The Western Nebraska Community College softball team kept the fans on the edge of their seats in the first game of a doubleheader with Trinidad State College on Sunday at Volunteer Field.
The first game went an extra inning and the Cougars fell 6-5 in a game that saw plenty of stellar defensive plays and a few missed scoring opportunities that resulted in the extra inning loss.
The second game saw Trinidad have two big innings and then the Cougars’ rally in the fifth to extend the game came up short as the Trojans won 10-2.
WNCC will be back in action this weekend when they travel to Colby, Kansas, to face Colby Community College in a 4-game series.
Trinidad started the first game as Zoey Stewart took the first pitch for a home run. After that Trinidad had a walk and then three, first-pitch pop outs.
WNCC answered in the bottom of the first when Katelyn Czerpak singled followed by Baylie Krueger reaching on an error. Czerpak scored on a Jenika Fuentes fielder’s choice to tie the game.
Both teams then scored three runs in the fourth. Trinidad put two on and then with two outs, Elizabeth Thorngren got a 3-run home run for a 4-1 lead.
WNCC answered right back in the bottom of the inning when Fuentes singled and Sierra Hilgner earned a walk. WNCC loaded the bases as Madi VanRiper reached on a fielder’s choice hit. Mykah Klumpp scored Fuentes on a ground out. Then, with two outs, Randi Mitchell singles and scored two runs and ended up on third on the throw to tie the game.
Both teams scored once in the fifth. And that was on an error. The Cougars stopped anymore damage as they turned a double play with Mitchell got a grounder, touched first and threw home to Madi VanRiper to end the inning.
WNCC scored in the bottom of the fifth when Czerpak singled followed by Fuentes earning a walk. WNCC loaded the bases with two outs when VanRiper walked. Klumpp was then hit by a pitch to force in the tying run.
Neither team scored in the sixth or seventh. Trinidad scored their run in the eighth with two outs and WNCC couldn’t get a run in during their at bat.
WNCC managed just five hits in the contest as Czerpak went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Mitchell had two RBIs.
Fuentes suffered the loss despite pitching well, scattering six hits and allowing four earned runs.
The second game was one where Trinidad went up 5-0 after two innings and then added five in the fifth for a 10-0 lead. WNCC at something brewing in the fifth to extend the game. The fifth started for WNCC when Bailey Legere reached on an error. Devyn Priselac then roped a seeing-eye single up the middle to score Legere. Priselac scored on a Krueger single. WNCC had runners in scoring position with two outs, but couldn’t get the tying run in.
WNCC had four hits in the contest, all singles from four different players.
Game 1
Trinidad 100 310 01 – 6 6 2
WNCC 100 310 00 – 5 5 2
LP – Jenika Fuentes.
Game 2
Trinidad 140 05 – 10 8 2
WNCC 000 02 – 2 4 1
LP – Bella Pacheco.
