STERLING, Colo. – Catcher Gladysh had two home runs and the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team had four home runs total as the Cougars registered a key Empire Conference 13-5 win over Northeastern Junior College Thursday in Sterling, Colorado.
The win moves the Cougars to 24-22 overall but, more importantly, to 15-10 in the conference. NJC is now 30-22 overall and 16-9 in conference. The two teams have three games left this weekend and the one that captures two wins will get the important second seed in the Region IX tournament next week.
WNCC will host NJC in a doubleheader on Friday, May 2 and then the two teams will wrap up the series with a 9-inning game on Saturday in Sterling, Colorado.
Gladysh said these were huge wins for the team and they need to keep playing like this the rest of the series and season.
"This is a huge win for us. Now we need to go out there and finish the job by getting two wins tomorrow (Friday) to secure the number two seed," the red-shirt freshman from Brighton, Colorado, said. "(Friday) our focus is to attack the pitcher's as hitters and play solid, clean defense behind the pitchers, coming out with two wins."
WNCC scored in six of the nine innings. The Cougars jumped out to a 2-0 lead with single runs in the first two innings. The first saw Calab Caciari single and score on a Cooper Burgess 2-out single.
The second inning saw Jase Satterfield belt a 2-out home run for the 2-0 lead. NJC came back with two in the third to tied the game.
Both teams scored twice in the fourth for a 4-4 lead. WNCC half of the fourth saw Landon Lockwood lead off with a single and then Gladysh had a 2-run home run. NJC answered with a 2-run shot in the bottom of the frame.
NJC took their first lead of the game with a run in the fifth to lead 5-4, WNCC answered with a run in the sixth when Kensei Oikawa scored on a 2-out Caciari double.
The Cougars put the game away in the seventh with five runs to lead 10-5. It all started as Jin Kobayakawa singled followed by a Burgess 2-run home run. Austin Cooper plated another run with a run-scoring double and then Caciari got another single to score two runs.
WNCC added three more runs in the ninth. Gladysh led off with a solo home run. Cooper than doubled and scored on a Vaughn Wilson single. Wilson scored the final run on a Kobayakawa double for the final score.
WNCC outhit the Plainsmen 16-5 and had eight extra base hits. Kobayakawa and Caciari each had three hits in the contest. Both had doubles while Caciari had three RBIs. Burgess, Gladysh, and Cooper all had two hits. Gladysh had two home runs with three RBIs and three runs scored. Cooper had two doubles with two runs scored and an RBI. Burgess had a home run with three RBIs.
The pitching staff was excellent as well. Clayden Brandon went seven innings in tossing five hits, five runs, and striking out three. Austin Neeley tossed the final two innings in not allowing a hit or run while striking out four.
WNCC 110 201 503 – 13 16 3
NJC 002 210 000 – 5 5 1
WP – Clayden Brandon.
2B – Austin Cooper 2, Calab Caciari, Kin Kobayakawa.
HR – Catcher Gladysh 2, Cooper Burgess, Jase Satterfield.