LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team moved into third place of the Empire Conference after sweeping Luna Community College in Las Vegas, New Mexico on Friday.
The Cougars received a strong pitching performance and timely hitting including home runs from Vaughn Wilson, Matt Levesque, and Tucker Deal for the 10-5 win. The second game saw the Cougars jump out to a 9-0 lead and then held on for the 14-12 win as the Cougars hammered four more home runs from Cooper Burgess, Ren Sato, Catcher Gladysh, and Austin Cooper.
The win moves the Cougars to 12-10 in the conference and 21-22 overall. The Cougars are a game out of second place held by Northeastern Junior College. WNCC and Luna will have another doubleheader on Saturday.
Saturday's second game was an offensive showcase as the Cougars had 20 hits with the four home runs and three doubles.
WNCC was led by Jin Kobayakawa who finished with four hits with a double, two RBIs and a run scored. Gladysh and Burgess each had three hits. Burgess had a home run with four RBIs, while Cather had a home run with two runs scored.
Cooper, Wilson, Sato, and Landon Lockwood each had two hits.
WNCC wasted little time in scoring in the second game, scoring three times in the first. Kobayakawa had a double that scored the first run and then Burgess had a 2-run home run to make it 3-0.
WNCC added a single run in the second as Cooper had a solo home run for the 4-0 lead.
WNCC made it 8-0 with four in the third. Lockwood started things with a double and then Sato had a 2-run home run. Harbison followed with a double and scored on a Kensei Oikawa single. Oikawa scored the final run of the frame on a Kobayakawa single.
WNCC made it 9-0 with a run in the fourth on a Gladysh solo home run.
With the score at 10-1, Luna scored five times in the fifth to make it a 10-6 contest. WNCC came right back and plated three runs in the sixth. The big hit was a 2-run single by Wilson to make it 13-6.
Luna made it a 13-12 game with six runs in the seventh. WNCC added an insurance run in the eighth inning as Wilson scored on a Burgess single. Luna had a rally going in the ninth with two on, but Zane Hendrickx shut the door and picked up the save.
The first was a battle as WNCC finished with 12 hits with seven going for extra base hits. Wilson and Levesque led the way offensively with three hits each. Both had home runs with Wilson scoring three runs with two RBIs, while Levesque had two RBIs and a run scored.
Burgess had two hits with two doubles and two RBIs.
WNCC scored two in the first as Wilson blasted a 2-run home run. Luna came right back with three in the first. Luna went up 4-2 with another run in the second. The Cougars plated three in the third for a 5-4 lead. The third saw the Cougars score the three runs with two outs as Burgess doubled home Wilson for the first run. Lockwood followed with a run-scoring single to tie the game and then Levesque singled home Oikawa for the lead.
WNCC added a single run in the fifth and then two in the sixth for an 8-4 lead. The sixth saw Tucker Deal get a home run. Wilson then doubled and scored on a Burgess double. Luna added a single run in the sixth to make it 8-5.
WNCC added two insurance runs in the seventh. Levesque had a solo home run. Jase Satterfield followed with a double and scored on a Calab Caciari single.
Austin Neeley then came in to relieve starting pitcher Clayden Brandon and got the three batters he faced to hit three infield grounders for the win.
Game 1
WNCC 203 012 2 – 10 12 2
Luna 310 001 0 – 5 10 3
WP – Clayden Brandon.
2B – Vaughn Wilson, Cooper Burgess 2, Jase Satterfield.
HR – Vaughn Wilson, Matt Levesque, Tucker Deal.
Game 2
WNCC 314 113 010 – 14 20 0
Luna 000 150 600 – 12 18 0
WP – Julian Garza; S: Zane Hendrickx.
2B – Jin Kobayakawa, Landon Lockwood, Will Harbison.
HR – Cooper Burgess, Ren Sato, Catcher Gladysh, Austin Cooper.