STERLING, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College and Northeastern Junior College baseball teams hooked up in two tight Empire Conference contests on Tuesday in Sterling, Colorado.

                Both teams earned come-from-behind wins to split the doubleheader. In the opener, NJC scored three seventh-inning runs to escape with a 6-4 win. The second game saw WNCC score three sixth-inning runs to capture the 5-4 win.

                WNCC is still in second in the conference standings with the split, tied with Miles Community College at 7-5. The Cougars fell to 13-17 on the season. Northeastern goes to 6-6 in conference play and 13-15 overall.

                WNCC never lost focus in the second game, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to get the win. NJC led 3-0 after two innings. That was when WNCC's bats came alive, scoring single runs in the third and fourth, and three in the sixth for a 5-3 lead.

                Maestas started the third with a double and scored on a Ryan Grasser grounder. Jack Pauley had a 2-out solo home run in the fourth to cut the deficit to 3-2.

                WNCC's three-run sixth started with a double by Austin Michaud and the scoring ended as Maestas had a 2-run double.

                WNCC had nine hits in the win. Jack Pauley, Jonathan Bermudez, and Matt Maestas each had two hits. Maestas had two RBIs with a run scored with a double. Bermudez had a double to go with an RBI, while Pauley had a home run and two runs scored.

                Brian Kelley picked up the win on the mound. Kelley went six strong innings, scattering six hits and giving up three runs. Kelley struck out five. Montana Giesbrecht, who picked up the win in relief on Monday against McCook, earned the save in tossing the seventh in striking out one and allowing two hits and a run.

                WNCC had a change to take both games from NJC. WNCC bolted to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and led 4-2 after scoring a single run in the sixth. NJC fought back, scoring one in the sixth and then getting a 2-run walk-off home run in the seventh for the winner.

                The Cougars managed just seven hits in the contest all from the fourth through ninth batters. Stuart Eurich had two hits to lead the team. Isaac Taylor and Pauley each had doubles.

                Bradley Brown started and went six strong innings, striking out five and allowing three runs. Beau Lofink took the loss, allowing three runs on three hits in the seventh.

                WNCC will be back in action when they travel to conference-leading Trinidad State Junior College on Saturday.            

First Game

WNCC                   300 001 0 – 4 7 4

NJC                        110 001 3 – 6 8 1

LP – Beau Lofink; 2B – Isaac Taylor, Jack Pauley.

Second Game

WNCC (13-17)    001 103 0 – 5 9 2

NJC (13-15)         210 000 1 – 4 8 0

WP – Brian Kelley, S – Montana Giesbrecht; 2B – Austin Michaud, Matt Maestas, Jonathan Bermudez; HR – Jack Pauley.