Star-Herald Sports Editor Bryanna Winner contributed to the story
The Western Nebraska Community College softball team captured their third straight victory after getting two walk-off conference wins over Northeastern Junior College on Saturday at Volunteer Field.
The first game saw the Cougars lead from start to finish in getting the 11-3 win behind a strong pitching performance from Katie McMillan and home runs from Erin Hanafin and Bailey Blanchard in just five innings.
The second game was a back and forth contest as both teams scored in six of the seven innings. The seventh saw WNCC score the winnings runs on a walk-off Chloe Cronquist hit that score Mackenzie Bakel with the winning run for the 10-9 victory..
"Today was a fantastic day. Everyone came out and played from the heart and continued to put up runs and make outs that were needed to be made," right fielder Hanafin said. "I am super proud of our pitchers for staying tough in the games and our hitting team just did a fantastic job."
WNCC head coach Katie Groves said it was definitely a team win.
"The whole team did well today (Saturday) from the starting nine to those that came off the bench to run or swing a bat or those that kept our energy levels up all day in the dugout," Groves said. "We had two really great team wins today."
Both wins today saw different people step up in different roles. Groves said it wasn't just Saturday, but all four games over the weekend saw great at bats. WNCC took three of four games from league-leading NJC over the weekend.
"We had some great at bats all four games of this series, even in game one that we lost," she said. "We are tracking the ball much better than we have been and making some solid contact. Our ability to pass the bat and move people around executing our game plan was great this weekend up and down the lineup and we had big moments from those coming in to pinch hit. I was really proud of our ability to string hits together and get big hits when we needed them from all over our lineup.:
The first game saw the Cougars go out to an early 2-0 lead as Macyn Hartman drove in Victoria Wharton with the first run and then Bella Mumford scored Hartman on a sacrifice fly.
WNCC pushed the lead to 8-0 after scoring six times in the second. The inning started with Cronquist earning a walk and Hanafin launching a towering home run for the 4-0 lead.
WNCC wasn't through as WNCC loaded the bases as DemiRae Woolsey walked, Hartman was hit by a pitch and Blanchard had a bunt single. Taylor Klein then drove in two with a single and then Bakel scored two more with a 2-out double for the 8-0 lead.
NJC scored one in the top of the fourth inning before Blanchard started the bottom half of the inning with a home run to left field for the 9-1 lead.
The Plainswomen hit two homers in the fifth for their final runs of the game.
WNCC put the game away in the bottom of the fifth via the 8-run rule. Bakel started things with a single. Bella Coffman singled in Bakel with two outs for a 10-3 lead. Blanchard then singled and Emma Schweitzer earned a walk to load the bases. Arianah Plorin, a pinch runner, scored the final run as she was forced home after Hartman earned a four-pitch walk to score the final run of the game.
WNCC out-hit NJC 11-8. Blanchard led the offense with three hits including a home run, two runs scored, and an RBI. Klein and Bakel each had two hits. Klein had a run scored and two RBIs while Bakel had a double with a run scored and two RBIs.
Katie McMillan picked up the win in the circle, pitching all five innings, giving up eight hits, three runs and two walks while recording two strikeouts.
Game two was a close game throughout with neither team able to get an edge on the other. Both teams got one run in the first. WNCC's first-inning run came from Bakel who singled home Wharton.
NJC went up 2-1 with another run in the second. NJC went up 3-1 with another run. WNCC matched that run as they sliced the NJC lead to 3-2 as Bella Mumford singled home Hartman.
WNCC took the lead in the fourth when Cronquist doubled, followed by a Hanafin single. Schweitzer scored Cronquist with a sacrifice fly and then Wharton singled in Hanafin for the 4-3 lead.
NJC responded by tying the game with a run in the fifth. The tie was short-lived as Mumford blasted a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth for the 5-4 lead.
NJCC came back with two in the sixth for a 6-5 lead. WNCC had plenty of confidence in the sixth as they score three times. Lexi Butterfield led off with a double, followed by Blanchard with a single. Then, with two outs, Hartman delivered a 3-run home run to left field to put the Cougars up 8-6 entering the seventh.
The seventh proved interesting as the first two NJC batters reached base via singles. WNCC pitcher Butterfield settled down and got the next two out. NJC scored one on an error and then scored the go-ahead run on a single for the 9-8 lead.
WNCC kept the energy up as Mumford led off with a single, followed by Bakel singling to right field to put runners on the corner. Bakel then stole second and Mumford score the tying run as the ball sailed into the outfield sending Bakel to third base. Cronquist then took a 2-2 pitch and ripped a pitch to third base and the throw was not handled cleanly and Bakel came racing home for the game winner.
"Chloe (Cronquist) did her job," Hanafin said. "She went up to bat relaxed and ready to do what she can to get that last run in to win the game."
Three Cougars finished with a multi-hit game led by Mumford, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs and two RBIs. Hartman finished 2-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs, while Bakel finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and run.
WNCC utilized four pitchers. McMillian picked up the win in pitching just a third of the inning. Also seeing time on the mound were Caley Leslie, DesaRae Woolsey, and Butterfield. The pitchers combined for eight strikeouts, led by Woolsey with five.
The Cougars will face the Plainswomen one more time this week as they play a makeup game on Tuesday before facing McCook the same day. WNCC will then have their final regular season home games next weekend when they host Luna Community College.
Groves said they just need to take it one game at a time and that every game is important the rest of the way.
At this point of the season, all games are big games and they are as big as we make them," she said. "We need to take care of us and focus on Western Nebraska and Cougar softball. If we control the controllables and focus on what we do, we will be in games and have the ability to capitalize at any moment. We need to see pitches to the barrel, hit through the balls, see balls to the leather, play catch with teammates, hit our spots and pitch with authority, and most importantly continue to take care of each other. Together we go."
Game 1
NJC 000 12 -- 3 8 0
WNCC 260 12 -- 11 11 2
WP - Katie McMillan.
2B - Victoria Wharton, Mackenzie Bakel
HR - Bailey Blanchard, Erin Hanafin
Game 2
NJC 111 012 3 -- 9 12 3
WNCC 101 213 2 -- 10 12 3
WP – Katie McMillan.
2B -- Chloe Cronquist, Lexi Butterfield.
HR -- Macyn Hartman, Bella Mumford.