ROSWELL, N.M. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team opened the season Friday against New Mexico Military Institute in dropping a doubleheader.

                The Cougars competed hard in the first game, leading for most of the contest, before falling 4-3. The second game New Mexico Military recorded the 7-0 shutout.

                The two teams will be back in action Saturday for another doubleheader in New Mexico.

                The first game saw starting pitcher Hunter McCollum pitch well but the Cougars gave up three, fifth-inning runs in falling 4-3.

                NMMI struck first with a run in the third. WNCC answered with two in the fourth. Bryce Peterson started things with a single and scored on a Tyler Easter 2-out single to tie the game. Ashton Ross followed with a double to score Easter for the 2-1 lead.

                The Cougars added a second run in the fifth when Garrett Dodd was hit by a pitch and advances to third as Mathieu Levesque reached on an error. Dodd scored on a ground out by Kensei Oikawa.

                NMMI came back with three in the fifth on a triple and three doubles to take the 4-3 lead.

                WNCC came right back in the sixth and got a lead-off triple by Peterson, but he was left stranded at third.

                WNCC managed four hits in the contest compared to eight for New Mexico Military. Peterson went 2-for-2 with a triple, while Ross and Easter each had the other hit.

                McCollum went five innings in allowing eight hits and four runs while striking out three. Nick Tremblay tossed one inning in striking out one.

                The second game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when NMMI scored once. The Broncs then added a second run in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. NMMI went up 4-0 with two in the sixth and then three in the seventh.

                WNCC managed just three hits in the contest from Shintaro Inoue, Asahi Nakano, and Tucker Deal.

                WNCC utilized four pitchers. Adrian Short suffered the loss in the start, surrendering three hits and one run in three innings of work. Tremblay followed with two innings of work in allowing a run. Peterson tossed one inning in allowing four hits and five runs, while Cameryn Spence tossed the final two innings in allowing just a hit.

Game 1
WNCC                 000 210 0 – 3 4 2
NMMI                   001 030 x – 4 8 2
LP – Hunter McCollum.
2B – Ashton Ross.
3B – Bryce Peterson. 

Game 2
WNCC                 000 000 000 – 0 3 2
NMMI                   001 102 30x – 7 10 1
LP – Adrian Short.
2B – Asahi Nakano.