The Western Nebraska Community College softball team closed out the regular season with a doubleheader defeat to Lamar Community College on Sunday at Volunteer Field.
Game one saw WNCC had 4-1 and then Lamar had two big innings, a 4-run sixth and a 6-run eighth to claim the 11-6, extra-inning affair.
The second game saw the same thing with Lamar scoring in four of the five innings, including an 8-run third inning to claim the 13-4 win.
WNCC will now enter the Region IX tournament that begins Sunday. Pairings will be released later this week.
The first game saw Lamar grab a 1-0 lead after scoring in the first. WNCC came back with three in the third and a single run in the fourth. The third inning runs came with two outs. Briana Henson led off by drawing a walk followed by a single by Emma Schwietzer. Bailey Blanchard then drove in both runs with a double. Blanchard scored on a misplayed flyball to the outfield for the 3-1 lead.
WNCC added a single run in the fourth as Bella Coffman walked and scored on a Chloe Cronquist sacrifice fly for the 4-1 lead.
WNCC pitcher Lexi Butterfield was cruising with some fine defensive plays behind her until the sixth with Lamar scored four runs to take a 5-4 lead. Lamar had three hits, including a home run and two fielding errors.
WNCC came back to tie the game with a run in the sixth. Butterfield led off with a single and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cronquist.
Neither team scored in the seventh,
The extra inning saw Lamar score six times on seven hits to take an 11-5 lead. WNCC tried a eighth-inning comeback as Butterfield walked and Chayden Chong was hit by a pitch. Hanafin had a single to load the bases and Butterfield scored on a Cronquist sacrifice fly, but that was all WNCC could get.
WNCC was led at the plate by Hanafin with two hits, including a double. Blanchard had two RBIs with a double and Cronquist had three RBIs.
The second game saw both teams score one in the first. WNCC’s first run came as Blanchard singled and scored on a free pass that force in a run.
Lamar added three in the second to take a 4-1 lead and then put the game away with an 8-run third inning to lead 12-1.
WNCC tried to come back as they score one in the third as Butterfield singled and scored on a Hanafin single to slice the lead to 12-2.
The Cougars’ defense then put down the Lamar offense 1-2-3 in the fourth. The offense came back to score twice in the fourth themselves. Schweitzer led off with a single followed by Blanchard reaching base via a walk. Chong loaded the bases with a single. Bella Coffman scored two runs with a single to cut the lead to 12-4.
Lamar added a single run in the fifth to go up 13-4. That meant WNCC needed two runs in the fifth to keep the game going, but that didn’t happen as Lamar got the win.
WNCC finished the game with six hits. Coffman had a single with two RBIs, while Blanchard scored came across home plate twice for two runs.
Game 1
Lamar 010 004 06 – 11 14 2
WNCC 003 101 01 – 6 6 2
LP – Lexi Butterfield.
2B – Bailey Blanchard, Erin Hanafin.
Game 2
Lamar 138 01 – 13 10 0
WNCC 101 20 – 4 6 3
LP – Chayden Chong.
