GREAT BEND, Kan. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team allowed a couple of big innings and that was the difference in the Cougars dropping a doubleheader to Barton Community College on Sunday in Great Bend, Kansas.

                The first game saw Barton earn the 8-0 win in five innings. The second game saw WNCC allow five, second-inning runs and six in the fifth inning and that proved the difference as the Cougars fell 13-6 to Barton.

                The first contest saw Barton's pitchers toss a one hitter and Barton had a perfect game going until the fourth inning when Quinn McCafferty ripped a lead-off triple. WNCC, however, couldn't score that run.

                Up until the fourth, Barton scored four in the first and one in the third to hold a 5-0 lead. After the McCafferty triple, WNCC didn't get another hit even though they had runners on base in the sixth and seventh via walks.

                WNCC had just one hit in the contest on McCafferty.

                The Barton pitchers were sizzling in the game with a combined one-hitter and 13 strikeouts. Starter Wade Reynolds struck out 11 in six innings of work and then reliefer Tegan Cain had two struck out two batters.

                After dropping that first game without scoring a run, the Cougars quickly got the offense going in game two. WNCC plated two runs in the first inning to grab a 2-0 lead. Jack Jones walked and scored on an Eli Hernandez triple. Hernandez came in on a Dillon Fabricus grounder.

                The lead lasted until the bottom of the second and that was when Barton scored five runs to lead 5-2. WNCC got one back in the top of the third when Jones doubled and scored on a Hernandez single.

                Barton answered that with two in the bottom of the third to make it 7-3. WNCC wasn't about to stop the fight to come back, scoring another run in the fourth as WNCC loaded the bases with one out and scored one run as Fabricus scored on a Dylan Howard fielder's choice hit.

                Barton put the game away in the fifth when they scored six runs to go up 13-4. WNCC still had fight as they went all nine innings, scoring a single run in the seventh when WNCC loaded the bases once again with one out, but managed just one run as Ethan Johnson scored on a Hernandez fielder's choice hit.

                WNCC loaded the bases once again in the eighth inning, this time with two outs, but couldn't get a run in to score.

                WNCC had seven hits in the contest. Hernandez led the way with three hits including a triple, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Jones had a double with two runs scored.

                The Cougars will be back in action this weekend when they are scheduled to host Miles Community College on Saturday and Sunday, weather pending.         

Game 1
WNCC                   000 000 0 – 0 1 1
Barton                  401 021 x – 8 14 0
LP – Harold Baez
3B – Quinn McCafferty.

Game 2
WNCC                   201 101 100 – 6 7 1
Barton                  052 060 00x – 13 17 0
LP – William Potter.
2B – Jack Jones.
3B – Eli Hernandez.