game. Adena Hagen and Lauryn Smith each went 3-for-3, while Katie Groves and Sofia Gomez each went 3-for-4.

Hagen finished with three RBIs, two singles and a double, while Smith had three runs scored on three singles. Groves had two runs scored, two runs batted in and a double. Gomez had two runs batted in and singles.

WNCC got on the scoreboard first as Groves singled and scored on a Hagen double for the 1-0 lead. Lamar came back and tied the score in the second, only to watch the Cougars retake the lead in the third. Smith singled in the inning and scored on a Groves base hit.

The Cougars opened up the lead with a four-spot in the fifth inning. Smith singled and scored on a Groves double. WNCC followed with run-scoring singles by Hagen, Gomez and Alyssa Hickey to go up 6-1. WNCC scored three of the runs with two outs and left the bases loaded in the inning.

WNCC added two more runs in the sixth inning. Smith started things with a single. Garner singled Smith home and a couple batters later, Garner scored on a Gomez single for the 8-3 win.

Game two was an improvement over game one, in which the Cougars managed just four hits in scoring two runs. The Cougars, however, started the scoring with a single run it the first inning as Hagen singled and scored on a Gomez sacrifice fly.

Lamar responded with two runs in the bottom of the first inning and then went up 4-1 with two runs in the fourth inning. The Cougars mounted a comeback in the sixth. Groves started things with a double. Megan Burditt then came in to pinch run but was thrown out at the plate on a fielder’s choice by Alyssa Hickey. Hickey later came around to score on a Garner double to cut the lead to 4-2.

Groves, Gomez and Garner each had a double in the loss to lead the team.

Casey Simpson took the loss by giving up eight hits, striking out four and allowing two free passes.

WNCC (21-15) will next be in action Monday and Tuesday as they travel to McCook for doubleheaders before facing Otero Junior College in a conference 2-game set on Wednesday.

Game 1
WNCC 100 001 0 – 2 4 2
Lamar 200 200 x – 4 8 2
LP – Simpson; 2B – Groves, Gomez, Garner.

Game 2
WNCC 101 042 0 – 8 16 1
Lamar 010 002 0 – 3 4 1
WP – Garner; 2B – Hagen, Garner, Groves.

WNCC baseball splits with Colby Community College

Western Nebraska Community College baseball coach Mike Jones was disappointed with the split against Colby Community College Wednesday, but was pleased with the amount of depth his team is starting to show.

The Cougars had a hard-luck loss to Colby in the first game, falling 7-6. They responded with a 12-6 win in game two, scoring 11 runs in the first two innings.

“I was extremely disappointed in the split,” Jones said. “In the first game we didn’t pitch very well the first two innings of the game. We had an opportunity to control the game early. We went to the bull pen and had it under control, but we just couldn’t get the runs late.

“[Giving up early runs] has been the story of our season. We came out the second game and dominated the game early. We had such a big game early that we were able to keep it under control. Armani [Gonzalez] was able to settle in and pitch a pretty good ball game for us. We went to the bull pen following him and those guys were outstanding.”

The second-game victory was highlighted by offensive outburst by Scottsbluff’s Dallas Liptac who drove in four runs.

“In that win Wednesday, we had an opportunity to have different guys step up and be a part of a good win for us,” Jones said. “That is great to see and it is all part of a team concept and part of developing players. We have a guy like Dallas Liptac, who has been here for two years and works extremely hard, to see him have a nice game.”

Liptac finished game two with a 2-for-3 performance, including four RBIs. Jared Baros also went 2-for-3 with a run batted in, while Elvis Garcia added a two-run double in the second game win.

Armani Gonzalez worked 4 2/3 innings on the mound to register his second victory of the season. Gonzalez scattered eight hits and struck out one.

WNCC opened the contest by plating five first-inning runs. Colby, however, came right back and scored three times to cut the lead to 5-3. The Cougars opened the contest in the second inning, plating six runners for an 11-3 lead.

In the opener, the Cougars’ lost a hard-fought contest 7-6, allowing Colby to score seven times in the first two innings to trail 7-5. Gustavo Sanchez took the loss, working just 1 2/3, while allowing seven runs on six hits. David Castle, a Guensey, Wyo., product, came in relief and shut down the Trojans’ bats. Castle struck out three and allowed no runs with his stint on the mound.

Brady Sanchez, who played for the Buckley Bombers Legion baseball team out of Chappell, also stepped up in the first game, going 2-for-3 and driving in a run. Alex Arias also chipped in a double for the Cougars.

“Brady has a good ball game for as well and Shane Wade had a good ball game for us on the day,” Jones said. “It was great that we got different out there and they produced so well. That shows the strength and depth of our team.”

WNCC (17-17) will now head into a stretch of eight-straight conference games. WNCC will travel to Otero Junior College on Sunday and Monday, followed by a road doubleheader at Northeastern Junior College and then a home contest April 11 against NJC.

Jones said those conference games are becoming very important. WNCC sits third in the conference standings with an 8-4 mark behind Trinidad State (10-1) and Lamar Community College (7-4). The top four teams advance into the Region IX Playoffs.

“These conference games are really starting to build up and the importance of them continues to grow,” Jones said. “Trinidad continues to keep pressure on everybody. They are sitting at 10-1 and they are not making any mistakes and they are not slipping up. These conference games are important.

“Otero is a team that we were able to beat here and now we have to go to their place. Anytime you have to go on the road in this conference, things get tough. It will be a battle and a grind, and we will see what happens.”

Game One
WNCC 140 001 0 — 6 4 0
Colby 340 000 x — 7 9 1
LP — Gustavo Sanchez; 2B — Alex Arias.

Game Two
WNCC (17-17) 560 000 1 — 12 8 2
Colby 302 000 1 — 6 10 2
WP — Armani Gonzalez; 2B — Elvis Garcia.

WNCC softball team's game with Otero has been moved to April 8

The Western Nebraska Community College home softball game slated for Saturday, April 4 against Otero Junior College has been moved to Wednesday, April 8.

First pitch at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff is slated to begin at 2 p.m. for the doubleheader.

The Cougar softball team's next contests will be on the road at Lamar Community College on Friday, April 3. They will then face McCook Community College Monday and Tuesday in McCook, before returning home to face Otero on Wednesday.

WNCC volleyball to host Turf Challenge May 2-3 at Lacy Park

The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team will hosting a outdoor volleyball tournament during the weekend of May 2 and 3.

The WNCC Turf Challenge will feature teams of women’s doubles, coed doubles and coed four-player teams during the 2-day event. The Turf Challenge will take place at Lacy Park in Scottsbluff. The volleyball tournament is sponsored by Runza and Scottsbluff Screen-printing.

WNCC coach Giovana Melo got the idea from Arizona State University.

“We had one at ASU and it was a lot of fun so I just thought we could do the same here since our community loves volleyball,” Melo said. “I think it should be a lot of fun for the community. It is for the older crowd. High School players are not allowed to play unless they are 18 years old.”

The cost of the tournament will be $20 per person for the women’s coed, coed and the coed four-person division if registered by April 28. After that, the registration is $40. Also, if a player wants to play both days, the cost is $30 per person before April 28. Melo said women’s doubles and coed doubles will be held on Saturday, May 2, while the coed division will be held on Sunday, May 3.

Also, individual teams can bid on current Cougar players to be part of their team. Contact Melo via email (melog@wncc.net) if you would like to make a bid on a Cougar player. All bids start at $20.

“The teams will get a chance to play with and hang out with them all day if they win the bids,” Melo said.

To register for the Turf Challenge, contact Melo via email at melog@wncc.net or call at 308-635-6028. Also, registration for the tournament can be done online at www.wnccvolleyball.com.

WNCC softball drops doubleheader to Lamar at home

The conference-leading Western Nebraska Community College softball team was in prime position to widen its hold on the first place. Instead, Lamar Community College came to Volunteer field and upended the Cougars in a doubleheader, claiming 4-1 and 6-5 wins Sunday afternoon.

“It definitely shakes things up in the region,” WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said. “Hopefully now they understand that every game is important and region games are more important than any game. What we have done know is open the door for two or three other teams to win the region. We could have closed the door on a couple of teams If we would have came out and been victorious today.

“I said all year the region is wide open and whoever plays well in May will win it. It just proves that factor that you have to show up and willing to play day in and day out and today we weren’t. We didn’t win and we will bounce back on Wednesday and then we will face Otero and Lamar again.”

WNCC falls to 7-3 in conference play and is percentage points ahead of Lamar, who is in second at 5-3. Trinidad State and Otero are both 4-4 in the conference.

Wins Sunday by WNCC definitely would have changed the complexion of the conference. Lamar had different ideas as the Runnin’ Lopes pitcher Brittany Bourque held the Cougar runs in check.

“Lamar did everything they needed to do to come in and win. They came in this morning, driving all this way and I thought we came out a little flat,” Winn-Ratliff said. “Their pitcher [Bourque] did a very nice job on the mound containing us. It was 0-0 through five in game one and then we commit an error and they get a run. We then claw our way back into it going into the seventh inning. I tell the kids all the time we can’t wait until the seventh inning. It is great if you can score early, but you have to find a way to produce every inning and make things happen. We left way too many runners on base.”

Lamar scored once in the fifth inning and then added two more runs in the sixth on a 2-run home run by Katie Schoepf to take a 3-0 lead. WNCC finally plated a run in the bottom of the frame. Katie Groves tied the game with one swing of the bat, blasting a lead-off home run in the sixth inning. It was the freshman from Bluffdale, Utah’s, 1oth home run of the season.

Lamar came back and added an insurance run in the seventh as Samantha Lopez has a solo shot to center field.

The Cougars mounted a comeback in the in the seventh. With two outs, Adena Hagen and Kelsey Garner got on base. Both, however, were stranded as Bourque registered her seventh strike out of the game to earn the victory.

WNCC left five players in scoring position in the opening-game lose. The Cougars were also outhit 7-6. Hagen and Groves had the only extra base hits for the Cougars. Hagen had a double to lead off the first inning, and Groves was the home run in the sixth.

Garner took the loss in the circle, scattering seven hits while striking out five out five. Garner also walked two Lamar batters.

The second game turned into a pitcher’s duel early between WNCC’s Casey Simpson and Lamar’s Emily Huhta. WNCC finally cracked the 0-0 tie with two runs in the fourth inning. Lauryn Smith started things with a single followed by Kelly Pearson reaching base on an error. Both came around to score on Groves double to left field for the 2-0 lead.

Lamar sliced the lead in half in the fifth inning as Lopez scored on a 2-out single by Kayla Bruner.

The Cougars bounced right back in the bottom of the frame, plating two runs. Tonya Atencio led off with a single to right field. Hagen drove in Atencio with a one-out single for a 3-1 lead. Smith followed with a triple to right-center field to make the score 4-1.

The score stayed that way until Lamar put together a seventh-inning rally that saw the Lopes score five times on four hits. Alex Davis started things with a pinch-hit, one-out single. Lopez then walked followed by a single by Maddie Maestas, Bruner delivered a single to score two runs. Lamar added two more runs on a single by Schoepf for a 6-4 lead.

WNCC tried coming back in the seventh. Hagen started things by reaching base on an error. Then, with two outs, Pearson delivered a double to score Hagen for the final run.

Simpson took the loss allowing six runs on 10 hits, while striking out three and walking two and hitting one batter. Bourque picked up the win in relief, throwing 2 2/3 innings. The sophomore from Aurora, Colo., struck out one and allowed just one hit.

WNCC was outhit 10-6 in the contest. Smith went 2-for-4 with a triple, a RBI and a run scored, while Pearson went 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored and a RBI.

WNCC will look to bounce back from Sunday’s losses as they entertain McCook Community College on Wednesday before hosting Otero Junior College on Saturday. WNCC’s Friday home contest with Lamar will now be played in Lamar on a date to be determined.

Game One
Lamar 000 012 1 – 4 7 2
WNCC 000 001 0 – 1 6 2
WP – Bourque, LP – Garner; 2B – WNCC (Hagen); HR – WNCC (Groves), Lamar (Lopez, Schoepf).

Game Two
Lamar (20-17) 000 010 5 – 6 10 1
WNCC (20-14) 000 220 1 – 5 6 1
WP – Bourque, LP – Simpson; 2B – WNCC (Pearson, Groves); 3B – WNCC (Smith).

WNCC baseball sweeps Northeastern Colorado in a doubleheader

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team evened its record at 16-16 with two impressive wins against Northeastern Junior College Sunday at Cleveland Field in Scottsbluff.

The Cougars pounded out 18 hits, including three home runs, to register a come-from-behind 16-8 win. Game two was much closer as the Cougars scored the winning run in the 8^th inning to register the 5-4 extra-inning win.

WNCC coach Mike Jones said the wins were not only huge to bring their record back to .500, but it moved the Cougars to 8-4 in conference play.

“The most important thing right now is our conference record, which goes to 8-4. We are looking real good right now in the conference race,” Jones said. “It will be important for us not to let up and it is important for us to understand it took a lot of hard work to get to this point and we have to continue that attitude. We can’t slip and let up.”

WNCC was in a position to drop both games on Sunday. Instead, they found a way to win, in contests that featured the Cougars winning different ways. In game one, WNCC trailed 7-3 after three inning.

“In game one, it was nice that our offense picked up Tim [Kupfner], who had a shaky outing,” Jones said. ”We haven’t seen him pitch like that all year. Normally he really shuts down teams. NJC got to him and put up some runs early and we were playing catch up. It was nice that our offense stepped up and got us back in the ball game and we really took it over.”

The Cougars comeback was highlighted by teeing off on the Northeastern Junior College pitchers to the tune of seven extra base hits in the last three innings. Oscar Rodriquez started with a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning. Four batters later, Aurelio Monteagudo launched a 3-run blast that landed in the parking lot of the softball field to tie the game at 7-7.

WNCC put the game away in the fifth inning, scoring seven times to take a 14-7 lead. WNCC had six straight hits in the inning, including 2 run-scoring double by Josh Parker and Monteagudo, and a 2-run home run by Elvis Garcia that landed about the same spot in the parking lot as Monteagudo’s blast in the fourth inning.

“We had a nice wind blowing straight out to left field and we got some good pitches to hit that were down the middle of the plate,” Jones said. “Our guys did a nice job of putting good swings on them.”

NJC came back with a single run in the sixth inning on back-to-back doubles by Sean Flaherty and Cory Miller.

WNCC added two more runs in the sixth inning. Ron Miller led off with a double and then scored on a Vince Rouse triple. Rouse later scored on a Sloan single.

Rodil Martinez picked up the win for the Cougars, going three innings. Martinez allowed just one run and two hits, while striking out two. Kupfner started the game and went four innings, giving up seven runs on nine hits and two home runs. Kupfner struck out six in his four innings of work.

Sloan paced the team from the plate, going 4-for-4 with three runs scored, a double and a RBI. Monteagudo went 3-for-5 with six RBIs, two runs scored, a double and a home run. Also for the Cougars in the opener, Parker went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBIs and double; Garcia went 2-fof-4 with a home run and four RBIs; Alex Arias went 2-for-4 with a triple; and Rouse went 2-for-3 with three runs scored, two RBIs and a triple.

WNCC also needed a comeback in game two. The Plainsmen jumped out to a 4-1 lead after five innings. The big blast for NJC came in the fifth when Nick Nguyen delivered his second home of the day, a two-run shot.

WNCC scored a single run in the third. Jared Baros reached base on an error and scored on a Parker ground out.

The Cougars tied the game in the sixth inning with three runs on just two hits. Baros led off with a single. Parker then walked before Sloan doubled in Baros for the Cougar’s second run of the day. Parker later scored on a Garcia ground out and then Sloan scored on a throwing error to tie the game at 4-4.

In the extra inning, NJC had two runners on before the Cougars turned a double play to thwart the scoring opportunity. WNCC capitalized in the bottom of the inning. Parker delivered a bloop single to lead off the inning. Sloan then tried a sacrifice bunt, which turned into a single to put two runners on with no outs. Monteagudo then delivered the hit down the third base line that scored Parker with the winning run.

“In the second game, I thought their left hander [Matt Klein] did a great job of stopping our offense,” Jones said. “We have been an offense that has been known to put up quite a few runs and he really stopped us. He held us in game two, but good teams always find a way to win. It is nice that we were able to find a way to score some runs in the ball game and get it there in the end.”

WNCC, after finishing with 18 hits in game one, were out hit 12-5 in game two. Sloan went 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double and a RBI.

Victor Rubio picked up the win, throwing 3 2/3 innings in relief of Ben Doran. Rubio scattered five hits in allowing zero runs. Rubio also struck out 4 and walked two. Doran allowed seven hits, walked four and struck out one in 4 1/3 innings of work.

WNCC (16-16) will next be in action Wednesday when they travel to Colby Community College. They will then face Otero Junior College on the road Saturday and Sunday in conference games. Otero took 3 of 4 from McCook this weekend, downing the Indians 5-1, 11-2, 13-2, before falling 12-10.

Game One
NJC 113 201 0 – 8 11 1
WNCC 102 472 x – 16 18 0
WP – Rodil Martinez, LP – Javier Banuellos; 2B – WNCC (Parker, Sloan, Miller), NJC (Flaherty), 3B – WNCC (Arias, Rouse); HR – WNCC (Monteagudo, Garcia, Rodriquez).

Game Two
NJC (10-19) 020 020 00 – 4 12 3
WNCC (16-16) 001 003 01 – 5 5 0
WP – Rubio, LP – Klein; 2B – WNCC (Sloan), NJC (Nguyan, Billy McHenry); HR – NJC (Nguyen).

WNCC baseball will play at home on Sunday against NJC

The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team will play at home after all. The Cougars, 14-16, will host Northeastern Junior College in a doubleheader at Cleveland Field on Sunday, March 29. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

WNCC and NJC were slated to play Tuesday in Sterling, Colo., but because of the unsettled weather forecasted, the game was switched to Cleveland Field. The WNCC and NJC contest will also effect future games between the two squads. On April 10, WNCC will now travel to Sterling, Colo., for a doubleheader before the Plainsmen come to Cleveland Field for a contest on April 11.

The Cougar baseball team was suppose to play Trinidad State Junior College this weekend, but those games were pushed back to April 25 and 26 at Cleveland Field because of field conditions.

Also playing at home on Sunday will be the Cougar softball team. The WNCC ladies will take on Lamar Community College at 2 p.m. at Volunteer Field. The game was originally slated for Lamar, Colo., but snow in southern Colorado forced the location change.

Weather forces postponements, cancellations for this weekend

The weather has caused plenty of changes with this weekend's Western Nebraska Community College athletic schedule.

The Cougar baseball team was slated to host conference leading Trinidad State Junior College in a four-game series Saturday and Sunday. Because of the weather the past week, Cleveland Field is unplayable. The games have now been moved to April 25 and 26. The Cougars will next be in action Tuesday March 31 when they travel to Sterling, Colo., to face Northeastern Junior College in a conference doubleheader.

The softball team also had their weekend revamped. WNCC's contest with Lamar Community College slated for Saturday at Lamar, has been moved to Sunday. That forced Sunday's games with Colby Community College to be moved to April 20.

The Cougar softball team, who received votes in this week's NJCAA softball poll, will return home on Wednesday, April 1 to face McCook Community College.

WNCC athletic postponements and cancelations

The Western Nebraska Community College high school-age volleyball clinic that was scheduled for Tonight, Tuesday, March 24, has been postponed until Tuesday, April 7. The time of the clinic will be from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Also, the WNCC Cougar baseball game with Colorado State University scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at Cleveland field has been canceled because of the weather.

WNCC softball shirts auctioned off with proceeds going to Scleroderma Foundation

The Western Nebraska Community College softball team made Scleroderma Awareness Day something special.

Not only did the Cougars earn 10-2 and 11-1 victories against Dawson Community College to go to 7-1 in conference play and picking up their 20^th win of the season, WNCC donated all the money from the gate and concession stand to the Scleroderma Foundation.

WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said it was a special day all the way around.

“We had Scleroderma Awareness Day because one of our players, Brenda Hearn had the condition, to raise some money for the Scleroderma Foundation,” Winn-Ratliff said. “It has been unique, especially for myself because I didn’t know anything about it before her coming here, so she has educated all of us on it.”

Saturday’s doubleheader with Dawson Community College was called Strike Outs for Scleroderma and the college gave out information packets about Scleroderma as well as WNCC items for each strike out by a WNCC pitcher.

“We just wanted to help get the awareness out and let people in our community know about it,” Winn-Ratliff said. “I don’t think, prior to Brenda coming here, that many people knew about it. We have had responses from the articles [in the newspaper and the website] from other people that want to help, so the information is getting out there.”

Hearn was appreciative for the special day that the college organized to help raise funds for the Scleroderma Foundation.

“The day was pretty special because I was surprised to see all the people that came to the game. I really liked that the people were there to not only support the softball team, but also to support the Scleroderma Foundation,” the freshman from New Mexico, said.

People still can donate, said Winn-Ratliff, because the special turquoise shirts that the players wore in the game will be auctioned off.

“Today was a great opportunity for us to do some community support and learn more about the disease,” she said. “The girls autographed their shirts that they wore in today’s games. We are going to have an auction where people can either email or text message their bids so we can get the Scleroderma Foundation some money to get some more research and also help us to better educate ourselves. We just want to help Brenda and others that have that condition.”

The shirts were autographed by the player and they will be auctioned off through the Internet. Individuals can bid on the shirts April 11, the date of the softball team’s last home game. All the money raised during the jersey auction will go to the Scleroderma Foundation.

Hearn is hoping that a lot of people send in bids. There are 16 shirts available to be bid on, including Hearn’s shirt.

“I think this is a cool idea because the more money the Scleroderma Foundation can get, the more ways they can try to find cures so people with Scleroderma have more options. So, with the jersey’s being auctioned, I think it is a cool way for people to get something and for the foundation to get something.”

On Monday, pictures of the player with their autographed shirts will be online on the WNCC athletic website (sports.wncc.net). Individuals then can either email or text message head coach Maria Winn-Ratliff (winnm@wncc.net or 308-6725880), assistant coach Molly Bonuchi (mollybonuchi@sbcglobal.net or 573-489-0484) or Mark Rein (mrein@wncc.net or 308-631-0459) with a bid to purchase that player’s jersey. The bids will then be listed on the website with the current-leading highest bid. Bidding will close at noon on April 11. To bid, the individuals needs to include the player's name/number, bid amount, and contact information.

“I am letting my whole family know about it,” Hearn said. “Hopefully everyone else passes along the word and checks out the website to put in a few bucks.”

Hearn is still in awe of how WNCC and Winn-Ratliff has taken on a project like this to educate everyone about Scleroderma, a rare disease that is a condition which the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues. The disease varies as moderate to severe and sometimes even life-threatening.

“I really appreciate the day because the day lets people know and to be aware of Scleroderma is and how confusing it is,” Hearn said. “For them to make a day for me was really special. And letting the community know about it is also really cool.