LAJUNTA, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team split a doubleheader with Miles Community College Friday afternoon in LaJunta, Colorado.
The first game saw Zach Berg and Garrett Declue toss a combined one-hitter in helping the Cougars capture the 5-3 win. The second game saw Miles score eight runs in the fourth inning to earn the 9-5 win.
Both squads will be back in action Saturday for another doubleheader in LaJunta, Colorado.
The first game saw WNCC grab a 5-1 lead after scoring three times in the fifth inning. WNCC scored all three runs with three outs. Mitch Osborne scored the first as he drove a 2-out pitch deep for a triple to score Luis Alcantara. Devon Fritsch and Q Miller followed with singles. Fritsch scored Osborne before coming around to score himself on a wild pitch.
WNCC finished with eight hits. Osborne and Miller each had two hits with a triple. Osborne also had two RBIs.
Zach Berg went six strong innings to get the win. Berg pitched six hitless innings in striking out five. DeClue tossed the seventh and allowed a hit and two runs.
The second game saw Miles score eight times on just four hits in the fourth inning to grab an 8-0 lead. WNCC mounted a comeback with three in the fifth and two in the seventh, but it wasn't enough.
WNCC finished with just six hits in the second game. Osborne and Alcantara each had two hits. Osborne had a double with three RBIs. Braden Lofink had the other extra base hit with a triple. Lofink also scored two runs with a RBI.
Kyle Litzelman suffered the loss, going just 3.1 innings in allowing six hits and five runs while striking out four. Brandon Rollinson allowed three runs in his appearance, while Devin DeBoer and SJ Mousseau combined for five strikeouts and just one run and hit in their four innings of work.
Game 1
Miles 001 000 2 – 3 1 0
WNCC 001 130 x – 5 8 1
WP – Zach Berg; S – Garrett Declue
3B – Q Miller, Mitch Osborne
Game 2
Miles 000 800 1 – 8 8 0
WNCC 000 030 2 – 5 6 0
LP – Kale Litzelman
2B – Mitch Osborne
3B – Braden Lofink