BROWNWOOD, Texas – The second day of the Cisco Invite was a lot better for the Western Nebraska Community College softball team despite falling twice.
The Cougars opened the game with a competitive contest against Western Oklahoma State College where there Cougars had an early lead before falling 3-1.
The second game of the day was also competitive as the Cougars plated six runs, but Coastal Bend College earned the 14-6 win.
The first game saw a strong pitching performance from Avery Fox as she held Western Oklahoma scoreless through the first four innings. WNCC grabbed the early lead at 1-0 when DemiRae Woolsey led off with a single followed by a Sianna Lewis double. Woolsey scored on an Erin Hurst fielder's choice hit for the 1-0 lead.
Western Oklahoma tied the game with a single run in the fifth and then took the lead with two in the sixth. WNCC had an opportunity to tie or go ahead in the bottom of the fifth as Bree Henson reached on an error and Victoria Wharton singled, but that was all they could get in that frame.
The sixth saw Lewis single but pinch runner Devyn Priselac was stranded on second. The seventh saw a mini comeback as Chloe Cronquist reached on an error with two outs, but that was it.
WNCC pounded out six hits with Wharton and Lewis each getting two hits.
The second game was competitive as WNCC took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Wharton led off the game with a triple and scored on a Chloe Cronquist single. Cronquist came in to score on a Caley Leslie single for the 2-0 lead.
Coastal Bend came back with a single run in the first and two in the second to take a 3-2 lead. WNCC answered with four in the third for a 6-3 lead.
The third started when Lewis doubled followed by Leslie getting a single. Lewis scores on a Arianah Plorin ground out. Baylie Krueger then doubled home Leslie to put WNCC in front 4-3. Fox followed with a single and Krueger came racing home. Fox then scored on a Dustin single for the 6-4 lead.
After that it was all Coastal Bend as they scored four in the third for a 7-6 lead and then added a single run in the fourth and six in the fifth to end the game on the 8-run rule.
WNCC had 11 hits in the contest. Caley Leslie, Lewis, and Krueger each had two hits. Krueger had a double with a RBI and run scored, while Lewis had a double with a run scored. Dustin also had a double with a RBI, while Wharton had a triple with a run scored.
WNCC will close out the Texas trip with a doubleheader at Odessa College on Sunday.
Game 1
W. Oklahoma 000 012 0 – 3 9 2
WNCC 010 000 0 – 1 6 0
LP – Avery Fox.
2B – Sianna Lewis.
Game 2
WNCC 204 00 – 6 11 0
C. Bend 124 16 – 14 17 1
LP – Caley Leslie.
2B – Morgan Dustin, Sianna Lewis, Baylie Krueger.
3B – Victoria Wharton.