PUEBLO, Colo. – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team is still alive in the Region IX baseball tournament in Pueblo, Colorado, after action on Thursday.
WNCC opened the tournament with a 5-3 loss to Otero College which saw the Rattlers score five times in the seventh inning for the win. That loss sent the Cougars to an elimination game with Luna Community College and responded with an 8-6 win, eliminating Luna.
The other game on Thursday saw McCook Community College edging Luna Community College 14-13 in 11 innings. The Indians scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk.
WNCC will continue play with a contest at 5 p.m. against one of the losers from the two winner's bracket contests on Friday. The first game of the day has top-seeded Northeastern Junior College facing Otero at 11 a.m. followed by second-seeded Southeast Community College taking on McCook at 2 p.m.
Game one was a heart-breaking setback for the Cougars after starting strong. For six innings, WNCC looked poised to open the tournament with a win behind a strong outing from sophomore right‑hander Allard Helms. The Cougar starter was sharp from the first pitch, scattering seven hits while striking out eight and allowing just one run through six frames. His ability to work ahead in counts and induce weak contact kept the Rattlers off balance.
WNCC gave Helms early support. In the first inning, Harrison Hart delivered a two‑out RBI single to score Vaughn Wilson, who had walked and stolen second. Wilson added to the lead in the third when he turned on a pitch and sent a solo home run over the right‑field fence. The Cougars pushed the margin to 3–0 in the fifth when Catcher Gladysh punched a ground‑ball single to short that allowed Wilson to score again
But baseball can turn quickly, and Otero's seventh inning proved to be the difference. The Rattlers opened the frame with a hit‑by‑pitch and a walk, then strung together four straight RBI hits as they sent 10 batters to the plate. By the time the dust settled, Otero had scored five runs on six hits to take a 5–3 lead.
Reliever Javier Peña entered and steadied things with 2.1 scoreless innings, striking out three and allowing just two hits. But WNCC couldn't mount a late rally against Otero starter Jevon Parent, who went the distance with seven strikeouts.
Hart finished 2‑for‑4, while Wilson reached base three times and scored twice.
WNCC faced elimination in the night game, showing the kind of toughness that has defined their season. Luna struck first, taking a 3–1 lead in the third inning on a three‑run home run from Erick Leyva. WNCC answered immediately when Harrison Hart launched a solo shot to left in the bottom half, trimming the deficit to 3–2.
Luna added a run in the fifth to make it 4–2, but the Cougars came alive in the sixth. Ty Beutner singled to start the rally, and Vaughn Wilson followed with an RBI single to left. Will Harbison then grounded out to second to score Beutner, tying the game. Moments later, Wilson raced home on a wild pitch to give WNCC a 5–4 lead.
The Cougars weren't done. After Luna tied the game again in the top of the seventh, WNCC delivered the biggest swing of the night. With a runner on, Jude Russell turned on a pitch and sent a towering two‑run homer to center field, giving the Cougars a 7–4 advantage and igniting the WNCC dugout.
Luna continued to battle, getting a solo homer from Aiden Sanchez and an RBI double from Sean Vigil in the eighth to pull within 8–6. But reliever Parker Markheim shut the door, recording the final outs to secure the win.
Russell finished 2‑for‑4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Wilson and Beutner each had two hits, and Harbison drove in two. Dakota Alber reached base three times and scored twice.
Game 1
Otero 000 000 500 – 5 9 1
WNCC 101 010 000 – 3 6 0
LP – Allard Helms.
HR – Vaughn Wilson.
Game 2
LUNA 003 010 020 – 6 12 2
WNCC 011 003 30x – 8 9 2
WP – Marshall Forsyth; S – Peyton Markheim.
HR – Harrison Hart, Jude Russell.