ROSWELL, N.M. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team handed New Mexico Military Institute its first loss of the season after the Cougars earned a split with the Broncos Sunday afternoon in Roswell, New Mexico.

                The first game was close for four innings before New Mexico Military earned the 10-0 win.

                The second game saw the Cougars fall behind 4-1 and then picked the offense behind a 4-hit performance from Roangeraud Fraai and a 3-hit day from Hunter McCollum in handing the Broncos their first defeat of the season with the 11-8 win.

                NMMI stuck first in the first inning with a home run. WNCC answered in the top of the second as Fraai singled and scored on a ground out hit by Jacob Jackson to tie the game.

                The Broncos went up 4-1 with three in the second but the Cougars' bats stayed hot as they scored twice in the third to cut the deficit to 4-3. Bryce Peterson led off by reaching on an error followed by a Drew Book single. With two outs, Jackson tripled home both runs.

                WNCC took the lead in the top of the fifth with two more runs. McCollum singled and scored on a Fraai triple. Fraai came in to score on a Jackson groundout for the 5-4 lead. That lead was short-lived as NMMI added two in the bottom of the frame for a 6-5 lead.

                That was where the Cougar defense picked up in holding New Mexico Military to just two runs while the offense scored six times. WNCC scored three times in the sixth, all with two outs. With two on, McCollum doubles in two runs and then McCollum scored on a Fraai single for the 8-6 lead.

                NMMI scored once to cut the lead to 8-7. WNCC came right back in the seventh with two more runs. With two outs, Isaac Smith tripled in Jackson and Dylan Harris. WNCC added another run in the eighth as Fraai had a 2-out single to score McCollum for the 11-8 win.

                WNCC was led at the plate by Fraai, who went 4-for-5 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs scored. McCollum went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBIs, and three runs scored. Jacob Jackson finished with a triple and four RBIs.

                Valentin Blanc picked up the win on the mound, going two innings while allowing five hits, four runs. Bryce Peterson earned the save, going two innings in striking out four.

                The first game was also a good one for the first 3 ½ innings. WNCC pitcher started strong in tossing three shutout innings. It was the fourth inning that the Broncos bats got to Brandon with three runs for the 3-0 lead.

                New Mexico Military would add four in the fifth and three in the sixth for the 10-0 win in six innings.

                WNCC finished with six hits. Eli Hernandez led the way with a 3-for-3 day while Bryce Peterson had two singles. Dylan Howard had the other hit.

                WNCC, 1-3, will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Great Bend, Kansas to battle Barton Community College in a 4-game series.

Game 1
WNCC                   000 000 – 0 6 3
NMMI                   000 343 – 10 9 0
LP – Clayton Brandon    

Game 2
WNCC (1-3)        012 023 210 – 11 12 3
NMMI (11-1)     130 021 100 – 8 10 3
WP – Valentin Blanc; S – Bryce Peterson.
2B – Dylan Harris, Hunter McCollum.
3B – Roangeraud Fraai, Isaac Smith, Jacob Jackson.