Cougar notes: WNCC baseball sweeps Otero in conference games

                The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team received strong pitching and timely hits in capturing an Empire Conference doubleheader over Otero Junior College by identical 3-0 scores Thursday afternoon at Cleveland Field in Scottsbluff.

                The first game saw Dawson Hurford strike out nine in leading the Cougars to the win. The second game saw Corbin Kirk and Owen Vanthillo combined on 13 strikeouts to lead the Cougars to the victory.

                Hurford said it was a total team effort both offensively and defensively in the Cougars conference wins.

                “I thought the team played really well,” Hurford said. “We played together and everyone focused on their goal. We started off a little cold in hitting and then everyone started playing well together. We hit for each other. We pitched for each other. That is how we ended up winning.”

                The pitching performances Thursday were awesome as the four pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts, three hits, and no runs. And that came a day after the Cougars swept Miles 11-1 and 20-19.

                “Pitching was phenomenal today,” Hurford said. “We limited our walks which was definitely what got us to know where we should be. My limiting the walks, we threw less pitches which let us go longer. We just played well.”

                Not only the pitching, the entire team played well collectively.

                “We definitely played well as a unit. We wanted to play for each other especially this being our first conference games,” Hurford said. “It is huge to get these conference wins to start off the season. It just brings energy and momentum, and we just need to carry off of it and hopefully we will see where this goes.”

                WNCC and Otero will face each other for another conference doubleheader Friday beginning at noon. Hurford said they need to play the same way on Friday.

                “We have to come out with the same energy, get rest tonight, and get ready for the games tomorrow,” Hurford said.

                The first game was highlighted by pitchers Hurford and Brian Bruxvoort as they struck out 10 and limited Otero to just three hits. The two pitchers also walked just one.

                Offensively, the Cougars had eight hits with Eli Hernandez leading the way with three of the hits, all singles. Joe Kinneberg had a double in the win while Maxime Adam had a triple.

                WNCC scored single runs in the second, third and fifth innings and the way the pitchers were pitching, that was all the offense they really needed.

                The second inning saw Kinneberg double and score on a Drew Book single for the 1-0 lead. WNCC made it 2-0 with a run in the third when Adam tripled and scored on a Jordan Rollins single.

                WNCC closed out the scoring with a single run in the fifth when Adam walked and scored on a Jack Jones single.

                The second game saw an even stellar pitching performance from Kirk and Vanthillo as the two had 13 strikeouts and allowed just two hits. The two pitchers walked just one.

                Kirk picked up the win in tossing four innings of no-hit ball while striking out eight and walking just one. Vanthillo finished the game with three innings pitched in relief while allowing two hits and striking out five.

                Both teams didn’t find offense until the fifth inning when WNCC plated two runs. The fifth started when Ethan Johnson walked and then Quinn McCafferty was hit by a pitch. Johnson came in to score on a single by Adam and McCafferty scored on a single by Jordan Rollins.

                The final run was in the sixth when Howard had a one-out solo home run.

                Vanthillo closed out the game in the seventh. He allowed the lead-off batter to get a single, but then induced a groundout, a lazy pop out to first base and then got the final out on a strikeout for the win.

                WNCC was led at the plate by Adam with two hits including a double and a RBI. Howard had a home run in the game.

               

Game 1

Otero                    000 000 0 – 0 3 1

WNCC                   011 010 x – 3 8 1

WP – Dawson Hurford; S – Brian Bruxvoort.

2B – Joe Kinneberg.

3B – Maxime Adam.

 

Game 2

Otero                    000 000 0 – 0 2 0

WNCC                   000 021 x – 3 5 0

WP – Corbin Kirk; S – Owen Vanthillo.

2B – Maxime Adam.

HR – Dylan Howard.

WNCC men top Western Wyoming in overtime at regionals

LAJUNTA, Colo. -- The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team earned their second straight post-season win as they registered an upset win over North No. 1 seed Western Wyoming Community College 85-82 in overtime on a Agwa Nywesh 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to move the Cougars into the semifinals of the Region IX tournament in LaJunta, Colorado, Thursday.

                The Cougars advance to the Final Four of the tournament and will play Trinidad State College at 5 p.m. Friday. Trinidad State was a 78-72 winner over Casper College on Thursday. The other semifinal will pit Otero against Laramie County Community College. Otero was a 97-89 winner over EWC, while LCCC defeated McCook 93-74.

“This was a very big win for us,” head coach Billy Engel said. “When the postseason hits, these are all big wins. Overall, we played well. We stuck to our game plan and executed on offense.”

The first half was a back-and-forth affair as the Cougars would get the first score of the game on a Them Koang basket.

Each team went point for point as WNCC went on a 7-2 run to get their largest lead of the game at 13-7. Western Wyoming would go on a 7-0 run to take the 14-13 lead before WNCC would score with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.

Less than two minutes later with the Cougars up 17-16, Rodney Sawyer got hurt with the referees not blowing a whistle to stop play, prompting Engel to get heated and given a technical foul, the first of the game for WNCC.

The Cougars wouldn’t let that deter their goal and pushed on as when tied at 19-19, Carter Brown would hit two straight 3-pointers, putting the Cougars up 25-22. The remainder of the half saw ties at 25, 27, and 29 before the Mustangs scored five of the final eight points to lead 34-32 at halftime.

Just like the start of the game, Koang got the first points in the second half. After an Agwa Nywesh three and a tie at 37-37, the Mustangs went on a 6-0 run to lead 43-37.

Western Wyoming kept their distance as they continued to lead for the majority of the half. WNCC, however, weren’t going to give in so easily.

The Cougars came within one or two points multiple times and with 8:55 remaining in regulation, Koang got the second technical of the game when down 58-55. It wouldn’t take long for WNCC to tie the game at 59, 63 and 67.

The Mustangs went on another 6-0 run to lead 73-67 before Engel called a timeout to stop the momentum.

Nywesh was fouled on a 3-pointer, making all of his free throws and then Koang made a bucket after making space in the key to go up.

With Western Wyoming up 76-74 and under 30 seconds left, Biko Johnson intentionally fouled D’Auntray Pierce. Pierce missed both free throws and then a misstep trying to inbound the ball gave WNCC the possession with 21.2 seconds.

This gave the Cougars just enough time to tie the game on a Carl Thorpe bucket.

In overtime, the game was tied at 82 with 30 seconds left. The Cougars held the ball as long as they could as time and the shot clock were ticking. Nywesh would hit a 3-pointer, giving the Mustangs the ball back with 17 seconds left. None of the shots would go down, giving WNCC the win.

“Agwa’s shot was huge to win us the game,” Engel said. “We had a plan to break their zone and the kids did exactly what they were supposed to do and it led to a wide open three for Agwa.”

The Cougars had four in double figures, led by Koang with 27 points. Nywesh followed with 22 and was 7-for-7 at the free throw line. Johnson had 14 and Brown finished with 10.

“Trinidad is a good team and they’ve played like it all year. I’m glad we were able to win our home game against them (Jan. 29), and we honestly had a great opportunity to beat them at their place,” Engel said. “We should step into tomorrow’s game with a lot of confidence.”

 

WNCC                   32 44 9 - 85

W. Wyoming      34 42 6 - 82

 

WNCC

Them Koang 27, Agwa Nywesh 22, Biko Johnson 14, Carter Brown 10, Carl Thorpe 9, Rodney Sawyer 3.

WESTERN WYOMING

Trevor Trost 22, Azarian Stephens 13, Dayne Prim 13, Andre Cruz 12, D’Auntray Pierce 10, Lain Mitchelson 5, Charlie Harris Jr. 4, Chase Hettinger 3.

WNCC women earn 100-28 win in quarterfinals of Region IX tourney

                CASPER, Wyo. – The 4^th-ranked Western Nebraska Community College women’s basketball team held Northwest College to just two third-quarter points and ran away with an 100-28 win in quarterfinal action at the Region IX tournament in Casper, Wyoming, Thursday afternoon.

                The Cougars advance to play Eastern Wyoming College in the semifinals on Friday at 5 p.m. EWC was a 67-50 winner over McCook Community College. The other semifinal will pit Casper College against Laramie County Community College. Casper was a 75-43 winner over Otero College, while LCCC defeated Trinidad State College 89-54.

                The winners of the semifinals will meet for the Region IX championship Saturday at 4 p.m. with the winner earning the automatic berth into the NJCAA national tournament March 14-19 in Lubbock, Texas.

                Mia Jaye Sarkodee-Adoo, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, said it was a good team win.

                “I think we played really well as a team,” the freshman said. “We shot the ball pretty decent, shared the ball well and our defense led to good offensive plays.”

                The Cougars were sharp defensively, forcing Northwest into 37 turnovers while collecting 27 steals. WNCC also held Northwest to single-digit scoring in three of the four quarters. The nine points that the Cougars allowed in the second half is tied for fifth in the record book. The record is just two points set in 2011 by NCTA-Curtis.

                Sarkodee-Adoo said the defense was especially strong on the day.

                “Our defense was intense,” she said. “We squeezed the ball well and didn’t over help too much which led to their turnovers.”

                WNCC took control of the game after the first five minutes of the first quarter. WNCC led 6-0 and later 13-6. It was then the Cougars open the game with a 9-0 run that was led by a 3-pointer by Shanti Henry. After three points from Northwest, the Cougars closed out the first quarter on another 9-0 to lead 31-9.

                The second quarter started with WNCC scoring the first nine points on an old-fashioned 3-point play by Amani Brown and back-to-back 3-pointers by Henry and Payton Fields. Northwest nailed a field goal to stop the run, but it was only temporary as WNCC went on a 12-0 run to lead 52-11 and led 59-19 at halftime.

                The Cougars led 63-19 before Northwest scored their only bucket of the third quarter. After that, WNCC reeled off 19 straight to lead 82-21 as Ale’Jah Douglas scored the last six points of the quarter.

                WNCC then outscored Northwest 18-7 in the fourth quarter for the win.

                WNCC put five players in double figures. Douglas led the way with 18 points. Fields and Martrice Brooks each finished with 12, while Brown tallied 11. Sarkodee-Adoo had 10. Yara Garcia was close to double-digits with nine points, while Aminata Zie had eight points.

                WNCC won the rebound battle 44-32. Sarkodee-Adoo had eight followed by Panem and Rashaan Smith each with six.

                Sarkodee-Adoo said they just need to continue playing like that in order to get a regional title.

                “We need to continue to play hard and bring the same energy we bought today, plus more,” she said.

 

WNCC                   31 28 23 18 – 100

Northwest          9 10 2 7 – 28

WNCC
Ale’Jah Douglas 18, Amani Brown 11, Aminata Zie 8, Shanti Henry 6, Payton Fields 12, Yara Garcia 9, Breanna Fowler 2, Martrice Brooks 12, Ashley Panem 3, Shayane Poirot 3, Genet Mebratu 2, Mia Jaye Sarkodee-Adoo 10, Rashaan Smith 4.

NORTHWEST

Kiana Quintero 2, Kierra Cutright 9, Nayeli Acosta 5, Darla Hernandez 4, Celina Tress 8.

WNCC softball splits games on Thursday

               MCCOOK – Macyn Hartman had five hits and seven RBIs, including a home run and a double as the Cougars pounded out 29 hits in a 26-4 win over Luna Community College in Region IX Pod play Thursday in McCook.

                The Luna win was in the second game of the day. The first game saw Otero earn the 9-1 win over the Cougars.

                The Cougars will have two more games in the Region IX Pod tourney with contests against Lamar and Trinidad State, before wrapping up the Pod action on Saturday with contests against NJC and McCook.

                Hartman’s big day put her name up in the record book for a game performance. Her seven RBIs is tied for second with seven others. The most RBIs in a game was by Jacqui Cappuccilli set in 2011 against Wyoming. Hartman’s five hits is tied for third with seven other players. The most hits in a contest by a player was six by Cappuccilli in 2011 and Katelyn Groves in 2009.

                As a team, the 26 runs scored is tied for third in the record book along with the 2010, who scored 26 against McCook. The record is 29 runs set in 2011 against the University of Wyoming club team while second place is 28 runs set in 2016 against Southeast Community College.

                The second game offense saw the Cougars scores in all four innings they batted in.  WNCC scored three in the first and two in the second to grab a 5-0 lead. It was the third inning that saw the Cougars open the game with 13 runs on 14 hits before plating eight runs in the fourth.

                Hartman led off the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the first to start the scoring. After that, Mackenzie Bakel single and scored on a Bella Coffman single. Erin Hanafin later scored on an Emma Schweitzer single for the 3-0 lead.

                WNCC added two more in the second as Coffman had a solo home run and Bakel scored on a Lexi Butterfield grounder.

                The 13 runs the Cougars scored in the third all started when Schweitzer led off the inning with a solo home run. After that, Blanchard hit a one-out double followed by Victoria Wharton single. Both came in to score on a Hartman single. The score ballooned to 10-0 when Bakel scored on a Butterfield single and 11-0 as Hanafin singled in Butterfield.

                The third inning continued as Schweitzer doubled to score Coffman and Hanafin and then Blanchard singles to score Schweitzer and Sianna Lewis for a 15-0 lead. Bree Henson then had a pitch-hit single and scored on a Hartman double followed by Butterfield doubling home Hartman for the 18-0 lead.

                The fourth inning saw WNCC score their eight runs all with two outs. Wharton started the scoring when she had a run-scoring single to score Hanafin. Hartman scored two more with a single and then Butterfield had her second double to score another run to make it 23-2. Bella Mumford then had a pinch-hit single to score Butterfield and Mumford scored on a 2-run Hanafin home run.

                WNCC had eight players with multi-hit games. Hartman was 5-for-5 with four runs scored, seven RBIs, a double, and home run. Schweitzer and Bakel each had four hits. Bakel had a double with four runs scored, while Schweitzer had a double and home run along with four RBIs and three runs scored.

                Butterfield. Hanafin, and Blanchard each had three hits. Butterfield had six RBIs with two runs scored, and two doubles. Hanafin had a home run with four runs scored and three RBIs, while Blanchard had a double with two RBIs and two runs scored.

                Coffman and Wharton each had two hits in the win. Coffman had a home run with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Wharton had two runs scored and a RBI.

                Katie McMillan picked up the win in the circle, going 4 1/3 innings in scattering four hits and giving up four runs while striking out one. Lexi Parker finished off the game in allowing one hit and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.

                The first game saw WNCC manage just three hits and the only run they got was a solo home run by Hanafin in the second. Besides that hit, the only other hits came in the third on a Wharton single and then the fourth on a Bakel single.

 

Game 1

Otero                    103 23 – 9 10 0

WNCC                   010 00 – 1 3 3

LP – Lexi Butterfield.

HR – Erin Hanafin.

 

Game 2

Luna                      000 22 – 4 5 1

WNCC                   32(13) 8x – 26 29 0

WP – Katie McMillan.

2B – Macyn Hartman, Emma Schweitzer, Mackenzie Bakel, Bailey Blanchard, Lexi Butterfield 2.

HR – Macyn Hartman, Emma Schweitzer, Erin Hanafin, Bella Coffman.