TRINIDAD, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team will play another day at the Region IX softball tournament in Trinidad, Colorado, after splitting contests on Saturday.
In WNCC’s first game of the tournament, the Cougars gave up one or two runs in the first four innings in falling to McCook Community College 6-1.
That pushed the Cougars to an elimination game against Luna Community College later that afternoon and WNCC scored three times in the second and added single runs in the last three innings to get the 6-3 win.
WNCC will play Sunday at 10:30 a.m. against Otero Junior College, who fell to Trinidad State Junior College Saturday afternoon.
The first game saw WNCC not allow the big innings, but the Cougars couldn’t get the bats going in getting just two hits in the contest.
McCook plated two in the first and then added single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings to hold a 5-0 lead.
WNCC broke the ice with a run in the sixth as Bailey Blanchard and Lexi Butterfield each walked. Chayden Chong then scored Blanchard with a sacrifice fly. Later, Bella Coffman and Mackenzie Bakel each walked to load the bases, but the Cougars couldn’t score any more runs.
McCook added one more run in the sixth to lead 6-1. WNCC mounted a charge in the seventh as Emma Schweitzer and Blanchard each reached base via free passes, but WNCC couldn’t get the runners across home plate.
Coffman and Bakel had the only hits of the game for the Cougars. Coffman had a double. WNCC reached base via seven walks as well.
Lexi Butterfield suffered the loss in the circle, going seven innings while striking out five and allowing just six runs.
The win against Luna was impressive as the Cougars didn’t commit an error on the field and they scored runs in four of the six innings, just like McCook did in the Cougars first game of the day.
WNCC started the game with three runs in the second inning to grab a 3-0 lead. The second started when Coffman reached base on a dropped third strike. Coffman scored on a Erin Hanafin double and Hanafin came in to score on a Bakel double to make it 2-0. Bakel scored on a Briana Henson 2-out single for the 3-0 lead.
Luna came back with two runs in the third inning to slice the lead to 3-2. WNCC came back with single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings.
The fourth saw Bakel, Chloe Cronquist, and Henson all get 2-out singles and Bakel scored the run on an error for a 4-2 lead.
The fifth saw Chong reach after getting hit by a pitch and Coffman reached on a dropped third strike. Hanafin then delivered a single to score Chong to make it 5-3.
The sixth saw Schweitzer deliver a 2-out solo home run for 6-3 lead.
Chong then let her defense do the work in the seventh as Luna grounded out three straight times.
WNCC finished with nine hits in the contest. Hanafin, Bakel, and Henson each had two hits in the contest to lead the team. Hanafin had a double with two RBIs and a run scored while Bakel had a double with two runs scored and a RBI. Henson had two singles with a RBI.
Blanchard had a triple in the contest while Schweitzer had a home run.
Chong picked up the win in the circle, tossing seven innings in scattering six hits, allowing three runs, and striking out two. Chong also just walked one batter.
Game 1
WNCC 000 001 0 – 1 2 1
McCook 211 101 x – 6 11 0
LP – Lexi Butterfield.
2B – Bella Coffman.
Game 2
Luna 002 010 0 – 3 6 1
WNCC 030 111 x – 6 9 0
WP – Chayden Chong.
2B – Mackenzie Bakel, Erin Hanafin.
3B – Bailey Blanchard.
HR – Emma Schweitzer.
