WNCC volleyball team begins practice with plenty of talent

                The Western Nebraska Community College volleyball team's first day of practice on Friday was all business. Their mission, and motto, is "Unfinished Business."

               That is exactly how the returning sophomores are looking at the season after the Cougars lost in the NJCAA national tournament championship game last November.

               "We want to finish the season. We want to be champions," Luiza Martins said. "The unfinished business is because of the sophomores and now the freshmen who are now Cougars. They need know what we have been through [since the championship match loss]. They need to know that we need to finish this not only for us sophomore but also for them."

               The Cougars went through one 2-hour practice on Friday and then left for a team-bonding weekend trip. After that, they will endure two-a-days until school starts. Martins said she is excited to get going in her sophomore year at WNCC.

               "I am a lot excited because it is my last year and each day is my last day over here," the Brazil native said. "I am really excited to work together to as hard as we can."

               Even head coach Giovana Melo is excited for the season.

               "This season will be exciting because of the group coming back. They were a little bit bitter after they lost in the final and I think they have a lot of heart and they want it a lot," Melo said. "The freshmen coming in is a big group and they are a pretty athletic group and they are willing to work hard. i am pretty excited and ready to get excited with them."

               The Cougars return six players from a year ago in All-American Martins, Priscila Mendez, Allora Tanner, Lindsay Wehkamp, Kasey Lafitaga, and Gering native Morgan Broussard.

               The freshmen include Erika Goodwin, 5-8 of Milford, Kan.; 5-8 Amanda Schoene and 6-0 Kayla Martin of Bakersfield, Calif.; 5-7 Rachael McCracken of Weldona, Colo.; Kylie Fa'Amoe of West Jordan, Utah; 6-0 Leticia Silva of Brazil; 6-0 Gabriela Varela of Puerto Rico; and 5-4 Cassandra Hernandez of Aurora, Colo.

               Melo likes the size of this year's team, which includes five players that stand 6-foot or taller.

               "i think we are a little bit more physical than what we have been in the past and we are a pretty tall team," Melo said. "I think that will help, but at the same time we are known by having good ball control and playing fast. We will see how that will combine since we have a little big taller group. I think the group is a pretty good mix with people coming from all over the place."

               Last season the Cougars finished with a 42-3 record, but to duplicate or even improve upon that sizzling mark will not be an easy task. In the opening weekend Aug. 23-24 at the Reiver Invite in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the Cougars will face four teams that were at the national tournament last year in San Jacinto College, North Idaho College, Barton Community College, and Iowa Western Community College.

               "This season will not be easy, but we need to work hard and work together," Martins said. "Last year I remember our first game was horrible but then we got second in the nation. We just need to work hard and work together and stay together as a group."

               More importantly, though, the 2 1/2 weeks of pre-season practice should get the team ready and seasoned for the season opener. The Cougars will have a blue and gold scrimmage on Aug. 17 and their first home game is Aug. 27 against Casper College.

               "I think we have a great team and we just need to work together," Martins said. "We have great players and each one of them has a different talent. We just need to work hard together not just inside the court, but we have to work hard outside the court with studying and in the community."

              

              

WNCC men's basketball team signs two big men

Brandon Morley in action.

                Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball coach Russ Beck added some size to the roster next season with the latest signings.

                Beck inked Brandon Morley, a 7-foot center from Bingham High School in Bingham, Utah, and Julio Guity, a 6-8 power forward from Morse High in San Diego, California.

                Beck is excited to have both players in the program.

                “Brandon is a huge pick up for us and we have been recruiting him hard all year,” he said. “He really blossomed into one of the state of Utah's best big men in 2013. He was heavily recruited by both Salt Lake Community College and several four year schools in the state of Utah."

Morley had an outstanding senior season for Bingham. Morley played in 24 games, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals a game. He had nine double-doubles. He scored a season high 26 points in a game against Bountiful, Utah, and had a season high 17 rebounds in a game against Judge Memorial.

“Brandon is a winner and a great young man,” he said. “He has all the intangibles and a great attitude. Not many seven footers have his hands and feet and there is a lot more to his game than most people saw this last season. He is going to help us and we are going to help him.”

Guity will also make an impact for the Cougars in the paint. Guity was ranked the 13^th best player in California by the Scoutsfocus recruiting service and 111^th overall.

Beck sees Guity as a player with the same build and athleticism as former Cougars DuVaughn Maxwell and Terrance Motley.

“We needed an athletic forward in the mold of Terrance motley and DuVaughn Maxwell,” Beck said. “We needed a guy that can get on the rim, rebound and create scoring opportunities with their athleticism.”

Guity helped his team to a 22-8 record, while averaging six points and 7.3 rebounds a game. He also averaged 2.1 blocks a game.  Guity had 15 double-figure rebounding games, including a season high 15 rebounds three times.

“We feel that Julio has tremendous upside and that we are the perfect school to help him achieve his short and long term goals,” Beck said.

Morley and Guity join the other eight signees for the Cougars next season that include Zac Bibb of Gering; Joel Einfeldt of Cedar City, Utah; Diante Mitchell of Syracuse, Utah; Tyler Crosbie of Providence, Utah; Tanner Lebaron of Highland, Utah; Preston Christiansen of Layton, Utah; Austin Clark of Richfield, Utah; and Derric Bowers of Phoenix, Ariz.

WNCC women's basketball, softball teams earn honors; eight Cougar student-athletes earn NJCAA academic honors

 (These three Cougar athletes (left) earned Superior Academic Achievement by the NJCAA. They are, from top to bottom, Gritt Ryder, Kayla Romey and Melanie Rowson.)

                 The Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball and softball teams, along with eight Cougar student-athletes, were recently honored by the National Junior College Athletic Association for their academics the past season after the NJCAA released it All-Academic Team and Individual honors this week.

                The women’s basketball team had the biggest honor as they were among the top 15 women’s basketball teams in academics. The Cougar women, who won the Region IX title in March, finished with a 3.39 grade point average.

                The Cougar women also had four players earn Academic Achievement. Gritt Ryder, a sophomore from Denmark, earned a Superior Academic Achievement, finishing with a 3.83 GPA. Earning Exemplary Academic Achievement were Jessica Aratani of Morrill (3.72), Idil Ozbayrak of Turkey (3.66), and Kelsey Doddridge of Kersey, Colo., (3.62).

                The women’s softball and soccer teams also earned All-Academic recognition.

                The Cougar softball team, who set a school record with 56 wins this past season, earned an Academic Team designation after they finished with a 3.01 GPA.

                Cougar softball players Kayla Romey and Melanie Rowson were also awarded a Superior Academic Achievement honor. Rowson, a sophomore from Vancouver, British Columbia, finished with a 3.91 GPA. Rowson was also awarded the WNCC Female Highest GPA honor in April.

                Romey, a Gering High graduate, earned a Superior Achievement with a 3.8 GPA. Both Romey and Rowson have signed to play at Friends University next year.

                The Cougar women’s soccer team had two players earn Exemplary Academic Achievement honors. Ashley Baker and Kelsey Newby, both from Centennial, Colo., finished with 3.62 GPAs last season.

                Over 1,600 NJCAA student-athletes met the requirements for individual academic honors, including 169 that earned the Pinnacle Award for Academic Excellence (4.0 GPA). Superior Academic Achievement (3.8-plus GPA) honors went to 592 student-athletes and over 900 met the standard for Exemplary Academic Achievement (3.6-plus GPA). 

Academic team accolades (3.0 or higher team GPA) were earned by over 500 programs with 24 winning the distinction as the Academic Teams of the Year.

WNCC hits six home runs, tops McCook to move into regional championship series Sunday at Volunteer Field

                MCCOOK – The 19^th-ranked Western Nebraska Community College softball team smashed six home runs and earned a berth in the Region IX championship series on Sunday with an 18-3 win over McCook Community College Friday afternoon in McCook.

                The Cougars will now face Otero Junior College in the best 2-out-of-3 series at Volunteer Field. Game times are slated for 5 and 7 p.m. with an if-necessary game slated for Monday.

                Otero earned a berth to face the Cougars with a 4-1 win over Trinidad State Junior College on their side of the bracket. Otero and WNCC enter with almost identical records. The two squads are combined 105-16 record. WNCC enters with a 54-8 mark, which ties the school record for most wins in a season. WNCC also has won 14 straight games.

                WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said it is an honor to tie the season record for wins, but Sunday’s regional championship series will be a battle between two good teams.

                “It’s a huge honor to get to 54 wins and be able to tie the record. It shows how hard the team has been working,” she said. “Sunday will be competitive I think. Both teams are playing well and it is always exciting games versus Otero.”

                WNCC’s offensive attack was hitting on all cylinders Friday against McCook, belting out 20 hits. The Cougars also smashed six home runs and five doubles.

                Winn-Ratliff said she was pleased with the team’s offense from top to bottom.

                “We hit the ball well today,” she said. “That is always nice when you start off with a home run,” “We had a lot of young ladies come up big for us today.”

Duran had the hot bat, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, a double, three RBIs and three runs scored.

                Duran led off the game with a solo shot in the first inning and then had another solo no-doubter to lead off the fourth inning. Duran now has 24 home runs on the season. She also came within one of tying the school record for doubles in a season, hitting her 27^th of the year on a lead-off two-bagger in in the second. Duran also had a run-scoring single in the third.

                Besides Duran, seven other Cougars had multiple hits. Danielle Hearn also had tremendous plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a double, home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. Hearn hit her 2-run jack in the first inning to make the score 6-0. She also had a double and a single in the third inning.

                WNCC also received home runs from Jennifer Cottle, Mariah Shepherd, and Lindsey Shiels-Brophy. Cottle blasted her 2-run home run in the third inning. She also had a run-scoring double in the first inning. Cottle finished the game with three RBIs and two runs scored.

                Shepherd and Shiels-Brophy each had a solo home run came in the third. Shepherd went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Shiels-Brophy went 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

                WNCC also had multiple hits from Kasey Cash, Angel Council, and Kayla Romey. Cash finished with a double, two RBIs and three runs scored, while Council had a double, three RBIs and a run scored. Romey had two singles with a run scored.

                WNCC led 6-0 after one period and pushed the lead to 8-0 after two innings. The Cougars put the game away with a 9-run third inning that saw the Cougars lead 17-0. McCook got on the scoreboard with home runs in the fourth and fifth inning.

                Duran picked up her 34^th win of the season with another dominating performance. Duran faced just 12 batters in three innings of work, allowing a hit and striking out one. RaVae Herrera and Shelby McGraw each tossed one inning. Herrera struck out three in allowing three hits and two runs, while McGraw allowed two hits and a run.

McCook                               000 21 – 3 6 0

WNCC (54-8)                      629 1x – 18 20 3

WP – Bianca Duran; 2B – Duran, Kasey Cash, Angel Council, Jennifer Cottle, Danielle Hearn; HR – Duran 2, Cottle, Mariah Shepherd, Lindsey Shiels-Brophy, Danielle Hearn.

Baseball team falls in first round of playoffs

                STERLING, Colo. – The Northeastern Junior College Plainsmen opened up a tight contest and captured an 8-2 win over Western Nebraska Community College in game one of their best of three series of the Region IX playoffs Friday afternoon in Sterling, Colo.

                The two teams will battle again Saturday 2 p.m. WNCC needs to win the next two games to advance in the regional playoffs.

                The other playoff series between Lamar Community College and Otero Junior College got underway Friday as well with No. 3 seed Otero earning a 5-2 win over the No. 2 seed Lamar. The winner of the first round will meet next weekend in the Region IX championship series.

                Friday’s contest started out as a pitcher’s duel between WNCC’s Challis Wright and NJC’s Brennan Henry. Wright was holding his own until NJC finally cracked the scoreboard on a 2-run home run by Jordan Procyshen in the third inning.

                WNCC came back and sliced the lead in half with a single run In the fourth as Nick Vanthillo earned a lead-off walk and scored on a wild pitch. WNCC had the bases loaded in the inning was primed to do more damage, but couldn’t get any more runs.

                NJC would push the score to 6-1 with a four-run fourth inning that was highlighted by four straight singles before Ben Chamberlin’s 2-run double.

               WNCC had opportunities to cut into the deficit in the sixth as they loaded the bases but only scored one run as Alex Michaud scored on a JT groundout to make the score 6-2.

                NJC added to more in the bottom of the sixth on just two hits and two walks. The big hit was a run-scoring double by Brandon Beackel.

                WNCC managed seven hits in the contest. Vanthillo and Anthony Delgado each had two hits.. Cameron Snyder, Keeton Krause and Core each finished with one hit. All seven hits were singles.

                Wright took the loss on the mound, going five innings in allowing 11 hits and seven runs. He also struck out four and walked just one. Cedric Desmedt allowed one hit and one run, while Jason Palser finished the game, tossing the final three innings in walking two and not allowing a hit. 

WNCC                   000 101 000 – 2 7 2

NJC                        002 402 00x – 8 12 1

LP – Challis Wright.

Softball team opens regional tournament with 9-0 win over Lamar

          MCCOOK – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team started its quest for a fourth straight Region IX championship in fine fashion as Bianca Duran and RaVae Herrera combined on a 2-hitter in blanking Lamar Community College 9-0 in action at the Region IX Tournament in McCook.

                The Cougars, 53-8 and winners 13-straight, will face the winner of the McCook or Lamar game Friday at 1 p.m. in the championship of their side of the bracket. Lamar beat McCook in the second game of the tournament 6-5.

                In action on in the other bracket, Trinidad State Junior College defeated Northeastern Junior College 11-2 before falling 3-2 to Otero Junior College. The winner of the two brackets will meet in a 2-out-of-3 series Sunday at the site of the higher seed. Games times on Sunday have been set for 5 and 7 p.m. with an if-necessary game slated for Monday.

                WNCC coach Maria Winn-Ratliff thought her team played well both defensively and offensively in the win.

                “I thought for the most part we played very well,” she said. “Both Bianca and RaVae pitched well and we got some timely hits. They were fun to watch today. We are going to enjoy this win for a couple hours and then get refocused for tomorrow (Friday).”

                The Cougars’ pitching was definitely on in the opener. Duran, who earned the NJCAA Pitcher of the Week honor on Wednesday, tossed four innings, allowing just one hit while facing just 13 batters. She also struck out one and walked one. Herrera also was dominating, tossing one inning in allowing one hit and striking out two.

                Offensively, the Cougars did their usual pounding of the ball. WNCC finished with 10 hits in the contest with five going for extra bases.

                WNCC opened the scoring in the second inning as Lindsey Shiels-Brophy had a run-scoring double to put the Cougars up 1-0.

                WNCC opened up the contest in the third with seven runs on six hits. Kasey Cash led off the inning with her 22^nd home run of the season. After an Angle Council single, Jennifer Cottle, who fought off six foul balls, smashed a 2-run shot over the left field fence for a 4-0 lead.

                The Cougars weren’t finished. Mariah Shepherd reached on an error followed by a single by Shelby McGraw and Shiels-Brophy loading the bases on a walk. Duran followed with a 2-run double, followed by Cash getting a run-scoring single. Cottle then earned a walk to force in the seventh run of the inning and an 8-0 lead.

                WNCC’s final run came in the fourth as Kayla Romey singled to score McGraw.

                The Cougars’ defense was a big reason for the win as they maintained the shut out by getting the third and game-ending out in the fifth after a single to centerfield and Cottle tagged out the final out at the plate.

                Duran, Cash, and Cottle each had two hits. Cottle was 2-for-2 with a double, home run, three RBIs and a run scored, while Cash went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. Duran had a double and a single for her two hits, along with two RBIs and a run scored.

Lamar                    000 00 – 0 2 3

WNCC                   017 1x – 9 10 1

WP – Bianca Duran; 2B – Duran, Jennifer Cottle, Lindsey Shiels-Brophy; HR – Cottle, Kasey Cash.

Thursday’s Results

Trinidad 11, NE Colorado 2

Lamar 6, McCook 5

Otero 3, Trinidad 2

WNCC 9, Lamar 0

Friday’s Schedule

11 a.m. – Trinidad vs. NJC and Lamar vs. McCook (losers eliminated)

1 p.m. – Otero vs. winner Trinidad/NJC and WNCC vs. winner Lamar/McCook

3 p.m. – if-necessary games of the two 1 p.m. games. Otherwise, the winners advance to the championship series on Sunday at the home of the higher seed at 5 and 7 p.m.

WNCC softball team looking for fourth straight regional title

                The Western Nebraska Community College softball team will be looking for their forth straight Region IX title when they begin play in the regional tournament on Thursday in McCook.

                The 19th-ranked Cougars enter the tournament with a balmy record at 52-8 and a 12-game winning streak. More importantly, though, the Cougars hold the No. 1 seed in the tournament, which could come into play on Sunday.

                WNCC opens play Thursday at 6 p.m. against the winner of Lamar Community College and McCook Community College. If the Cougars win, they won't play again until Friday at 6 p.m.

                Sophomore Mariah Shepherd said the team is ready for regionals, but at same time, they have to be ready to play or they can get beat by any number of the Region IX teams.

                "We just need to play as a team," Shepherd said. "If we don't play our A game and do what we know how to do, then they [Lamar and McCook] will fight back. So, we definitely have to give them our best game."

                This regional tournament has a different flare to it. The tournament consists of a first round and a second round. The first round is comprised of two 3-team pools that play a double elimination tournament. The winners of the two pools will then play each other in a 2-out-of-3 series at the home of the higher seed on Sunday, May 6, which be Volunteer Field if they come out of their pool in the next few days.

                Another added twist to the tournament involves a district playoff. The Region IX winner will not qualify directly to the national tournament in St. George, Utah, but instead host the winner of Region 6, the Kansas region, in a 2-out-of-3 series beginning May 9 with the winner advancing to the national tournament.

                The Cougars enter the tournament playing well both offensively and defensively. WNCC boasts a .389 team batting average and has already set the season record for home runs with 87 round trippers. Sophomores Bianca Duran and Kasey Cash lead the home run charge with 21 each, followed by freshman Jennifer Cottle with 12.

                WNCC has 11 players batting over .300 and five that are hitting at a .390 clip or better. Duran leads the team with a .544 batting average followed by Cash at .435, Danielle Hearn at .411, Melanie Rowson at .400, and Cottle at .392. Right behind them, though, comes Angel Council at ..276, Kayla Romey at .375, Shelby McGraw at .262, Shepherd at .248, Lindsey Shiels-Brophy at ..333, Haley Paxton at .320.

                WNCC head coach Maria Winn-Ratliff said the team compliments each other nicely on the offensive end.

                "They just do a great job complimenting each other and communicating with each other. They take some pressure off our coaching staff because they talk to each other," she said. "When they come in other players will talk to them like get your front side down, back sure your back hand is up, things like that.

                "That has really helped us. We just tell them to stay within themselves and home runs are other pitchers' mistakes. [This weekend] it was windy and we were just trying to flatten out our swings and hit some line drives and take advantage of miscues. That is something they have done a really nice job on. I feel like from top to bottom, all 16 of them, they do what we need them to do day in and day out, whether that is is putting a bunt down, hitting behind a runner, hitting a fly ball to score a run, or hitting a home run."

                Defensively, the Cougars are also solid. So far they have turned 23 double plays and have registered six shutouts in the last nine games. The pitching staff of Duran, McGraw and RaVae Herrera have a combined 2.00 earned run average and have struck out 268 batters. Duran leads the way with a NJCAA leading 33 wins from the circle to just one defeat. She has struck out 164 and sports an ERA of 1.12.

                The Cougars, who have already notched many individual and team records, are nearing a record that has stood since 2008, that of most wins in a season. The previous best season is 54-10 and just three wins at regionals will give them the mark.

               

               

WNCC's Bianca Duran earns NJCAA Pitcher of the Week honors

               Western Nebraska Community College's Bianca Duran earns national softball pitcher of week honors by the NJCAA which was announced on Wednesday.

                This past week, Duran helped the Cougars to an 8-0 week and improve to 52-8 on the season.

                 In the pitching circle, Bianca went 4-0 with a 0.00 earned run average. She notched her NJCAA-leading 33rd win of the season, setting a school record. She is now 33-1 with two saves on the year.

                Last week, Bianca was part of a perfect game in an 8-0 win against North Platte Community College on April 26. Bianca went four innings and struck out six followed by relief pitcher Shelby McGraw tossing the fifth inning to preserve the perfect game.

                Overall, Bianca tossed 24 innings, gave up nine hits, two runs, zero earned runs, walked one and struck out 20. Besides setting the season pitching record this week in a win against Garden City on Sunday, she also holds the career pitching record of 57 wins.

                Offensively, Bianca was just as bright where she batted .455 (10 of 22) with eight runs scored, two home runs, nine RBIs, two walks, two doubles, and two stolen bases. She ranks among the leaders in the NJCAA in home runs, doubles, batting average, and slugging percentage.

                She also signed on Saturday to attend NCAA Division I Louisiana Tech University.

                Duran and the rest of the Cougars open Region IX tournament action Thursday at McCook with hopes of bringing home a fifth straight- Region IX championship.

WNCC tops NJC 12-11, earns spot in playoffs

                [April 29] Western Nebraska Community College’s Zach Ostergard’s bases-clearing double in the fifth inning of the second game was the spark the Cougars needed as they came back to drop Northeastern Junior College 12-11 of a doubleheader Monday afternoon at Cleveland Field.

                WNCC, who fell 11-1 in the opening contest, needed at least one victory to make the playoffs. And the Cougars’ gutsy comeback was what sent the Cougars into the playoffs.

                “This is a huge win. It shows what we are as a team and shows how well we can work together and overcome everything,” Ostergard said. “We have been able to overcome everything this whole season, which is big for us. We are going to carry it on into the playoffs and do our thing in the playoffs.

                “Now, in the playoffs, we have to just keep what we are doing. We have to stay focused in practice. This is a big win, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We have to stay humble, stay as a team, work hard, and just get things done.”

                Ostergard said that the key was staying focused and not giving up.

                “Coach [Mike Jones] always told us that we will mess up, make mistakes, and bad things will happen because it is baseball,” he said. “We just have to overcome it and he said someone has to step up and I am glad that I was able to do that for our team.”

                WNCC will face No. 1 seed Northeastern Junior College in the first-round, best 2-of-3 series that starts Friday in Sterling at 2 p.m. The other first-round pairing has No. 2 Lamar Community College hosting No. 3 Otero Junior College.  WNCC opens the playoffs on Friday at 2 p.m. in Sterling, Colo.

                WNCC is actually playing some of its best ball right now, having won six of their last seven contests, including taking four games from McCook Community College on Saturday and Sunday.

                Ostergard said they are playing well right know.

                “This stretch of wins shows what we have been made of the whole season,” he said. “We have been struggling the whole year and winning those last five games before today [Monday} were big confidence boosters.”

                WNCC needed just one win to make the playoffs and after they dropped the first game to NJC 11-1, things didn’t look peachy. The second game, however, the Cougars put a totally different team on the field.

                NJC opened the second game with two first-inning runs, but WNCC quickly tied the game in the bottom of the inning on Ozzy Gonzalez 2-run home run.

                WNCC opened up the contest with a five-run third inning to take a 7-2 lead. Anthony Delgado led off the third with a solo home run. Nick Vanthillo followed with a double. Cameron Snyder came through with a 2-run double. After two outs, WNCC scored two more runs on a JT Core single.

                NJC would come back to grab a 10-7 lead with four runs each in the fourth and fifth inning. WNCC, however, wouldn’t panic as they responded with three runs of their own in the fifth on just one hit, Ostergard’s base-loaded, two-out double to tie the game at 10-10.

                WNCC retook the lead 12-10 with two runs in the sixth and it all started with Vanthillo reaching base after a dropped third strike throw that went bad.  Vanthillo would later score the go-ahead run on an errand throw. Alex Michaud would then drive in the 12^th run with a single.

                NJC made a seventh rally, scoring once, but Grant Piccolli game in to get the save and send the Cougars into the playoffs.

                Cedric Desmedt picked up the win on the mound, going just 2 1/3 innings in relieve of starter John Timmins and reliever Challis Wright. Desmedt allowed four hits and three runs, while striking out two. Piccolli got the final two outs in allowing just one hit.

                WNCC pounded out 10 with five extra base hits. Core led the way with a 3-for-3 game with two RBIs and two runs scored. Vanthillo, Snyder and Ostergard all had doubles in the game, while Delgado and Gonzalez had home runs. Ostergard finished the game with three RBIs.

                In the opening game, the Cougars managed just two hits in the contest. The only run was scored by Michaud, who scored on a Gabriel DeLa Rosa single in the second inning.

                WNCC earned their playoff spot because of what they did over the weekend at McCook, taking all four games. On Sunday, the Cougars won 14-3 and 6-3 to keep their hopes alive.

                In Sunday’s games, Gering’s Grant Rimington picked up both wins. The right-handed sophomore went six strong innings and received plenty of offensive support in the 14-3 first game. Rimington also got the win in the second game, pitching the final three innings in relief.

                Sunday’s first game saw Nick Vanthillo finish with five RBIs on three hits, including two doubles and a home run as the Cougars. Vanthillo was one of three Cougars to finish with multiple hits. Anthony Delgado had three runs scored along with a double and two RBIs, while Ozzy Gonzalez had a double and RBI. Gabriel DeLa Rosa had the only other extra base hit, a home run.

                The second game was tighter, but the Cougars prevailed. WNCC pounded out 11 hits, including three with two hits each. Delgado went 2-for-4 with a RBI and a home run; Gonzalez went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, and Michaud was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI. Garcia had a double in the game as well.

Monday’s Games

First Game

NE Colorado                       203 33 – 11 14 0

WNCC                                   010 00 – 1 2 2

LP – Nick Vanthillo; 2B – Anthony Delgado.

Second Game

NE Colorado                       200 440 1 – 11 11 4

WNCC                                   205 032 x – 12 10 5

WP – Cedric Desmedt, S – Grant Piccolli; 2B – Vanthillo, Cameron Snyder, Zach Oxtergard; HR –  Delgado, Ozzy Gonzalez.

Sunday’s Games

First Game

WNCC                   060 323 -- 14 9 0

McCook               020 100 -- 3 8 2

WP -- Grant Rimington; 2B -- Delgado, Vanthillo 2, Gonzalez; HR -- Vanthillo, Gabriel DeLa Rosa.

Second Game

WNCC                   122 010 0 -- 6 11 2

McCook               110 100 0 -- 3 6 0

WP -- Rimington; 2B -- Alex Michaud, Pablo Garcia; HR -- Delgado, Gonzalez.

                

WNCC baseball takes two from McCook on Sunday

                [April 28] MCCOOK -- Western Nebraska Community College's Grant Rimington picked up two pitching wins in a single day as the Cougar baseball team kept their playoff hopes alive after sweeping McCook Community College Sunday in McCook.

                In the opener, Rimington went six strong innings and received plenty of offensive support as the Cougars 10-runned McCook 14-3. The second game saw Rimington pitch the final three innings in earning the win on the mound 6-3.

                More importantly, the two wins kept the Cougars in the hunt for the fourth and final playoff spot. All the Cougars have to do to earn a playoff spot is beat Northeastern Junior College in just one game on Monday. NJC and WNCC will battle in a doubleheader at Cleveland Field beginning at 2 p.m.

                If The Cougars make the playoffs, they will earn the No. 4 seed and play the No. 1 seed Northeastern Junior College Plainsmen in a 2 out of 3 series in Sterling, Colo., this weekend. NJC earned the No. 1 seed after Lamar Community College had to forfeit five conference games. If WNCC and Trinidad State tie for the final spot, the Cougars own the third tiebreaker, which is who beat the NJC the most.

                And, on Sunday, WNCC left little doubt from the get-go who was going to win. In the opening contest,

                The first game saw Nick Vanthillo finish with five RBIs on three hits, including two doubles and a home run as the Cougars. Vanthillo was one of three Cougars to finish with multiple hits. Anthony Delgado had three runs scored along with a double and two RBIs, while Ozzy Gonzalez had a double and RBI. Gabriel DeLa Rosa had the only other extra base hit, a home run.

                WNCC scored six runs in the second inning. McCook walked four of the first five batters for the first run. After that, the Cougars had three straight doubles of the bats of Delgado, Vanthillo, and Gonzalez for the 6-0 lead.

                McCook  scored two in the bottom of the second, but the Cougars added three in the fourth, two in the fifth and six in the sixth for their 14 runs. Vanthillo had a run-scoring double in the fourt before delivering a 2-run home run in the fifth.

                The sixth saw DeLa Rosa deliver a 3-run shot to put WNCC up 14-3.

                Rimington went six innings in tossing just 76 pitches and facing 26 batters. The Gering graduate scattered eight hits and gave up three runs.

                The second game was tighter. WNCC opened the scoring with a single run in the first off a lead-off home run by Anthony Delgado. The Cougars then added two runs each i the second and third to take a 5-2 lead. The big hit in the third a 2-run home run by Ozzy Gonzalez.

                The Cougars added an insurance run in the fifth on on a Alex Michaud run-scoring double.

                Jason Palser started the game and went four innings in allowing three runs with three walks and three strike outs. Rimington tossed the final three innings in allowing just one hit while striking out three.

                Offensively, WNCC pounded out 11 hits, including three with two hits each. Delgado went 2-for-4 with a RBI and a home run; Gonzalez went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, and Michaud was 2-for-3 with a double and RBI. Garia had a double in the game as well.

First Game

WNCC                   060 323 -- 14 9 0

McCook               020 100 -- 3 8 2

WP -- Grant Rimington; 2B -- Anthony Delgado, Nick Vanthillo 2, Ozzy Gonzalez; HR -- Vanthillo, Gabriel DeLa Rosa.

Second Game

WNCC                   122 010 0 -- 6 11 2

McCook               110 100 0 -- 3 6 0

WP -- Grant Rimington; 2B -- Alex Michaud, Pablo Garcia; HR -- Anthony Delgado, Ozzy Gonzalez.