Friday's Western Nebraska Community College and Otero College conference softball games were one-run games with each team claiming a victory in thrilling fashion.
Game one saw Otero jump to a 7-1 lead and then held on after a Cougar seventh-inning comeback attempt to capture the first game 7-6.
The second contest saw WNCC score five runs in the fifth and sixth innings and then played some tough seventh-inning defense in posting the 8-7 win.
The Cougars will be back in action on April 7 and 8 when they host a pair of doubleheaders. WNCC will host Ft. Hays Technical Northwest on Monday, April 7 and then face Lamar Community College on Tuesday, April 8. Both games were contests that were postponed from earlier in the season.
Kallie Stocking, who got the pitching win in the second game, said they need to utilize the way they played on Friday for the remainder of the season.
"By learning from the mistakes that were made this series, we will be able to fix them during practice so that we can be able to sweep," she said. "Understanding the faults made during an error and then working through it is the best way to get better."
In her win against Otero, she learned from her previous outing in the circle and she carried it over to the second game when she came in relieve?
"It means a lot for me to be able to do that for my team. We needed to win that game, and I was grateful to be a contributing factor for the win," she said. "Last series I was working hard as a pitcher, and it set me up to do better this weekend. The team's mentality has changed in the aspect that we only have this group of girls for so long and to make the most out of it. We work hard day in and day out, so we decide to give all that we can during the games for each other."
The second game on Friday was one where the Cougars stayed tough in the contest, finishing with 11 hits with five going for doubles. JoLee Huffaker led the way with three hits with a double and three RBIs.
Tina Horton, Sierra Hilgner, Mykah Klumpp each had two hits. Horton had two doubles with two runs scored and two walks, while Hilgner had a double with two runs scored and an RBI. Klumpp had two singles with an RBI.
Kallie Stocking got the win in the circle, tossing the final three innings in relief of Jenika Fuentes. Stocking scattered six hits with just two runs allowed.
Otero took a 1-0 lead in the first inning only to watch WNCC tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the second as Tori Travers scored on a bunt by Huffaker.
Otero came back with a run in the third to go up 2-1, but the Cougars immediately went ahead 3-2 with two in the bottom of the frame. WNCC loaded the bases with no outs and Hilgner drove in the tying run with a single followed by Huffaker singling in Hilgner with the go-ahead run.
Otero went ahead 5-3 with a run in the fourth and two in the fifth. WNCC answered once again with a 3-spot in the bottom of the fifth for a 6-5 lead. Hilgner led off the fifth with a double and scored on a Travers double. Huffaker made it three straight doubles as the freshman score Travers to tie the game at 5-5. Huffaker scored on a Mykah Klumpp sacrifice fly to make it 6-5.
The Rattlers tied the game with a run in the sixth. Once again, WNCC answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame to go up 8-6. Tina Horton led off with a double followed by a single by Kallie Stocking. WNCC loaded the bases with one out. Travers scored Horton with a sacrifice fly and Stocking scored on a Huffaker single for the 8-7 lead.
The seventh became intense as Otero loaded the bases with just one out. Otero scored one run on a fielder's choice hit. The Cougars got the final out on a groundout to shortstop for the win.
The first game saw the Cougars fall behind 7-1 through four innings. After that, the Cougars defense stepped up and the offense responded in the seventh inning that saw the Cougars come within inches of forcing extra innings or getting a win as the Otero shortstop made a diving play in catching the final out while scooping up dirt for the final out.
Entering the seventh, WNCC needed some magic and they got it. With two outs, Horton started the magic with a single followed by a single by Randi Mitchell. Horton scored the first run as Stocking doubled to make it 7-2.
The hit parade continued as Hilgner singled to score both Stocking and Mitchell to make it a 7-4 contest. Travers followed with a single to score Hilgner and then Huffaker singled to score Travers to make it a 7-6 contest for the final.
Both teams had 10 hits. Mitchell led the team with three hits with a run scored. Hilgner and Huffaker each had two hits as Hilgner had two RBIS. Stocking had two RBIs in the contest with the only extra base hit.
Game 1
Otero 321 100 0 – 7 10 1
WNCC 001 000 5 – 6 10 5
LP – Jenika Fuentes.
2B – Kallie Stocking.
Game 2
Otero 101 121 1 – 7 13 3
WNCC 012 032 x – 8 11 3
WP – Kallie Stocking.
2B – Tina Horton (2), Sierra Hilgner, Tori Travers.