The Western Nebraska Community College softball team played strong defense, got timely hits, and had strong pitching as the Cougars took three of four games from Dawson Community College over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Cougars earned a split, as they scored five sixth-inning runs in game one and captured the 5-3 win. The second game Dawson out-hit the Cougars 10-3 to claim the 8-1 win.
Sunday's contests saw the Cougars score early and then held on as Kayli Cooper went the distance in the circle allowing just three hits in the 5-2 win. The second game saw Cooper get the win in the circle in relief and it was a Mykah Klumpp sixth-inning solo home run that proved to be the winner in the 5-4 win.
Cooper, the sophomore pitcher from Saskatchewan, had all three wins from the circle over the weekend. The defense was a key factor in the way the Cougars played over the weekend.
"I think we played really good today. I think our energy was higher going into it," Cooper said about the two wins on Sunday. "We already knew their pitchers and we knew what they were throwing. We just kept our energy up."
Cooper said getting those timely hits along with the defensive players behind the pitchers were the keys to the games this weekend.
"We knew what she was throwing and just get base hits," Cooper said. "Mykah just pulled in and it was a clutch hit for her."
As for getting three pitching wins over the weekend where she threw 17 innings in scattering 17 hits, allowing just six runs, and striking out 11 for the weekend, Cooper knew she just had to throw and rely on her defense, and the Cougar defense came through.
"I knew I couldn't strike everybody out. I trusted my teammates to get the ground balls and pop flies for me. I really honed in and I knew I had a job to do and I just went out and tried my best," Cooper said. "The defense was really big today. I have grats to all my infielders and outfielders today because they really had my back and they stopped everything. They gave so much effort."
Sunday's games were intense. The first game saw the Cougars come out ready to play and plated two runs in the first and second innings for a quick 4-0 lead. In the first, WNCC loaded the bases on two walks and an error. Randi Mitchell then scored the first run with a sacrifice fly and Cooper scored the second run on a ground out for the 2-0 lead.
The second inning saw JoLee Huffaker lead off with a single and scored one batter later on a Tori Travers single. Travers came in to score on a Tina Horton single.
WNCC added a single run in the fourth as Sierra Hilgner doubled and scored on a Mitchell hit. Dawson plated two runs in the sixth, but that was all they could get.
Cooper got the win going all seven innings in striking out three and scattering three hits.
WNCC had just four hits in the contest, but they came when it counted. Hilgner had the only extra base hit with a double.
The second game was just as intense as both teams played great defense. The Cougars opened the game with two in the first when Horon got things started with a single and scored two batters later on a Mitchell 2-out single. Mitchell would score to make it 2-0 on a Tori Travers single.
Dawson fought back to tie the game with two runs in the third. WNCC retook the lead with two in the fourth. Travers started things on getting hit by a pitch. She would come in to score on a Huffaker double and Huffaker scored on a Klumpp sacrifice fly to lead 4-2.
Dawson came right back in the fifth with a 2-run home run to tie the game at 4-4. WNCC had a prime opportunity in the fifth when they loaded the bases with no outs and couldn't get a run in. The sixth inning, though, saw WNCC take the lead when Klumpp hit a shot to centerfield for a solo home run to put the Cougars on top.
The seventh inning saw Cooper get three fly balls to rightfield, where Huffaker calmly hauled in all three outs to end the game.
Cooper got the win in relief of Jenika Fuentes. Fuentes went three innings in allowing four hits and two runs, while Cooper went four innings in allowing five hits and two runs while striking out three.
Horton led the offense with three hits while Huffaker had two hits with a double, and Klumpp had a hit with two RBIs.
Saturday's games were classic softball games. Game one was a pitcher's dual for all seven innings. Dawson took a 1-0 lead with a run in the fifth. WNCC took the lead with five runs in the fifth on just one hit and a couple Dawson fielding errors for the win. WNCC had just two hits, a double by Lydia Tibbals and a single by Randi Mitchell.
Game two on Saturday saw WNCC take a 1-0 in the first as Kallie Stocking drove in Adi Duke with a double. After that, Dawson plated three runs in the third, four in the fifth and one in the sixth for the 8-1 in over the Cougars.
The Cougars will now head to Arizona for some games over the weekend when they face Arizona Western College and Yavapai College. Cooper said they need to focus and just do the little things like they did this weekend to keep building off these three wins.
"We just need to keep our energy up and attack early and just really fight and know how much we want to win and just go get them," she said.
Sunday
Game 1
Dawson 000 002 0 – 2 3 5
WNCC 220 100 x – 5 4 1
WP – Kayli Cooper.
2B – Sierra Hilgner.
Game 2
Dawson 002 020 0 – 4 8 1
WNCC 200 201 x – 5 10 0
WP – Kayli Cooper.
2B – JoLee Huffaker.
HR – Mykah Klumpp.
Saturday
Game 1
Dawson 000 010 2 – 3 8 2
WNCC 000 005 x – 5 2 0
WP – Kayli Cooper.
2B – Lydia Tibbals.
Game 2
Dawson 003 041 0 – 8 10 1
WNCC 100 000 0 – 1 3 4
LP – Kallie Stocking.
2B – Kallie Stocking.