RANGER, Texas – The Western Nebraska Community College softball team earned a split with Ranger College on Friday to open the season in Ranger, Texas.

                WNCC started slow in the first game and then had their comeback come up one run short in falling 6-5. The second game was a different story as Jenika Fuentes tossed a complete game in giving the Cougars the 7-3 win.

                WNCC will wrap up the Texas trip with a pair of games against Cisco Community College on Saturday.

                The Cougars put together a complete game in the second one as they allowed Ranger to score in just one of seven innings. WNCC, themselves, plated runs four of the seven innings.

                WNCC took a 2-0 lead with two in the first. Alyssa Albaugh started things with a single and scored on a Tina Horton double. Horton came around to score on a Fuentes groundout.

                WNCC added three more in the third as Albaugh started the rally once again with a 1-out double and scored on a Horton single. With two outs, Sierra Hilgner singled and then Horton and Hilgner each scored on a Kayli Cooper hit that was booted for the 5-0 lead.

                Ranger came back with three runs in the fourth to make it a 5-3 contest, but the Cougars plated single runs in the fifth and seventh innings. The fifth saw Adi Duke earn a walk and scored on a JoLee Huffaker single. The seventh Duke single and score two batters later on a Huffaker double for the 7-3 lead and win.

                WNCC finished with nine hits in the contest. Huffaker led the way with three hits with a double and three RBIs. Horton and Albaugh each had two hits with each getting a double.

                Fuentes picked up the complete-game win, going all seven innings in scattering seven hits while allowing three runs, walking two, and striking out three.

                The first game saw the Cougars get behind 6-0 after four innings before they started a comeback that fell short.

                With Ranger up 6-0, WNCC sliced the deficit in half with a 3-run fifth inning. The inning started as Kay'Leigh Blair reached on an error. With two outs, Huffaker singled to score Blair for the team's first run of the season. Horton followed with a single to put two one. Huffaker then scored on a Duke double and Horton later came in on a passed ball to trail 6-3.

                WNCC plated one more in the sixth as Tori Travers tripled and score on a Viktoria Sarkanyova groundout to make it 6-4.

                WNCC had a chance to tie the game in the seventh. With one out, Huffaker tripled and came in to score on a Horton double. Horton was left stranded at third for the tying run.

                Huffaker and Horton each had three hits with an RBI. Huffaker had two runs scored with a triple, while Horton had a double.

                Kallie Stocking started and went four innings in giving up six runs on 11 hits while striking out two. Kayli Cooper tossed the final two innings in allowing two hits and walking three with not runs.

Game 1
WNCC                 000 031 1 – 5 9 2
Ranger                201 300 x – 6 12 2
LP – Kallie Stocking.
2B – Tina Horton, Adi Duke.
3B – JoLee Huffaker, Tori Travers.     

Game 2
WNCC                203 010 1 – 7 9 2
Ranger                000 300 0 – 3 7 2
WP – Jenika Fuentes.
2B – Alyssa Albaugh, Tina Horton, JoLee Huffaker.