The Western Nebraska Community College softball team picked up two wins Sunday over Garden City Community College with some clutch hitting and big defensive plays.  

                In the first game, WNCC received home runs from Julia Suchan and Jazmine Wessel in earning at 14-6 win in five innings. The second game saw Sarah Linford toss a complete game and the Cougar defense stepped up in getting out of bases loaded jams twice in registering the 8-3 win.

                "I think as a team, we overall played really well," Suchan, the freshman from Calgary, Alberta, said. "In the first game we came out really strong in the fifth inning. We hit pretty well. We then played good defense in the second game. Sarah {Linford, the pitcher] was very appreciative of how we handled things behind her."

                The Cougars trailed in the first game 6-4 after Garden City plated three runs each in the first and fourth inning. WNCC had a 3-run first inning behind a 2-run home run by Suchan.

                Suchan said the home run came as a surprise in the 30-40 mph winds Sunday morning.

                "It was kind of a surprise," she said. "I was just trying to hit it opposite field because the wind was blowing that way. I hit it solid and it just went over."

                After giving up three in the fourth to trail by two, WNCC ended the game with 10 runs in the fifth on seven hits.

                The fifth saw Suchan start things by earning a walk. Madi Jackson followed with a single with Weseel coming with a run-scoring single. Oxford then ripped a 2-run double. WNCC then loaded the bases with one out when Ana Apodaca had a 3-run pinch-hit double. Suchan then ripped a run-scoring triple followed by a single by Jackson to score Suchan. Wessel ended the game with a 2-run home run.

                WNCC managed 13 hits in the game, including six extra base hits. Oxford led the offense with three hits, including two doubles, three runs scored, two RBIs, and a stolen base.

                Collecting two each were Suchan, Wessel, and Madi Jackson. Suchan had a triple, home run, three runs scored, and three RBIs, while Wessel had a home run, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Jackson had two singles with two runs scored and a RBI.

                Ana Apodaca also had a double with three RBIs.

                Ashley Thomas earned the win in the circle going five innings allowing three hits, six runs on no earned runs.

                WNCC started the second game where they left off in the first by scoring five runs in the first on four doubles. Suchan started things with a double. Then, with two outs, the Cougars scored five runs including a 2-run double by Oxford, a run-scoring double by Emily Selby, and a run scoring single by Apodaca.

                Linford then had a run-scoring double to put WNCC up 5-1.

                Both teams scored twice in the second and added a single run in the fourth.

                WNCC's defense comes up big in the fourth and fifth in allowing no runs while getting out of bases loaded jams. The fourth saw Garden City load the bases with just one out before Linford got a ground out and a fly ball to second baseman Celyn Whitt to thwart any scoring.

                Garden City loaded the bases again in the fifth on two singles and a walk. Linford, again, gets a week come-backer to her for the first out and then a double play to end the inning. Linford then closes out the Garden City bats in the sixth and seventh in sitting the hitters in order.

                WNCC pounded out 10 hits Oxford and Apodaca each had two hits. Oxford had a double with two RBIs and a run scored, while Apodaca had a run scored and RBI. Selby had a double with two runs scored and a RBI. Suchan and Linford each had a double. Suchan had two runs scored with two walks.

                Jackson finished with two stolen bases, while Wessel and Celyn Whitt each had one.

                Linford picked up the win, going seven innings. Linford scattered seven hits in allowing three runs with only one being earned. Linford struck out three while facing 34 batters.

                WNCC, 12-5, will be back in action Wednesday when they host North Platte Community College in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. at Volunteer Field.

First Game

Garden City        300 30 – 6 3 2

WNCC                   301 0(10) – 14 13 5

WP – Ashley Thomas; 2B – Ana Apodaca, Lauren Oxford 2; 3B – Julia Suchan; HR – Jasmine Wessel, Julia Suchan.

Second Game

Garden City        120 000 0 – 3 7 2

WNCC                   520 100 x – 8 10 4

WP – Sarah Linford; 2B – Emily Selby, Julia Suchan, Sarah Linford, Lauren Oxford.