La Junta, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team earned a split with Otero Junior College in Region IX conference action Friday in La Junta, Colorado.

                Emily Selby hammered two home runs and the Cougars earned a 15-7 win in game one. Game two saw Otero score 12, fourth-inning runs to earn the 18-8 win.

                The conference split keeps WNCC in second place at 18-8 and 32-13 overall. WNCC will be back in action Sunday when they travel to North Platte Community College.

                The first game saw WNCC pound out 17 hits including six extra base hits in getting the win. Selby had the hot bat, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, three runs scored, and five RBIs.

                Celyn Whitt also finished with three hits while Madi Jackson and Lauren Oxford each had two hits. Whitt finished with a double with two runs scored, while Jackson had two runs scored and three RBIs. Oxford had two singles, two runs scored, and two RBIs.

                Ana Apodaca, Jasmine Wessel, and Payten Davies each added a double in the win.

                The Cougars opened the game with two first-inning runs but fell behind as Otero scored three times. The Cougars went in front in the second with seven runs on five hits. The big hit in the second was a 2-run home run by Selby.

                WNCC led 9-6 after two and 9-7 after three innings. The Cougars opened the game with a five-run fourth inning on doubles by Wessel and Apodaca. The Cougars added a single run in the fifth on a solo home run by Selby.

                Ashley Thomas picked up the win by gong five innings. Thomas allowed 11 hits and seven runs of which only three were earned. Thomas struck out two and walked one.

                The second game saw the Cougars fall behind 4-0 after one inning before scoring four in the second. Selby had a run-scoring double and Apodaca had a 2-run double to tie the game at 4-4.

                WNCC led 8-6 after scoring three times in the fourth, including a double by Cassie Jones and a 2-run hit by Jackson.

                Otero came right back and put the game away with 12 runs in the bottom of the frame to go up 18-8 for the win.

                WNCC finished the game with eight hits. Wessel had three hits with a home run with two runs scored and a RBI. Collecting doubles in the contest were Selby, Apodaca, and Cassie Jones. Selby and Julia Suchan each picked up a stolen base in the defeat.

First Game

WNCC                   270 51 – 15 17 3

Otero                    331 00 – 7 11 2

WP – Ashley Thomas; 2B – Jasmine Wessel, Ana Apodaca, Celyn Whitt, Payten Davies; HR – Emily Selby 2.

Second Game

WNCC (32-13)    041 30 – 8 8 4

Otero                    402 (12)x – 18 19 1

LP – Ashley Thomas; 2B – Cassie Jones, Emily Selby, Ana Apodaca; HR Jasmine Wessel.