LAMAR, Colo. — The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team showed two different sides of the coin on Friday, following up a defense-plagued loss in the opener with a dominant power display in the nightcap.

              The split moves the Cougars to 14-23 overall and 6-4 in Empire Conference play as they prepare for a series‑deciding doubleheader on Saturday. WNCC currently sits third in the Empire Conference standings, trailing Northeastern Junior College (10-0) and McCook Community College (7-3).

              WNCC and Lamar wrap up the four-game series with a doubleheader Saturday before the Cougars return home next week to host Otero College on Friday and Saturday.

              Game one opened with a spark for the Cougars in the second inning. With two outs, Jase Satterfield and Garrison Burns ignited the rally with back-to-back singles. Austin Cooper followed with an RBI single to center to score the game's first run. Burns later scored on an error during a Cooper stolen base, and Cooper crossed the plate on a clutch double by Vaughn Wilson to give WNCC a 3-0 lead.

              Momentum shifted quickly as Lamar rattled off 11 unanswered runs over the next five innings. WNCC struggled defensively, committing four errors that allowed the Lopes to pull away despite Lamar recording just four hits in the game.

              The Cougars attempted a late comeback in the seventh inning when Catcher Gladysh and Harrison Hart led off with singles. Will Harbison followed with an RBI single to score Gladysh. WNCC added two more runs in the frame but was unable to complete the rally.

              Despite the loss, the Cougars out-hit Lamar 9-4. Wilson paced the offense with a 3-for-4 performance, including two doubles and an RBI. Burns went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored, while Cooper, Satterfield, Hart, Gladysh, and Harbison each added a hit.

              WNCC flipped the script in the nightcap, erasing an early 3-0 deficit with a massive third inning. Jude Russell opened the frame with a single, and after Daniel Chavez was hit by a pitch, Gladysh reached on an error that allowed Russell to score. Hart then delivered the swing of the day, crushing a three-run home run to give the Cougars a 4-3 lead.

              The Cougars broke the game open in the seventh inning when Wilson singled and Hart followed with a base hit. Harbison, Payton Denny, and Cooper Wilson then delivered three straight run-scoring singles to extend the lead to 7-3.

              WNCC added two more runs in the eighth when Wilson reached on an error before Gladysh blasted a two-out, two-run home run to left-center.

              WNCC finished with 10 hits in the victory, led by Hart, who went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Cooper Wilson added a 2-for-5 effort with an RBI and a stolen base, while Gladysh drove in two runs and scored twice.

              On the mound, Allard Helms was dominant, tossing seven innings of four-hit ball while striking out eight to earn the win. Peyton Margheim earned the save with two innings of one-hit relief, including one strikeout.

Game 1
WNCC                030 000 3 -- 6 9 4
Lamar                022 511 x -- 11 4 3
LP -- Jack McCrea.
2B -- Vaughn Wilson 2.

Game 2
WNCC                004 000 320 -- 9 10 0
Lamar                300 000 000 -- 3 5 3
WP -- Allard Helms.
HR -- Catcher Gladysh, Harrison Hart.