GREAT BEND, Kan. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team battled but in the end lost four games to Barton Community College over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Cougars dropped a 10-0 setback before falling 6-4 in innings.
Sunday's action saw the Cougars lose 6-5 in the seventh inning before dropping a 10-2 in the final game of the four-game series.
Sunday's contests were close, especially the opener. Barton jumped ahead 2-0 before the Cougars scored five times in the fourth for a 5-2 lead. WNCC scored all four runs on two outs. Esai Hernandez and Cole Williams started the inning with singles. With two outs, the Cougars put together some gutsy at bats. Ryan Grasser started things with a run-scoring single followed by Isaac Taylor with a line drive single to rightfield to tie the game at 2-2. Lincoln Trujilo then follows with a 2-run double. Trujilo comes around to score on a single by Brock Randels for the 5-2 lead.
WNCC couldn't hold the lead as Barton scored twice in the sixth and seventh for the win.
WNCC outhit Barton in the game 9-6. Trujilo, Grasser, and Williams all had two hits in the game. Trujilo finished with two RBIs and a stolen base to lead the team.
Eddy Nodarse took the loss on the mound in relief of Alex Achtermann. Achtermann started and went six innings in giving up four hits, four runs and walking just one with a strike out. Nodarse went two-thirds of an inning in allowing two hits and two runs.
The final game of the four-game series as close at the beginning. Barton scored twice in the first only to watch WNCC come back to tie the game with two in the second. Grasser started the rally with a one-out double and came around to score on Brandan Maher's triple. Maher scores on the next play on a ground out.
Barton came back to put the game away with five in the third and then added three in the sixth for the final margin.
WNCC finished with eight hits in the game. Ty Benson, Achtermann, and Brandan Maher each had two hits. Benson and Achtermann each had two singles, while Maher had a triple with an RBI and run scored. Benson also had a stolen base.
Angel Cortez suffered the loss on the mound, going 2 2/3 innings in allowing three hits, seven runs scored with four walks and three strikeouts. Alex Oehme and Ian Fisher also saw time on the mound. Oehme allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out four in 3 ½ innings, while Fisher finished off the game, going two innings and allowing two hits.
On Saturday, Barton came out and shutout the Cougars in a six inning game. The Cougars managed just five hits in the contest, all singles, while Barton pounded out nine hits. Barton scored single runs in the first, third, and fourth before ending the game with four in the fifth and three in the sixth.
Claude Bova took the loss on the mound, going 4 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and seven runs. Bova struck out seven. Zac Moran finished off the game, going 1 1/3 innings in allowing four hits, three runs and striking out one.
After being shutout in game one on Saturday, the Cougars rebounded with a solid effort in game two that saw the Cougars come up just short.
Barton started the action by scoring three times in the first and then added a single run in the fifth. WNCC started coming back with a single run in the fifth on a Grasser triple who later scored on a Williams sacrifice fly. WNCC then plated three in the eighth to cut the deficit to 6-4.
The eighth saw Benson and Stuart Eurich start with back-to-back singles. Achtermann then walked to load the bases. Taylor comes through with a two-out double to score three runs. That was as close as WNCC could come.
WNCC finished the game with seven hits with seven different players getting a hit. Trujilo and Taylor each had a double, while Grasser had a triple. Taylor finished the game with three RBIs in the loss.
Jacob Pekol suffered the loss on the mound, going six innings in allowing six hits, four runs while striking out one. Nate Giefer finished the game, going two innings in allowing three hits and two runs.
WNCC will be back in action this weekend when they travel to face Otero Junior College on Saturday in an Empire Conference doubleheader before coming home to take on Colorado State on Sunday.
Sunday's Games
First Game
WNCC 000 050 0 – 5 9 5
Barton 200 002 2 – 6 6 0
LP – Eddy Nodarse; 2B – Lincoln Trujilo.
Second Game
WNCC 020 000 000 0 – 2 8 5
Barton 205 003 00x – 10 12 1
LP – Angel Cortez; 2B – Ryan Grasser; 3B – Brandan Maher.
Saturday
First Game
WNCC 000 000 – 0 5 1
Barton 101 143 – 10 9 0
LP – Claude Bova.
Second Game
WNCC 000 010 030 – 4 7 1
Barton 300 010 20x – 6 9 2
LP – Jacob Pekol; 2B – Lincoln Trujilo, Isaac Taylor; 3B – Ryan Grasser.