MILES CITY, Mont. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader Sunday in Miles City, Montana.

                The Cougars captured the first game 7-2 behind a strong pitching performance from Dawson Hurford in getting the 7-2 win. The second game saw Miles limit WNCC to just three hits in earning the split on the day with the 8-0 win.

                WNCC went 3-1 on the weekend after claiming two victories on Saturday against Miles Community College.

                WNCC moves to 8-10 on the season and are scheduled to host Northeastern Junior College on Wednesday, but the status of that game will be determined in the coming days.

                Hurford went six strong innings in game one in striking out two and allowing just two runs, both unearned. Hurford walked two and allowed just three hits. Owen Vantillo tossed the seventh in allowing just one hit and striking out two.

                Offensively, the Cougars did what they needed to get the win. WNCC opened the scoring with four runs in the second and, really, that is all they needed behind the pitching of Hurford.

                WNCC's second inning started with Matt Womack getting a single followed by Joe Kinneberg delivering a double. JT Cafferty scored Womack with the first run of the game with a single followed by Kinneberg scoring on a passed ball for a 2-0 lead. Caleb Coats scored Cafferty on a groundball for a 3-0 lead.

                WNCC wasn't through in the second as Joey Olson had a 2-out single to score Coats for the 4-0 lead.

                WNCC added an insurance run in the fifth as Joe Orozco reached on an error and scored moments later on a wild pitch for the 5-0 lead.

                Miles made comeback, scoring two in the sixth to slice the lead to 5-2. The Cougars, however, rallied right back with two in the seventh as Womack slapped a 2-out double that scored Luis Alcantara and Orozco for the 7-2 lead.

                WNCC finished with 11 hits in the win. Orozco led the way with three hits, all singles. Orozco also scored two runs. Alcantara and Womack each had two hits. Womack had a double with two RBIs and a runs scored. Kinneberg had the other extra base hit in the game with a double.

                The second game was close for four innings. Miles scratched across a run in the third for the 1-0 lead. It wasn't until the fifth when the game got away from WNCC as Miles scored four times for a 5-0 lead and then added another three in the sixth for the 8-0 lead.

                WNCC never could get untracked offensively, managing just three hits. The Cougars had two doubles in the contest from the bats of Alcantara and Dillon Fabricus. Jordan Rollins had the other hit for the Cougars.

                WNCC utilized three pitchers in the contest. Paul Panduro took the loss in going just four innings in allowing one run and two hits while striking out five. Trevor DuBray went two-thirds of an inning in allowing four hits, four runs and striking out one. Chandler Young tossed 1 1/3 innings in allowing two hits and three runs while striking out a batter.

Game 1
WNCC                   040 010 2 – 7 11 3
Miles                     000 002 0 – 2 4 2
WP – Dawson Hurford.
2B – Joe Kinneberg, Matt Womack.

Game 2
WNCC                   000 000 0 – 0 3 0
Miles                     001 043 x – 8 8 1
LP – Paul Panduro.
2B – Dillon Fabricus, Luis Alcantara.