BEATRICE – Eli Hernandez had a grand slam, but it wasn't enough as the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team dropped a 9-6 Region IX Empire Conference contest to Southeast Community College Tuesday afternoon in Beatrice.
WNCC drops to 5-15 in Empire Conference North play and 7-28 overall while Southeast continues to lead the North with a 20-3 conference mark and 30-10 overall.
WNCC and Southeast will be back in action for another 9-inning game on Wednesday in Beatrice and then return for a doubleheader at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Colorado, on Thursday.
The Cougars fell behind 3-0 through four innings but regrouped in a big way in the fifth with four runs to grab a 4-3 lead.
The fifth started when Dylan Harris and Hunter McCollum earned walks followed by Roangeraud Fraai getting a single to load the bases. Hernandez then took the first pitch that he saw and delivered a shot over the leftfield fence for a grand slam and the 4-3 lead.
WNCC couldn't hold the lead as the Storm came storming back in the bottom of the fifth with five runs on four singles to lead 8-4.
The Cougars plated single runs in the sixth and seventh. The sixth saw Ashton Ross lead off the frame with a home run while the sixth saw Shintaro Inoue deliver a sacrifice fly to score Fraai to make the score 9-6.
WNCC couldn't get any more runs across to end the game.
The Cougars were outhit in the contest 12-4. Hernandez had two hits with his home run and four RBIs. Ross and Fraai were the only others with hits.
WNCC utilized two pitchers. Clayden Brandon took the loss, going 4 1/3 innings in allowing eight hits, eight runs while striking out four. Adrian Short went 3 2/3 innings while scattering four hits and one run while striking out three.
WNCC 000 041 100 – 6 4 1
Southeast 002 151 00x – 9 12 2
LP – Clayden Brandon.
HR – Eli Hernandez (grand slam), Ashton Ross.