The Western Nebraska Community College softball team split a conference doubleheader with Luna Community College on Sunday at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.
The first game saw the Cougars battle back from a 7-2 deficit with a 7-run fifth inning to get the 11-9 win.
The second game saw WNCC play strong defensively for the first six innings as the Cougars held a 3-1 lead entering the final inning. Luna responded with six runs in their final at bat to steal the 7-3 win.
WNCC will be back in action Friday and Sunday in key conference games with McCook Community College. WNCC travels to McCook on Friday before hosting McCook on Sunday. Sunday’s contests will be sophomore recognition day.
WNCC fell behind 5-0 after 2 ½ innings. The bottom of the third is when they played a run and scored in the next four innings. The third saw Sierra Hilgner, Bailey Legere, and Mykah Klumpp all earn a walk to load the bases. WNCC scored it’s first run when Jenika Fuentes scored on a ground out to trail 5-1.
Both teams scored a run in the fourth. WNCC’s run came when Devyn Priselac singled and scored on a Reagan Werth single to make it 6-2.
Luna answered with a run in the top of the fifth to make it 7-2, but the Cougars put up a 7-spot in the bottom of the fifth. It all started when Legere singled followed by Klumpp earning a walk and then Baylie Krueger singling to load the bases with one out. Randi Mitchell was hit by a pitch to force in the first run followed by Priselac roping a fly ball to left field that was mis-handle to score another run.
WNCC made it 7-5 as Czerpak singled to score another run. WNCC tied it at 7-7 as Hilgner singled to score two runs and then Legere, batting for the second time, laced a double to score two more for the 9-7 lead.
Luna came back with two in the sixth and had an opportunity to score more, but left the bases loaded as WNCC pitcher Kayli Cooper got two key strikeouts to keep the game tied.
WNCC responded with two in the bottom of the sixth as Chayse Cronquist led off with a home run. Mitchell then reached on a single and scored later on a Czerpak single.
Luna made a rally in the seventh as they loaded the bases with one out, but Cooper got a key strikeout for out number two and then induced a groundball to second baseman Hilgner for an easy out at first to end the game.
WNCC and Luna each had 11 hits in the first game. WNCC was led by three with multi-hit games with Czerpak, Hilgner, and Legere all getting two hits. Those three all had two RBIs in the game along with Cronquist.
Kayli Cooper picked up the win in the circle, tossing the final five innings in allowing seven runs on eight hits with six strikeouts.
The second game saw the Cougar defense play well fir the first six innings in allowing just one run. The offense did what they needed early to jump to a 3-0 lead through four innings. WNCC plated a run in the first when Czerpak reached on an error and advanced all the way to third on an overthrow to first. Czerpak scored on the next play on a ground out for the 1-0 lead.
WNCC added two more runs in the third when Czerpak and Hilgner each singled. Fuentes scored Czerpak with a double and Hilgner scored on a Legere hit that resulted in an error.
Luna got on the scoreboard in the fifth with one run. In the seventh, the Rough Riders tied the game at 3-3 with one out and then went ahead with four more runs to lead 7-3.
WNCC managed just five hits in the contest. Fuentes had the only extra base hit with a double.
Game 1
Luna 023 112 0 – 9 11 2
WNCC 001 172 x – 11 11 2
WP – Kayli Cooper.
2B – Bailey Legere.
HR – Chayse Cronquist.
Game 2
Luna 000 010 6 – 7 9 2
WNCC 102 000 0 – 3 5 3
LP – Jenika Fuentes.
2B – Jenika Fuentes.
