Photo: Trevor Beutner delivers a pitch late in the game. Beutner held Luna scoreless for the final two innings to get the win on the hill in game two.

                The Western Nebraska Community College and Luna Community College baseball teams combined for 54 runs in two games as the two teams split an Empire Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Cleveland Field.

                The first game saw Luna score five times in three innings and then held WNCC in the final frame to claim the 16-11 win.

                The second game saw the Cougars trail 11-5 early and then came back as Payton Denny delivered an 8th-inning 2-run home run to give the Cougars the lead and then Trevor Beutner shut down the Luna bats for the 14-13 win.

                “The second game we just came together as a group and had really strong hits,” Denny said. “Every time we needed a hit, I felt we just knew we were gonna get the hit. We knew we were gonna come through in the clutch moment, and if we didn’t, we knew the guy behind us was gonna back us up.”

                The Cougars had just seven hits in the second game, but had five extra base hits, including a grand slam by Will Harbison and the go-ahead home run by Denny. Denny said they never gave up when they were down and kept battling.

                “Our focus was just compete. We took two from them (Friday), so we knew we were able to take another one today,” he said. “The first one was rough, so coming back and getting the second one was huge. We knew that we got the guys to win and we just knew we were gonna win.”

                Denny said that home run that he got in the eight-inning felt good, especially since he was 0-fer in the game.

                “That’s the best I’ve ever felt and the coolest thing I’ve ever done on a baseball field,” Denny of Chandler, Arizona, said. “It just feels better for the guys and that’s why we do it. We play for each other. Getting to touch home plate and then going to the dugout just feels great.”

                That second game saw the Cougars fall behind 11-2 through 4 ½ innings. WNCC came back to score five times in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 12-11 lead.

                The fifth saw the Cougars load the bases on free passes. WNCC got the first run on a passed ball. The Cougars loaded the bases again and Harbison smashed a grand slam to make it 11-7.

                WNCC added another five runs in the sixth as three straight walks loaded the bases. The first run came in on an error and then Catcher Gladysh doubled in two more to make it 11-10. Hart followed with a single that scored two for the 12-11 lead.

                Luna came back with two solo home runs to retake the lead at 13-12 in the seventh. WNCC failed to score in the seventh but retook the lead in the eighth when Harbison earned a 2-out walk followed by Denny launching a 2-run home run for the 14-13 lead.

                WNCC finished with just seven hits, led by Harbison with two hits including a triple and home run with four RBIs and three runs scored.

                Trevor Beutner got the win, tossing the final two innings in allowing two hits, walking one and striking out two.

                The first game saw WNCC get behind after Luna scored five times in the third, fifth, and sixth. WNCC trailed 11-3 early, but scored five in the fifth to make it an 11-8 game. The big hit was a Hart 3-run home run followed by Austin Cooper getting a 2-run home run.

                The Cougars trailed 16-8 entering the final inning and plated three runs including a double by Hart, and a 2-run home run from Cooper.

                WNCC finished with 10 hits with Hart finishing with three hits with four RBIs, three runs scored, and a home run and two doubles. Cooper and Burns each had two hits. Cooper had two home runs with five RBIs and two runs scored, while Burns had a double.

                WNCC, moves to 11-20 on the season and 3-1 in the conference. The Cougars will be back in action this weekend when they travel to Trinidad State College for a 4-game series.

Game 1
Luna                    005 155 0 – 16 12 0

WNCC                000 350 3 – 11 10 4

LP – Payton Denny.

2B – Harrison Hart 2, Garrison Burns, Jase Satterfield.

HR – Austin Cooper 2, Harrison Hart.

Game 2

Luna                    110 450 200 – 13 16 3

WNCC                100 155 02x – 14 7 1

WP – Trevor Beutner.
2B – Catcher Gladysh, Jude Russell.

3B – Will Harbison.

HR – Payton Denny, Will Harbison.

WNCC softball claims two wins over Miles on Saturday

                The Western Nebraska Community College softball team got timely hitting and clutch pitching performances from Gracie Holm and Mia Migliaccio in claiming a doubleheader from Miles Community College on Saturday at Volunteer Field in Scottsbluff.

                The first game saw Holm strike out six in five innings of work while Abbey Arntsen went 3-for-3 with four RBIs and a home run to lead the Cougars to the 11-3 win.

                The second game saw Migliaccio toss five strong innings while striking out seven while Tina Horton had a walk-off run-scoring triple to give the Cougars the 9-1 win.

                WNCC moves to 9-13 on the season and will host Miles for another doubleheader Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.

                Horton said the team played well with timely hitting and excellent pitching.

                “I think we played really good,” the sophomore from Australia said. “There was a lot of good pitching, probably the nest I’ve seen. Pitching is one of the main parts of the game and I think they’ve been improving a lot.”

                The first game saw WNCC score all the runs they needed in the first three innings as the pitching and defense was playing well. The Cougars scored twice in the first as Arntsen ripped a 2-run home run.

                The Cougars plated five in the second and four in the third. The second saw WNCC load the bases on a walk and singles by Ellie Soper and Tina Horton. The first run came in on a sacrifice fly and then Arntsen singled in another run as WNCC led 7-2.

                The third saw WNCC plate four runs as Arntsen scored one with a single followed by another on a sacrifice fly by Jasmine Castro. Adi Duke scores two on a double to make it 11-2.

                WNCC had eight hits in the game, led by Arntsen with her three hits with four RBIs and three runs scored. Duke also had three RBIs with a double, while Jasmine Castro had two hits in the win.

                The second game saw WNCC build an 8-0 lead after three innings. The Cougars scored twice in the first and second inning. The first inning saw Horton lead off with a solo home run. Arntsen then singled and scored on a Castron 2-out double for the 2-0 lead.

                WNCC added another two runs in the second, all coming with two outs. Soper got a single and then Horton reached on an error. Tori Travers singled to centerfield scoring both runners.

                The Cougars followed that with four in the third for the 8-0 lead. Holm led off with a single. With two outs, Migliaccio earned a 9-pitch walk. Hayley Blumenschein scores one scored one with a single and then Soper singles in two more.

                Neither team scored in the fourth and Miles needed one run in the fifth to keep the game going. They got it as they scored one with one out.

                WNCC won the game in the fifth when Soper singled and Horton delivered a triple to scoring the game-ending run.

                WNCC had 14 hits in game two. Horton and Soper each had three hits. Horton had a triple and home run with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Soper had three singles with two RBIs and three runs scored, including scoring the game-ending run.

                Travers, Holm and Castro all had two hits in the contest. Travers had three RBIs, while Castro and Holm each had a double.

Game 1

Miles                    002 01 – 3 5 2

WNCC                254 0x – 11 8 2

WP – Gracie Holm.

2B – Adi Duke.

HR – Abbey Arntsen.

Game 2

Miles                    000 01 – 1 7 1

WNCC                224 01 – 9 14 0

WP – Mia Migliaccio.

2B – Jasmine Castro, Gracie Holm.

3B – Tina Horton.
HR – Tina Horton.