The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team received two strong pitching performances from Alex Achtermann and Alex Oehme in picking up two Empire Conference wins against Otero Junior College Monday afternoon at Cleveland Field.
Achtermann allowed two hits in six innings while striking out eight in helping the Cougars to a 6-1 first-game win. Freshman Alex Oehme struck out five and got the complete game win in helping the Cougars to the 4-1 win in the second contest.
Oehme said the team played well to remain unbeaten in conference play.
"We played pretty well," Oehme said. "We got on base early scoring runs. That was good when we got players on first and second and scored them."
The Cougars moved to 16-0 in conference play after taking all four from Otero Sunday and Monday. Lamar is in second with a 12-5 record while Trinidad is third at 10-6. Otero falls to 8-10 in conference play.
Oehme said this team is finding the confidence and they are doing it by playing consistent baseball offensively and defensively.
"We are gaining momentum and we are doing the little things right," Oehme said. "We get players on first and they find a way to get to second and then we score them from second. The defense has been great with very little errors if any."
WNCC has been playing well since coming back from the Spring Break trip in Arizona. That exposure to some top-notch junior college baseball has helped them team excel the last two weeks.
"The trip to Arizona was really good. We saw a lot of good hitting and pitching and it helped us grow as a team," Oehme said. "And, being in Arizona with the boys helped the team chemistry."
On Monday, WNCC controlled the first game from the get-go, bolting to a 6-0 lead. The Cougars scored once in the first and third and then opened up the game with four in the fourth.
Brandon Bachar opened the frame by getting hit by a pitch. The Cougars then had three straight singles by Brock Randels and Brandan Maher, before Lucas Piatchek had a run-scoring single. Stuart Eurich then belted a 3-run home run to right field to finish off the scoring.
Behind Achtermann's pitching, the Cougars didn't need any other scores. Achtermann went six innings in scattering two hits and giving up one run. He walked two. Zac Moran pitched a strong seventh, striking out one.
WNCC managed seven hits. Piatchek was the only one with two hits, both singles. He also scored a run and had a RBI.
Oehme had the complete game win in game two, where the freshman from Australia faced 28 batters in scattering eight hits, striking out five and not walking a batter.
With Oehme on the mount, the Cougars scored four runs early and let their defense and pitching take care of the last five Otero at bats.
WNCC plated one in the first on a Lincoln Trujillo run-scoring double. The Cougars added three in the second. Brandon Maher started things with a single followed by a double by Cooper Buchhammer. Cole Williams then had a run-scoring single before Ty Benson scored Buchhammer on a sacrifice fly. Williams scored the final run by stealing home on a passed ball that landed a couple feet in front of the plate.
WNCC finished with seven hits, led by Trujillo with two hits, including a double and a RBI. Buchhammer had the other extra base hit. Buchhammer also scored a run.
The Cougars, 19-15, will be back in action Wednesday when they travel to face Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, in a conference doubleheader.
First Game
Otero 000 001 0 – 1 2 3
WNCC 101 400 x – 6 7 1
WP – Alex Achtermann; 2B – Ty Benson; HR – Stuart Eurich.
Second Game
Otero 010 000 0 – 1 8 0
WNCC (19-15) 130 000 x – 4 7 1
WP – Alex Oehme; 2B – Lincoln Trujillo, Cooper Buchhammer.