The Western Nebraska Community College softball team hit four home runs and finished with 26 hits in sweeping a doubleheader with Dawson Community College Sunday afternoon at Volunteer Field.

                Haille Weber had five RBIs with a home run and double in the first game helping WNCC score 10 late runs for a come-from-behind 14-5 win over the Buccaneers.

                The second game saw Andy Hancock strike out nine in pitching the Cougars to the 11-2 win.

                WNCC will wrap up the weekend homestand with a doubleheader Monday against Luna Community College beginning at 10 a.m.

                Weber, who finished Sunday going 5-for-7 with three doubles, a home run, six RBIs and five runs scored, said the team played well.

                "I think we came out stronger than we did the past couple days," Weber said. "We didn't let Western Texas get to us even though we split with them both days and today we came out stronger."

                WNCC finished the doubleheader with 26 hits including 11 extra base hits. On Saturday against Western Texas, the Cougars split a doubleheader with no extra base hits. Weber said timely hits are important.

                "It is very important to have timely hits," she said. "We just have to wait on slower pitches and take our time and not speed up our swing. We need to relax it."

                Sunday showed plenty of potential in this team. The first game saw WNCC jump to a 4-0 lead with two runs each in the third and fourth innings. Dawson came back with five runs on five hits in the fifth. The big it was a 3-run double by Cassidy Wall for a 5-4 lead.

                WNCC immediately answered with six runs in the bottom of the frame. Jade Morton started the inning with a double followed by a run-scoring single by Celyn Whitt. Christian Bobian followed with a run-scoring double and then Weber had a 2-run single. Kenzie Sawyer finished off the inning with a 2-run home run to centerfield for a 10-5 lead.

                The Cougars added four more runs in the sixth on 2-run home runs. First, it was Emily Selby that had a shot to straight centerfield followed by Weber blasting a shot to centerfield.

                Weber paced the team with her three hits. The freshman from Longmont, Colorado, also swiped three bases. Whitt, Sawyer, Lauren Oxford, and Jasmine Wessel all finished with two hits. Whitt and Oxford each had two runs scored, while Sawyer had a double, home run and three RBIs.

                Hancock picked up the win in relief, going the final 1 1/3 innings, striking out one and allowing one hit. Whitney Fields started and struck out six while scattering seven hits.

                The second game was all WNCC. After Dawson scored a run in the top of the first, the Cougars answered with six in the first and then two runs each in the second and third.

Weber and Selby each had two hits in the contest. Weber finished with two doubles and two runs scored while Selby had two singles, a run scored and a RBI. Bobian, Whitt, and Jade Morton each had two RBIs in the contest.

                Shelby Martinez had the only other extra base hit with a pinch-hit, solo home run over the rightfield fence in the fourth inning.

                Hancock struck out nine in just 4 1/3 innings of work for the win. Hancock scattered four hits and allowed just one run. Payten Davies finished out the game giving up a hit, a run, and a strikeout.

First Game

Dawson                000 050 – 5 8 2

WNCC                   002 264 – 14 15 1

WP – Andy Hancock; 2B – Christian Bobian, Jasmine Wessel, Kenzie Sawyer, Lauren Oxford, Jade Morton; HR – Emily Selby, Sawyer, Haille Weber.

Second Game

Dawson              100 01 – 2 5 1

WNCC (18-6)      622 1x – 11 11 1

WP – Andy Hancock; 2B – Weber 2; HR – Shelby Martinez.