The Western Nebraska Community College softball team opened the home portion of the schedule with the split of a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Volunteer Field.

                The first game saw Trinidad score early and then held on to capture the 7-2 win.

                The second game saw Erin Hanafin fall a double short in hitting for the cycle, but the Cougars had some key defensive plays in holding on for the 8-7 win.

                Macyn Hartman, who was 3-for-3 at the plate in game two, said the team started slow, but started to find their offensive rhythm late.

                "We played really good. We started off a little slow, but defensively we were very aggressive and got the plays that we needed to," Hartman said. "Offensively, it took a minute to get the bats going, but the second game we kicked it up a notch and did really good."

                WNCC offense was much better in the second game compared to the first where the Cougars left runners in scoring position a number of times, including the base loaded in the fifth inning.

                "It is very important (to get those clutch hits)," Hartman said. "But those little base hits before the clutch hits are what really is important."

                The second game saw WNCC finish with 13 hits and got on the scoreboard early before having to hold off a Trinidad comeback attempt in the seventh.

                The Cougars scored three in the second to grab the early 3-0 lead. The second all started when Bella Mumford and Lexi Butterfield each walked. Then Bailey Blanchard scored Mumford with a 2-out single. Hartman followed suit with a 2-run single for the early lead.

                Neither team scored in the third or fourth inning, but each team score one in the fifth for a 4-1 WNCC lead. The Cougars' run in the fifth came as Mumford had a 2-out double. Chloe Cronquist then walked and Mumford came in to score on a Morgan Dustin single.

                Trinidad came back to take a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth. WNCC came right back and answered with four of their own in the sixth to lead 8-5. Hartman and Victoria Wharton started the inning with one-out singles. Taylor Klein scored one with a double. Wharton followed by scoring on a passed ball to put the Cougars up 6-5. Hanafin followed with a home run to centerfield that was a no-doubter home run to put WNCC up 8-5.

                That set up the crucial seventh inning and Trinidad mounded a comeback by scoring two runs and had runners at second and third base with only one out. Relief pitcher Lexi Butterfield got the second out on a groundout to third-baseman Hartman who made the throw to first as the runners held to their base. The third out came as Butterfield got the next batter to flyout to centerfielder Wharton for the win.

                Hartman and Hanafin each had three hits in the contest. Hartman had three singles with two RBIs and a run scored while Hanafin had a single, triple, and home run with two RBIs and a run scored.

                Dustin had two singles with an RBI, while Mumford scored twice.

                Katie McMillan picked up the win going 6 1/3 innings in scattering seven runs, allowing seven runs and striking out four. Butterfield picked up the save in allowing two hits and no runs.

                The first game saw WNCC and Trinidad State battle. The difference in the contest was Trinidad got base hits to score runs when they needed and WNCC had troubles getting runners in.

                Trinidad had a 4-0 lead after the top of the fifth inning. The Trojans scored single runs in the first and third and two in the fifth. After Trinidad scored in the first, WNCC got a 2-out triple from Klein, but she was left stranded at third.

                WNCC had a prime scoring opportunity in the fourth when Hanafin and Klein led off with singles and they were both in scoring position with no outs.

                After Trinidad went up 4-0, WNCC finally got on the scoreboard with a run in the fifth. Mumford led off with a single and scored on a 2-out single by Hartman.

                Trinidad came right back and added three more in the sixth for a 7-1 lead. WNCC tried making a late inning comeback as Mumford led off with a double and scored on a Hartman single. Hanafin then walked to put two on, but that was all they could muster.

                WNCC finished with eight hits in the contest to Trinidad's 11. Four Cougars had two hits each. Hartman had two singles with two RBIs, while Hanafin, Klein, and Mumford each had two hits. Klein had a triple while Mumford had a double and scored both runs.

                Butterfield suffered the loss, going 4 2/3 innings in surrendering seven hits and four runs, while striking out one. Lexi Parker finished the game, going 2 1/3 innings in allowing four hits and three runs, while striking out one.

                Both teams will be back in action Sunday for another doubleheader at Volunteer Field. First pitch is slated for 11 a.m. with the second game to follow. WNCC moves to 11-19 on the season and 5-4 in conference play while Trinidad goes to 10-15 and 2-4 in conference.

                Hartman said they need to make adjustments early to pick up wins on Sunday.

                "I think (Sunday) we just need to come out more aggressive with our at-bats and making the adjustments early," she said. "It was very big (to get that second game win). It is very important for us to win these next games because we lost the first one and we want to win as much as we can."

Game 1

Trinidad                101 023 0 – 7 11 1

WNCC                   000 010 1 – 2 8 1

LP – Lexi Butterfield.

2B – Bella Mumford.

3B – Taylor Klein.

Game 2

Trinidad                000 014 2 – 7 9 0

WNCC                   030 014 x – 8 13 3

WP – Katie McMillan, S – Lexi Butterfield.

2B – Taylor Klein, Bella Mumford.

3B – Erin Hanafin.

HR – Erin Hanafin.