PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team ended their Spring Break trip with a 7-6 walk-off loss to Mesa Community College Thursday afternoon on a back-and-forth battle.
The 0-6 on the Spring Break trip, but like in years past, WNCC always turns around the season after Spring Break. WNCC will get back into action with Empire Conference games on Sunday and Monday against Luna Community College. Sunday’s action begins at 1 p.m. with Monday’s slate of games starting at noon.
WNCC got on the scoreboard first with three runs in the second inning. Bryce Peterson led off with a single followed by free passes by Jacob Jackson and Isaac Smith to load the bases. Roangeraud Fraai singled in one run. Jackson later scores on a wild pitch and then Smith scores on a fielder’s choice by Joseph Toubeaux for the 3-0 lead.
Mesa came back with two in the bottom of the second and two in the third for a 4-3 lead.
WNCC tied the game in the sixth when Jackson delivered a solo home run. The Cougars took the 5-4 lead in the seventh when Dylan Howard singled and scored on a Shintaro Inoue sacrifice fly to leftfield.
Mesa tied the game with a run in the bottom of the eighth, but the Cougars took a 6-5 lead in the ninth when Howard had a lead-off single and scored on a 2-out triple by Inoue.
Mesa won the game in the bottom of the frame. Peterson got the first Mesa batter to strikeout, but then WNCC surrendered three singles and a hits-batsman as Mesa scored two runs for the walk-off winner with the tying run sliding home just ahead of the tag.
WNCC finished with seven hits in the contest to Mesa’s eight hits. Howard and Peterson each had two hits. Howard scored two runs. Jackson also scored two runs, including hitting a home run. Inoue had two RBIs in the contest with a triple.
WNCC utilized five pitchers. Hunter McCollum started and went four innings in allowing three hits, four runs, and striking out four. Grant DeClue, Archer Blumenshein, and Mytchell Pollock all went one inning without allowing a run. Peterson tossed the final 1 1/3 innings allowing five hits, three runs and striking out two.
WNCC 030 001 101 – 6 7 1
MESA 022 000 012 – 7 8 0
LP – Bryce Peterson.
3B – Shintaro Inoue.
HR – Jacob Jackson
