BROWNWOOD, Texas – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team opened their season in Texas and the Cougars played teams that already had games under their belt in falling to Temple College and Cisco College Friday afternoon.

                The season started with the Cougars pounding out five hits against Temple but in the end, the Leopards scored in five of the six innings to get the 10-2 win.

                The second contest saw Cisco open with six runs in the opening inning and posted the 12-1 win.

                The Cougars first game on the diamond against Temple saw four different players get hits and the Cougars and Temple were tied at 1-1 after the first inning. The Cougars started their season when Victoria Wharton led off with a single and scored on a passed ball to knot the score.

                Neither team scored in the second inning. Temple then scored a single run in the third, two in the fourth, four in the fifth, and two in the sixth. WNCC plated one in the sixth as Wharton got a lead-off single and advanced to third on a Chloe Cronquist single. Wharton then would score on a DemiRae Woolsey triple.

                Wharton led the way with a 2-for-3 game with two runs scored while Woolsey had the only extra base hit with a triple.

                DesaRae Woolsey took the loss in the circle, going 5 1/3 innings n allowing 11 hits, nine runs and striking out three.

                The Cisco contest saw the Wranglers plate six runs in the first and five in the second for a quick 11-0 lead. WNCC avoided the shutout in the fourth inning as Wharton lead off with a single, stole second and later scored on a wild pitch.

                WNCC had just three hits in the contest, all singles by Wharton, Cronquist, and Bree Henson.

                WNCC will have two more contests Saturday in the tournament in Brownwood, Texas, as they will face Western Oklahoma State and Coastal Bend College and then wrapping up the Texas trip on Sunday with a doubleheader against Odessa College.

Game 1
Temple                  101 242 – 10 12 0
WNCC                   100 001 – 2 5 4
LP – DesiRae Woolsey.
3B – DemiRae Woolsey. 

Game 2
WNCC                   000 10 – 1 3 4   
Cisco                      650 1x – 12 14 0
LP – Caley Leslie.