WNCC baseball wins second straight on Spring Break trip in Arizona

                PHOENIX – The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team scored 14 runs in a 14-5 win over Mesa Community College Wednesday on the third day of their Spring Break trip in Arizona.

                The Cougars put together a complete game as the Cougars got home runs from Payton Denny and Dakota Alber while Marshall Forsyth and Ian Grafmank threw excellent from the mound.

                Last year the Cougars lost to Mesa 5-4 and this year was a total different story. Mesa also won the last six meetings between the two teams before this year. The last time the Cougars won two games on their Spring Break trip was in 2018.

                WNCC will have single games Thursday and Friday to finish off the Spring Break trip as they play Paradise Valley Community College and then Madison Community College.

                Wednesday was a game that the Cougars trailed early and then took control of the game.

                The Cougars trailed after Mesa scored two runs in the first inning for a quick lead. WNCC answered scoring at least one run in the next five innings. The Cougars plated six runs in the second for a 6-2 lead. Denny led off with a home run that jump started the offense. Ren Sato and Jase Satterfield followed with singles. Jack Sughroue tied the game with a run-scoring single and then Garrison Burns put the Cougars in front for good with a run-scoring single. WNCC loaded the bases for Dakota Alber who singled in another run. Will Harbison finished off the scoring with a double that scored two more runs.

                Both teams scored a single run in the third. The Cougars came when Austin Cooper had a 2-out single scoring Sughroue.

                The Cougars added three more in the fourth to make it 10-3. All three runs came with two outs. Denny started things with a walk and then Sato singled. Satterfield scored two with a double and Sughroue had a run-scoring single to finish the scoring for the inning.

                Both teams added run in the fifth as Alber had a solo shot for the 11-3 lead.

                WNCC closed out the scoring with three runs in the sixth. Cooper singled in one run with two outs followed by Daniel Chaves scoring two with a single.

                WNCC had 17 hits in the contest with Garrison Burns and Jack Sughroue getting three hits each. Sughroue had a double with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Burns had two runs scored and an RBI.

                Cooper, Alber, Sato, and Satterfield all had two hits. Satterfield had a double with two runs scored, two runs scored, while Sato had two runs scored, Alber with a home run and two RBIs and two runs scored, and Cooper two runs scored and two RBIs.

                Forsyth went six innings in getting the win, scattering nine hits with five runs scored and striking out four. Grafmank tossed one inning allowing two hits and one strikeout. The two pitchers did not allow a base on balls as they faced just 32 batters.

WNCC                061 313 0 – 14 17 4

Mesa                   201 011 0 – 5 11 0

WP – Mason Forsyth.

2B – Jase Satterfield, Jack Sugaroue, Will Harbison.

HR – Payton Denny, Dakota Alber.