The Western Nebraska Community College baseball team worked hard for two days to remove snow to play its home series with Miles Community College on Sunday and Monday.
All that hard work ended up as the two baseball teams hooked up with two offensive games as a combined 15 home runs were hit on the day in the home-opener for the Cougars. Miles claimed the doubleheader sweep over the Cougars on Sunday, capturing the first game 18-11 and then earned a 14-7 win in game two.
The two teams will be back at it Monday for another doubleheader beginning at 12 noon at Cleveland Field.
Both games saw the Cougars start strong. In game one, Miles hammered seven home runs of their 14 hits. WNCC had eight hits with three doubles and a home run from Cooper Burgess.
The Cougars got on the scoreboard first with three in the first inning. It all started as Vaughn Wilson and Cooper Wilson all walked. Jin Kobayakawa followed with a single to score two runs. Catcher Gladysh followed with a double. Kobayakawa scored the third run on a sacrifice fly for the 3-0 lead.
It was short-lived as Miles came back with three in the second and five in the third to take an 8-3 lead. Miles hit one home run in the second and then had a 3-run shot in the third.
WNCC came back and added three in the bottom of the third to make it an 8-6 game as Cooper Burgess hammered a 3-run home run.
Miles added another run in the fourth and then plated four runs each in the fifth and sixth innings. The fifth saw a 3-run home run followed by a single shot for the 13-6 lead. The sixth saw Miles hit two more home runs, a solo shot and then a 2-run blast for a 17-7 lead.
The Cougars responded in the bottom of the frame with four runs. Matt Levesque started the frame single followed by a double by Cooper Wilson. Kobayakawa scored one with a grounder and then Gladysch singled home another run. Gladysch came in to score on a passed ball and then Landon Lockwood scored on a passed ball.
Miles finished off the game with a solo home run.
Two Cougars had multiple hits. Kobayakawa and Lockwood each had two hits. Lockwood scored three times while Kobayakawa had three RBIs.
Miles started off the second game with a solo home run and the 1-0 lead. WNCC came back with four runs in the first for a 4-1 lead. Levesque started things with a single followed by a Ren Soto double. Cooper Wilson then unloaded with a 3-run home run followed by a solo home run by Kensei Oikawa.
Miles answered with five in the third and three in the fourth for a 9-4 lead. WNCC made it a 9-7 game with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Will Harbison led off with a solo home run. Lebesque followed with a single. After Wilson walked, Oikawa scored both runs with a double.
WNCC couldn’t score again while Miles added a single run in the sixth and four in the seventh for the 14-7 win.
WNCC had 12 hits with Levesque getting three singles with two runs scored. Oikawa, Kyler Adams, and Harbison each had two hits. Oikawa had a home run and double with three RBIs.
               
Game One
Miles                    035 144 1 – 18 14 2
WNCC                303 014 0 – 11 8 3
LP – Clayden Brandon.
2B – Catcher Gladysh, Cooper Wilson, Landon Lockwood.
HR – Cooper Burgess.
 
Game Two
Miles                    105 301 4 – 14 11 1
WNCC                400 300 0 – 7 12 3
LP – Allard Helms.
2B – Austin Cooper, Kensei Oikawa, Ren Soto.
HR – Cooper Wilson, Kensei Oikawa, Will Harbison.