STERLING, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College suffered their first Empire Conference defeat Wednesday, dropping a doubleheader to Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado.
WNCC gave up two late runs in the first game to fall 5-4, while the second game saw the Plainsmen score early and held on for the 9-2 win.
The losses drop WNCC to 14-2 in conference play and 19-17 overall. The Cougars are just 2 ½ games ahead of second place Lamar Community College and four games in front of Trinidad State Junior College. WNCC will face both teams this weekend in doubleheaders at Cleveland Field. WNCC face Lamar on Friday at 2 p.m. and then Trinidad on Saturday. The WNCC and Lamar game was moved up because of potential colder weather on Sunday.
Neither team had a lot of offense in the opening game. NJC held a 3-1 lead after two innings before WNCC came back with three in the third to tie the game on a Alex Achtermann single and an Isaac Taylor fielder's choice. WNCC took a 4-3 lead with a single run in the fifth on a Ryan Grasser home run.
NJC plated two runs in the sixth to retake the lead and held on for the 5-4 win.
WNCC had just four hits in the opener with Ryan Grasser getting the only extra base hit with the solo home run.
WNCC got behind the eight ball early in game two. NJC plated one in the first and five in the second for a 6-0 lead. The Cougars started a comeback with single runs in the third and fourth.
The third saw Esai Hernandez lead off with a triple and scored on a Stuart Eurich single. Brandon Bachar blasted a solo home run in the fourth inning for the other score.
The Cougars had six hits in the contest, two each from Grasser and Hernandez. Grasser had two doubles while Hernandez had a triple and a run scored. Brandon Bachar had a solo home run in the game.
First Game
WNCC 012 010 0 – 4 4 1
NJC 210 002 x – 5 6 1
LP – Zac Moran; HR – Ryan Grasser.
Second Game
WNCC 001 100 0 – 2 6 3
NJC 150 201 x – 9 9 0
LP – Nate Giefer; 2B – Ryan Grasser 2; 3B – Esai Hernandez; HR – Brandon Bachar.