STERLING, Colo. – It was a Jekyll and Hyde performance for the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team Thursday in Region IX Empire Conference action in Sterling, Colorado, against Northeastern Junior College.
The first game started off well for the Cougars as Shintaro Inoue had a 2-run home run, but NJC scored 11 times in the bottom of the first to register the 19-5 victory.
The second game was a different story as Drew Book returned to his hometown of Sterling and read a NJC pitch perfectly in the ninth inning and smacked a 3-run home run to give the Cougars the 8-5 win to get the split on the day.
WNCC and NJC will be back in action Sunday at Cleveland Field with one 9-inning game.
The second game was totally opposite of the first as the Cougars minimized NJC's runs and scored four runs in the second and three in the ninth for the win.
NJC started game two with a single run. WNCC quickly answered with four in the second to lead 4-1. Bryce Peterson led off with a solo home run. Book then walked and Tyler Easter made it 3-1 when he delivered a one-out 2-run home run. Isaac Smith then scored on a Roangeraud Fraai double.
WNCC made it 5-1 with a single run in the fourth when Easter led off with a double and scored on a Fraai lineout to the centerfielder.
NJC plated one run in the fifth to make it 5-2 and then knotted the score at 5-5 with three in the seventh on three hits. WNCC came back in the eighth and put two on, but couldn't get the go-ahead run in. Same with NJC in the bottom of the eighth as they had just one single, but that was all as Archer Blumenshein closed the door.
Inoue started the ninth with a one-out double followed by a Peterson single. Book then delivered his 3-run home, taking a 2-0 pitch over the leftfield wall for the 8-5 lead. NJC didn't do anything in the ninth as Blumenshein slammed the door on any possible Plainsmen comeback for the win.
WNCC outhit the Plainsmen 13-11. Easter led the way with a 3-for-5 performance with two doubles, a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Peterson and Johnson each had two hits. Peterson added a home run.
WNCC utilized three pitchers. Firmin Hassed started and went five strong innings in allowing six hits, two runs, while striking out three. Nicolas Tremblay tossed the next two innings in allowing three runs on four hits. Blumenshein tossed the eighth and ninth allowing just one hit and striking out one in registering the win.
The first game started out fine for the Cougars as Inoue had the early 2-run home run. When NJC came to the plate in the bottom of the first, the Plainsmen scored 11 times on three home runs for the 11-2 lead.
NJC added five more in the second to lead 16-2. WNCC plated two in the third when Eli Hernandez led off by reaching on an error followed by a single by Inoue. Hernandez scored on a groundout by Peterson and then Book scored Inoue with a single to make 16-4.
NJC added three more in the third to make it 19-4. WNCC tried a comeback in the fifth with Peterson getting on with a single followed by Book earning a walk. WNCC loaded the bases after Dylan Howard was hit by a pitch. Dylan Harris then singled home Peterson. Hunter McCollum then singles to load the bases with two outs, but that was all the Cougars could muster.
Game 1
WNCC 202 01 – 5 10 2
NJC (11)53 0x – 19 14 1
LP – Valentin Blanc.
HR – Shintaro Inoue.
Game 2
WNCC 040 100 003 – 8 13 2
NJC 100 010 300 – 5 11 0
WP – Archer Blumenshein.
2B – Tyler Easter 2, Roangeraud Fraai, Shintaro Inoue.
HR – Drew Book, Tyler Easter, Bryce Peterson.