SNYDER, Texas – The Western Nebraska Community College softball split a doubleheader with Western Texas College in Snyder, Texas, Sunday afternoon.
The first game saw Western Texas score eight, second-inning runs to earn the 12-4 win. The second contest saw the Cougars score runs in six of the seven innings while pounding out 19 hits in registering the 18-13 win.
WNCC head coach Katelyn Groves said the last game saw the Cougars start strong.
"Offensively we had our moments," she said. "In our last game of the weekend, we came out really strong and scored seven in the first. WTC kept coming for us and we continued to score runs and pass the bat through the lineup. Consistency will be key for us moving forward. We've got to continue putting the ball in play and having some timely hits to score runs."
The WNCC softball team is a young team this season with just one returning player from a year ago. After nine games, the Cougars are 4-5 on the season.
"This is a very young team and we have seen some big strides offensively and in the circle," Groves said. "We've got work to do on defense but we know what we need to do. This group has the pieces and I'm excited to see things come together for us."
WNCC's offense was ready in game two as they had 19 hits with six doubles and two home runs. The Cougars were led by Cheyenne Ausborn with a 4-for-4 game with four runs scored, three RBIs, and a home run.
A pair of Cougars finished with three hits. Bailey Blanchard had three doubles with three runs scored and three RBIs, while Chloe Cronquist had three singles with three runs scored and an RBI.
Another four players had two hits. Lexi Butterfield had a double with two runs scored and a RBI; Emma Schweitzer had two singles with two RBIs, and two runs scored; Chayden Chong had a double with two runs scored and two RBIs; and Erin Hanafin had a double, home run, and four RBIs.
WNCC plated seven runs in the first and three in the second to take a 10-0 lead. The first saw four straight singles that scored three runs. Then, with two outs, WNCC added four more runs on two more hits, including a 2-run single by Chong and a 2-run double by Blanchard.
The second inning saw Butterfield lead off with a double followed by a run-scoring single by Ausborn and a single by Cronquist. WNCC added two more runs for their 10 runs.
Western Texas came back with four in the bottom of the second, but WNCC answered in the top of the third with three runs to lead 13-4. Chong led off with a double followed by a run-scoring double by Blanchard. Then, with two outs, Ausborn hammers a solo home run for the 13-4 lead.
Western Texas added three more in the fourth to slice the lead to 13-7, but WNCC answered in the fifth with two runs. Hanafin scored the two with a 2-out double to make it 15-7.
Western Texas added four in the bottom of the fifth to make it 15-11. Once again, WNCC answered with a single run in the sixth and two more in the seventh for an 18-11 lead. The sixth saw Ausborn score Blanchard on a sacrifice fly.
The seventh saw Schweitzer single and score on a home run by Hanafin. West Texas tried a come back as they loaded the bases and then scored two on a double. That was when Butterfield shut down the offensive attack getting the next two to line out and fly out and then the third out came on a pop fly to Butterfield.
Chong picked up the win in the circle with Butterfield getting the save. Chong went four innings in allowing 11 runs with just four earned runs. She struck out one. Butterfield picked up the save, going three innings in allowing just one hit, two runs, no earned runs, and striking out one.
Groves said the pitchers did well all weekend.
"Our pitchers threw well all weekend," she said. "All any team asks of their pitchers is to provide opportunities for outs. Ours have done that. Our defense has some work to do this week to get ready for conference. We gave up 25 unearned runs. That's an unacceptable statistic and we have to do a better job being in the moment and making plays behind our pitchers."
The first game saw WNCC grab a 3-0 lead after the first 1 ½ innings. After that, Western Texas scored eight in the second and three in the third for an 12-4 lead.
WNCC had eight hits in the contest. Blanchard, Ashley Quinn, and Ausborn all had two hits. Ausborn had a double with a RBI, while Blanchard had a double with a run scored and a RBI. Quinn had two singles with a run scored and RBI.
WNCC will be back in action for a Region IX showcase in Lamar, Colorado Friday through Sunday when they face all six Region IX teams.
Game 1
WNCC 120 10 – 4 8 3
W. Texas 083 1x – 12 12 0
LP – Lexi Butterfield.
2B – Cheyenne Ausborn, Bailey Blanchard.
Game 2
WNCC 733 021 2 – 18 19 8
W. Texas 040 340 2 – 13 9 1
WP – Chayden Chong; S – Lexi Butterfield.
2B – Bailey Blanchard 3, Lexi Butterfield, Chayden Chong, Erin Hanafin.
HR – Cheyenne Ausborn, Erin Hanafin.