The Western Nebraska Community College softball team had their home openers on a windy Tuesday afternoon at Volunteer Field when Miles Community College traveled from Montana to play the Cougars.
                The Cougars and Pioneers earned a split on the day. In the opener, WNCC scored 12 runs in the third and fourth inning to earn the 17-9 win in six innings. The nightcap saw Miles score seven times in the fifth and then held on for the 10-7 win.
                The two squads will be back in action Wednesday for another doubleheader at Volunteer Field with first pitch slated for 11 a.m.
                Game one was an offensive battle as the two squads combined for 26 runs and 29 hits.
                Miles scored three times in the top of the first and then WNCC answered with three runs in the bottom half of the frame. Sierra Hilgner and Tina Horton started things with a single. Hilgner scored on a Lydia Tibbals hit to right field. Horton scored on an Adi Duke single. WNCC tied the game as Tori Travers doubled home Tibbals.
                Miles plated two more in the second for a 5-3 lead.
                WNCC took control of the game with seven runs in the third for a 10-5 lead. Horton started the frame with a triple and scored on the next batter when Tribbals tripled. WNCC loaded the bases and tied the game on a sacrifice fly by Travers. Randi Mitchell then doubled home another run followed by Jenika Fuentes getting a pitch-hit 2-run single for the 8-5 lead. Hilgner doubled in another run and Horton singled in Hilgner for the 10-5 lead.
                Miles came right back to make it a one-run game at 10-9 with four runs in the fourth with all the runs coming with two outs. That was short-lived as WNCC plated five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Duke started things with a single followed by three straight walks to force in the first run. Hilgner then doubled in two runs for the 13-9 lead. Horton than hits a hot grounder that was booted to score two more runs for the 15-9 lead.
                WNCC finished off the game with single runs in the fifth and sixth. The fifth saw Duke get walked and Travers get a single. Duke scored on a Mitchell sacrifice fly.
                WNCC ended the game on the 8-run rule when Hilgner singled. Horton than tripled in pinch-runner Vivi-Anne Amparan for the game-ending run.
                HIlgner led the way with four hits, including two doubles, three runs scored, and three RBIs. Horton also had four hits with two triples, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Travers and Duke each had two hits. Travers had two RBIs, while Mitchell had three RBIs.
                Kayli Cooper picked up the win in the circle, going four innings in giving up nine runs and striking out five. Kallie Stocking tossed the final two innings in allowing just one hit and no runs.
                The second game had plenty of offense as well with a combined 37 hits and just 17 runs. Neither team scored in the first inning. Miles took a 1-0 lead in the second only to watch WNCC tie the game at 1-1 with a run in the third when Mykah Klumpp singled and scored on a Hilgner single. WNCC left the bases loaded in the frame.
                WNCC took a 2-1 lead with a run in the fourth when Travers doubled and scored on a Faythe Lafirenza double.
                Miles would then unload for seven runs in the fifth to take an 8-2 lead. Miles added to more in the sixth to go up 10-2. The Cougars than had their backs to the wall and needed a run to continue the game or get run-ruled. WNCC came through with a run in the sixth as Travers and Klumpp each singled. Travers scored on a ground out to extend the game.
                The seventh proved exciting as Miles loaded the bases with two outs but WNCC got out of the inning with a ground out to second baseman Travers. WNCC then made a seventh-inning rally. Duke and Stocking each had a double with Stocking’s scoring Duke. Tibbals then scored Stocking with a double. The double parade continued as JoLee Huffaker doubled home Tibbals. Klumpp then singles in Huffaker. With the tying run at the plate, WNCC couldn’t get anymore runs in to fall 10-7.
                Duke and Klumpp each had three hits in the contest while Horton, Stocking, and Travers each had two hits. WNCC had six doubles in their 18 hits.
 
Game 1
Miles                    320 400 – 9 13 3
WNCC                307 511 – 17 16 0
WP – Kayli Cooper.
2B – Sierra Hilgner 2, Tori Travers, Randi Mitchell.
3B – Lydia Tibbals, Tina Horton 2.
 
Game 2
Miles                    010 072 0 – 10 19 0
WNCC                001 101 4 – 7 18 0
LP – Jenika Fuentes.
2B – Adi Duke, Kallie Stocking, Lydia Tibbals, JoLee Huffaker, Tori Travers, Faythe Lafirenza.