PHOENIX – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team captured their third straight win Thursday when they defeated Paradise Valley Community College 11-4 during their Spring Break trip to Arizona.
The Cougars utilized strong pitching and timely hits in getting the win. The last time the Cougars won three straight on their Spring Break trip was 2016.
WNCC will look to win their fourth straight win in Arizona and finish the 7-game road trip with a winning record.
WNCC coach Mike Jones said the team is starting to find ways to win.
"The guys are doing great," he said. "They are starting to put things together."
WNCC got another fine pitching performance from starter Arthur Saumande and relievers Kaden Ferguson, Peyton Markheim, and Nelson Martinez, where the four allowed just two hits and combined for 12 strikeouts.
Saumande got the win, going four innings in striking out six while allowing a run and not one hit. Ferguson went two innings and allowed two hits, two runs, and struck out two. Markheim followed with two innings with no hits, one run, and two strikeouts and Martinez capped off the game with a strong ninth with no hits, runs, and two strikeouts.
Offensively, the Cougars had nine hits with six going for extra bases. Catcher Gladysh and Harrison Hart each had two hits. Gladysh had a double, home run, and four runs scored. Hart had a home run with two runs scored and three RBIs.
Will Harbison also had a home run with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Also collecting two RBIs in the contest were Payton Denny and Jude Russell.
WNCC opened the game with two in the first as Gladysh earned a 2-out walk and scored on Hart's 2-run home run. Paradise Valley added one in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1.
WNCC came back with five in the fourth to go up 6-1. Gladysh started things once again with a double to lead off the inning and scored on a Hart single. Hart scored on a Harbison 2-run home run. Cooper Wilson was then hit by a pitch and scored on a Jude Russell double. Russell scored the final run on a passed ball for the 7-1 lead.
The Cougars added a single run in the fifth Gladysh led off with a solo home run. Paradise Valley answered with a run of their own in the fifth to make it 8-2.
Both teams added single runs in the seventh. WNCC's run on a base-loaded, 2-out walk by Payton Denny.
WNCC plated two insurance runs in the ninth. Harbison and Wilson walked and Denny got a single to score one run and the last run was scored on a Russell sacrifice fly.
The Cougars, who are 3-3 on the trip to Arizona and 8-18 overall, will wrap up the Arizona trip with a game against Madison College Friday morning. WNCC will then return home to open Empire Conference play March 20 and 21 against Luna Community College.
WNCC 200 510 102 – 11 9 4
P. Valley 100 020 100 – 4 2 1
WP – Arthur Saumande.
2B – Catcher Gladysh, Jude Russell, Ty Beutner.
HR – Catcher Gladysh, Harrison Hart, Will Harbison.