Morgan Dustin had a home run and the Western Nebraska Community College softball team pounded out 15 hits on a very windy afternoon in earning a 17-9 win over Otero Junior College on Sunday at Volunteer field in conference play.
The second game of Sunday's doubleheader was postponed with the 40-plus gusts along with Monday's single game. Those two games will be made up as a doubleheader later in April.
Dustin, who scored three times with three RBIs said the team played well to pick up their second win over Otero in three games.
"I think today we came out relaxed and just ready to get the job done," Dustin of Springville, Utah, said. "We focused on the small things and made the adjustments needed."
One of the adjustments they needed to make is the wind, which was blowing out of the northwest toward rightfield.
"The wind made some things difficult, but we practice in it all the time," she said. "So, we knew what we needed to adjust and shift around before the game started and made those adjustments."
While the defense had to make some adjustments with the win, the offense got the job done from one through nine in the lineup. The Cougars finished with 15 hits in the came and all nine batters scored at least one run.
"As a team we really focus on getting on, moving her over, and then moving her in," Dustin said. "Keeping it simple for on, over, and in. Throughout the whole lineup, we did that and got a job done."
Several Cougars had a multi-hit game. Chloe Cronquist went 3-for-4 with three singles and four RBIs, while Baylie Krueger went 3-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored, and two RBIs. DemiRae Woolsey also went 3-for-4 with three singled, four runs scored, and an RBI.
Dustin went 2-for-2 with a home run, three runs scored, and three RBIs, Dustin also was hit by a pitch twice. Bree Henson had two RBIs with a run scored, while Arianah Plorin had a run scored with a single and two RBIs. Sianna Lewis had two runs scored with two RBIs.
Things didn't start rosy for the Cougars on Sunday when Otero started the game with two runs in the first and then held the Cougars to a 3-up-3-down plate appearance. The second inning WNCC made the adjustments and held Otero scoreless while unloading at the plate to the tune of 11 runs while sending 15 batters to the plate. A majority of those runs came with two outs.
The inning all started as Dustin was plunked by a pitch. The Cougars loaded the bases and then Cronquist delivered an RBI single to score two. WNCC kept taking advantage of the wind and costly Otero errors with two outs. Victoria Wharton earned a walk while Devyn Priselac reached on a dropped fly ball in left field that score a run. Plorin scored a run on a fielder's choice hit that resulted in an error. Sianna Lewis then drove in two with a single followed by run-scoring singles by Dustin and Woolsey. Krieger then scored two with a triple and Kreuger came in to score on a single by Cronquist for the 11-2 lead.
Otero answered with three in the third to cut the Cougar lead to 11-5. WNCC answered with four in the bottom of the third. Wharton led off by reaching on an error and scored on a ground-out by Plorin. Lewis then walked and Dustin followed with a high flyball to centerfield that would have been a routine out, but on this Sunday afternoon, the wind caught the ball and took it sailing out of the park. Woolsey then followed with a single and later scored on a Cronquist single for the 15-5 lead.
Otero kept battling as they plated two in the fourth to make it 15-7 and then, after holding WNCC scoreless in the bottom of the frame, needed to score at least one run to keep the game going. The Rattlers plated two runs to make it 15-9.
WNCC came up in the bottom of the fifth needing two runs to end the game on the 8-run rule and got those two runs. Woolsey reached base on a dropped ball by the rightfielder followed by Krueger earning a walk. With runners in scoring position with two outs, Henson delivered a single to the area between leftfield and shortstop and a diving leftfielder couldn't get the ball as both runs scurried home for the game-ending runs and the 17-9 win.
WNCC will be back in action April 14-16 when they travel to Sterling, Colorado, for a 5-game series with conference-leading Northeastern Junior College. Dustin said they need to build upon what they did this weekend to close out the regular season.
"This weekend was a bit confidence boost for us," Dustin said. "Going into next week we need to keep focusing on the little things, having fun, and just soaking it all in.
Otero 203 22 – 9 11 4
WNCC 0(11)4 02 – 17 15 2
WP – Caley Leslie
3B – Baylie Krueger
HR – Morgan Dustin