The Trinidad State Junior College baseball team used some big innings to register a doubleheader sweep over Western Nebraska Community College Thursday afternoon at Cleveland Field in Empire Conference action.

                In the opener, Trinidad plated nine, first-inning runs and then held on as the Cougars battled back before the Trojans won 16-10. The second game saw WNCC hold an early lead before Trinidad scored seven runs in the fourth and fifth innings for the 7-2 win.

                WNCC drops to 16-24 overall and 10-10 in conference play. The Cougars are still in fourth place just behind Miles (10-8) and Lamar Community College (13-9). Trinidad, with the two wins Thursday, went to 17-5 in conference and 25-11 overall.

                Both games were evenly matched. In the opener, the two squads combined for 26 runs and 25 hits. Trinidad took control of the game early, leading 13-0 after 2 ½ innings after scoring nine in the first and four in the third.

                WNCC settled down after that, allowing just three more runs while picking up the offense by scoring 10 runs with 11 hits. The Cougars scored twice in the third to start the comeback. Brandon Bachar singled and scored on a Ryan Grasser single. Grasser later scored on an Oscar Perez double.

                After Trinidad went up 14-2 in the fifth, the Cougars faced a do-or-die situation. Instead of getting run ruled in five innings, the Cougars made a game of it, scoring six runs on five hits. All six runs were scored with two outs, too.

                Bachar started the rally with a one-out double. Grasser than singled followed by Isaac Taylor reaching on an error. Austin Michaud followed with a big 2-run double followed by Jack Pauley unloading on a 3-run home run to rightfield to cut the lead to 14-8.

                Trinidad added two in the sixth before WNCC came back with two in the seventh on Pauley's second home run in the game and fourth in two days with a 2-run bomb to centerfield. That was all the scoring they could muster as they fell by six.

                WNCC finished with 11 hits. Pauley, Bachar, and Grasser were the only Cougars with two hits. Pauley had two home runs with five RBIs and two runs scored. Bachar had a double with two runs scored, while Grasser had two runs scored and a RBI.

                Also collecting doubles in the first game were Perez and Jonathan Bermudez.

                The second game was evenly played as each team finished with eight hits. WNCC was led by the 2-hit attack from Michaud and Aaron Morrison. Pauley continued his hot hitting finishing with a double, while Garret Smith had a solo home run.

                WNCC scored first as Michaud singled in Perez for the 1-0 lead after three innings. Trinidad came back with three runs in the fourth only to watch WNCC score a single run in the bottom of the fourth on a Garret Smith home run to cut the lead to 3-2.

                Trinidad added four insurance runs in the fifth while The Cougars couldn't get the clutch base hit to score some runs the rest of the game.

                WNCC will next be in action Wednesday when they travel to McCook Community College for a big doubleheader.

First Game

Trinidad                904 012 0 – 16 14 0

WNCC                   002 060 2 – 10 11 1

LP – Jose Mongo; 2B – Oscar Perez, Austin Michaud, Brandon Bachar, Jonathan Bermudez; HR – Jack Pauley 2.

Second Game

Trinidad                000 340 0 – 7 8 0

WNCC                   001 100 0 – 2 8 1

LP – Montana Giesbrecht; 2B – Jack Pauley; HR Garret smith.