STERLING, Colo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team will enter the Region IX tournament later this week after playing Empire Conference-leading Northeastern Junior College tough on Saturday despite falling in both games.

                The first game saw Harrison Hart blast two home runs, scoring three times and helping WNCC rally in the seventh, but the Cougars came up one run short. NJC captured the opener 7-6.

                The second game was a slugfest as both teams used plenty of pitchers, saving arms for the regional tournament. The two teams used five pitchers each in the nine-inning game. NJC scored 12 times in the fifth to capture the 20-13 win.

                WNCC falls to 22-33 overall and 14-14 in the Empire Conference. WNCC will take the fourth seed into the regional tournament that begins Wednesday in Pueblo, Colorado. The winner of the regional tournament will host the four-team district final the weekend of May 14-16 along with the winners from the Arizona and Utah regions.

                The first game was a dogfight on the Plainsmen's home field. Each team had 10 hits in the contest. WNCC was led by the two-hit attack from Cooper Wilson, Harrison Hart, and Jack Sughroue. Hart had two home runs with three RBIs and two runs scored.

                NJC held an early 3-0 lead after two innings. The Cougars plated single runs in the third and fourth to cut the deficit to one, 3-2. Hart had a solo home run in the third and then the fourth saw Dakota Alber score on a double-play ball.

                NJC came back with three in the fourth for a 6-2 lead. Both teams scored one in the sixth. WNCC's run in the sixth came from Sughroue with a single that scored Will Harbison with just one out.

                Facing the 7-3 deficit entering the seventh, the Cougars tried to make some magic happen. Vaughn Wilson led off with a solo home run, followed by a Cooper Wilson single. Hart followed with a two-run home to make it 7-6. WNCC loaded the bases with three straight walks, but the Cougars couldn't get a base hit to tie or take the lead.

                WNCC was outhit in the second game 16-14, but the Cougars had six extra base hits. Will Harbison led the way with a 4-for-6 game coming up a home run shy of hitting for the cycle with three runs scored and two RBIs. Catcher Gladysh, Hart, and Ismael Camara each had two hits in the contest. Gladysh had two home runs with two RBIs, while Camara also had two RBIs.

                WNCC bolted to a 6-0 lead with two in the first and four in the third. The first inning saw Harbison triple to score two runs. The third inning saw four runs come across home plate for the Cougars. Gladysh had a solo home run followed by a two-run double from Payton Denny. Camara made it 6-0 with a single that scored Denny.

                NJC came right back with five in the third to cut the deficit to one. The Cougars added a single run in the fourth for a 7-5 lead. The game changed in the fifth when the Plainsmen scored 12 times on nine hits to take a 17-7 lead.

                WNCC tried to come back by scoring four in the seventh and single runs in the eighth and ninth, but it wasn't enough.

Game 1
WNCC                001 101 3 – 6 10 0
NJC                       120 301 x – 7 10 0
LP – Carter Reisig.
2B – Jack Sughroue.
HR – Harrison Hart 2, Vaughn Wilson.

Game 2
WNCC                204 100 411 – 13 14 4
NJC                       005 0(12)2 10x – 20 16 1
LP – Jack McCrea.
2B – Payton Denny, Vaughn Wilson, Will Harbison.
3B – Will Harbison.
HR – Catcher Gladysh 2.