MCCOOK – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team hit five home runs in an Empire Conference doubleheader split with McCook Community College on Wednesday in McCook.
After being edged 9-8 in the first game, the Cougars rebounded with a 5-1 win in game two.
Cole Williams belted a pair of homers to lead WNCC. Brandon Maher, Jonathan Bermudez and Harrison Yates also had one each.
The Cougars jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opener before McCook rallied to grab an 8-7 advantage after four innings. WNCC managed to pull even with a run in the sixth. The teams remained all even until McCook plated the winning run in the bottom of the eighth.
WNCC out-hit McCook by a 15-12 margin. Bermudez led the offense with three hits and two runs batted in. Four other Cougars had two hits each. They were Williams, Mitch Lightbody, Claude Bova, and Esai Hernandez. Williams and Bermudez scored two runs each. Tyler Shubert had a double.
Trailing 1-0 after two innings of game two, WNCC plated a pair of runs in the top of the third and never trailed the rest of the way.
Blake Slaymaker provided a solid start on the mound. Slaymaker allowed just one earned run on seven hits, walked two, and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings.
Williams paced the Cougars at the plate with two hits, including his second homer. He drove in two runs and scored twice. Yates also homered in the contest, while Hernandez and Lightbody both added doubles. Yates knocked in two runs.
WNCC, now 8-27 on the season, will host Otero Junior College in a three-game series on Saturday and Sunday at Cleveland Field depending on weather conditions.
McCook and WNCC are tied in the conference standings at 6-12 while Otero is in fourth-place in the standings at 12-11. Trinidad leads the conference at 22-2.
Game 1
WNCC 520 001 00 - 8 15 1
McCook 005 300 01 - 9 12 3
LP - Jacob Pekol.
HR - Brandan Maher, Cole Williams, Jonathan Bermudez).
2B - Tyler Shubert
Game 2
WNCC (8-27) 002 200 1 - 5 7 1
McCook 010 000 0 - 1 7 1
WP - Blake Slaymaker.
HR - Cole Williams, Harrison Yates.
2B - Esai Hernandez, Mitch Lightbody