It was a good weekend for the Western Nebraska Community College baseball team as they swept Trinidad State College in the 4-game series Friday and Saturday.
                On Friday, the Cougars won 7-6 and 11-1. Saturday’s action was just as impressive as Rocco Harmon went six innings in allowing just two hits with seven strikeouts for the 2-0 Cougar win in the first game.
                The second game saw the Cougars score six runs in the first inning, including three straight triples in earning the 13-5 win in the 9-inning game.
                Freshman Will Harbison said this was one of the best weekends that they have had.
                “We played well and each did out job in order to come out on top for all four games. We played really well and our hitters stepped up when they needed to as well as the pitchers,” the catcher/infielder from Parker, Colorado, said. “We are playing well and I think our pitchers had a really good weekend and our hitters continued to hit the ball well. I this this is the best weekend we have played overall on both offense and defense.”
                The wins were crucial in the team’s fight for regional tournament seedings. WNCC is now 8-8 in conference play and 17-20 overall. The Cougars are tied for fourth in the standings with Otero College. WNCC and Otero will battle in a 4-game series this weekend in LaJunta, Colorado.
                Harbison said they need playing like this past weekend because there is just three weeks left in the season before the regional tournament.
                “It’s really important with the tournament coming up and to continue to move up in the standings,” she said. “As well as that winning gives us more confidence and hopefully, we can carry the momentum for next weekend.”
                The first game was a pitcher’s dual on both teams as the two squads had just six combined hits. WNCC made the most of their hits by scoring single runs in the second and fifth inning and that is all they needed with the pitching and defensive play they received.
                WNCC scored in the second inning as Jin Kobayakawa walked and then WNCC got the bases loaded. Cooper burgess scored Kobayakawa with a sacrifice fly for the 1-0 lead.
                WNCC added another run in the fifth as Tucker Deal singled. Then Deal stole second on a pick-off move to first and on the throwing error, scored on the play for the 2-0 lead.
                That is all they needed as the Cougars held as Alex Renfrow came into the game in the seventh and faced just three batters with two strikeouts for the win.
                The second game saw an offensive outburst early as the Cougars enjoyed a 9-1 lead after four innings, but couldn’t put the game away after Trinidad cut the deficit to 9-5 through seven.
                The Cougars took control of the game with a strong start, however. Trinidad State scored one in the first, but the Cougars plated six in the first innings. Austin Cooper led off with a single and scored on a single by Vaughn Wilson.
                That was win the triple parade started as Cooper Wilson blasted a triple to rightfield to score one run. Then Kobayakawa hit a ball between center and rightfield for a run-scoring triple. Ren Sato followed with a triple to right field for another score. Then, with one out and two one, Harbison triples to rightfield to score two for the 6-1 lead.
                WNCC added three more runs in the fourth Garrison burns started by reaching on an error followed by Cooper getting a walk. Cooper Wilson got his second triple of the game to score two runs and he came in to score on a sacrifice fly for the 9-1 lead.
                Trinidad scored twice in the sixth and seventh to cut the deficit to four runs. WNCC came back with four in the eighth. Sato and Kensei Oikawa each had run-scoring singles for an 11-5 lead. Harbison then had a single to score another run and the final run came in on a free pass as Burns was hit by a pitch.
                WNCC had 15 hits in the contest with five triples. Harbison led the way with a 3-for-5 game with a triple and three RBIs. Oikawa, Cooper, Kobayakawa and Cooper Wilson all had two hits. Wilson had three RBIs with three runs scored.
                Allard Helms started and went four inning in scattering five hits, allowing one run, and striking out six. Matthrew Hazzard followed with three innings of work in allowing four runs and striking out six. Carter Reisig and Marshall Forsyth each tossed an inning to finish the game.
 
Game 1
Trinidad             000 000 0 – 0 2 2
WNCC                010 010 x – 2 4 –
WP – Rocoo Harmon; S – Alex Renfrow.
 
Game 2
Trinidad             100 002 200 – 5 13 1
WNCC                600 300 04x – 13 15 1
WP – Allard Helms.
3B – Cooper Wilson 2, Jin Kobayakawa, Ren Soto, Will Harbison.