WNC Sports: Wildcats softball tops Salt Lake in OT; Baseball brings home pair of wins

Western Nevada College and Salt Lake Community College went 10 innings before WNC topped Salt Lake, 3-2, in game one of the weekend's four game series. Salt Lake is ranked fourth in the latest NJCAA poll, and have only lost four games this season. Pitcher Kristina George earned the win for the Wildcats.

Salt Lake struck early, putting up two runs in the first inning. Makaylee Jaussi started off the bottom of the inning with a single for WNC, and scored on a single by Kacie Freudenberger. 1-2, SLCC.

The 'Cat's held the Bruins in the second. Briauna Carter drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the inning. Triniece Lesky singled, scoring Carter and knotting the score, 2-2.

All was quiet until the seventh inning when Salt Lake put the pressure on by loading the bases. The Wildcats held strong, making a great defensive play at the plate to prevent the Bruins from taking the lead. In the bottom of the inning, Gabrielle Canibeyaz singled, but was left stranded, taking the game into extra innings.

WNC made quick work of the Bruins in the eighth, but left Bailey Henderson (single) stranded, keeping the game charging on. Neither teams prevailed in the ninth, although Wildcats Dakota Robinson (walk) and Lesky (single) offered opportunity for WNC.

The game went to international tie-breaker in the tenth, the Bruins made an attempt at scoring, but Carter and Henderson made the out at home.

For WNC, Samantha Bell took the position at second, advanced to third on a sacrifice by Jaussi, and scored on a single by Henderson. Wildcats win, 3-2, in ten innings.

Games continue Saturday, noon and 2 p.m. at Pete Livermore Sports Complex in Carson City.

Meanwhile, Chad Bell picked an opportune time to have his most productive day in a Western Nevada College uniform Friday at John L. Harvey Field.

With Wildcat lefty Matt Young and Salt Lake's Joe Barlow dueling in the opening game of a Scenic West Athletic Conference baseball twin bill, the freshman third baseman broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run homer in the fifth inning. Bell added a two-run single in the sixth as the Wildcats made Matt's Young three-hitter over six innings stand up for an 8-4 victory.

The Wildcats received another quality start in Game 2 as Ty Fox tossed a four-hitter over seven innings en route to a 6-1 win, completing a doubleheader sweep in Carson City.

Playing at home for the first time since March 4, the Wildcats supported their outstanding starting pitching with 26 total hits in the two games. WNC improved to 18-8 in the SWAC and 28-14 overall.

Young retired the Bruins the first time through the batting order but had trouble locating his fastball in the fourth inning, leading to the first run by the Bruins. A base hit by Mitch Berryhill and walks to Kam Lane and Austin Ovard filled the bases. Then, Trevor Peterson's groundout scored Berryhill for a 1-0 Salt Lake lead. Young prevented the Bruins from producing a prodigious inning, leaving the bases loaded after a strikeout and groundout.

"That was a situation for me that could make or break the game," Young said.

Young said pitching out of the stretch helped him escape the jam.

"I tried getting into the windup with runners in scoring position," Young said. "It allows more velocity, but in the stretch I could be smooth and get it there."

The Wildcats manufactured the tying run in the bottom of the inning. A two-out RBI single by David Modler knotted the score at 1. The Wildcats, however, stranded two baserunners for the third time in four innings.

In the pivotal fifth, Barlow retired the first two hitters before surrendering a base hit to Abe Yagi and walking Daniel Nist. That set up Bell for his line-drive homer to right.

"That was exciting for me when Dan got that two-out walk and then Chad hits a three-run home run ... that was a big fist-pump moment for me," said WNC coach D.J. Whittemore.

Bell's first collegiate homer left the park so quickly that Salt Lake outfielder Micquel Robinson just turned and watched the liner as it kicked up a cloud of dust when it landed beyond the right-field fence.

"I was pretty excited at that point," said Bell, who took an inside changeup from Barlow over the fence. "I was seeing the ball pretty good all day, and I was happy to see him leave one where I could get ahold of it."

Bell became the ninth Wildcat to homer this spring — something not lost on his teammates and coaches.

"We have been waiting for that long ball for quite awhile ... guys have been teasing him," said WNC assistant coach Aaron Demosthenes. "We know he can do it because he's a good hitter."

Added Young, "He was pumped when he did it, and I was pumped. It was good to see him do it, and I hope he keeps doing it."

The Wildcats chased Barlow an inning later following two-out hits from Tim Lichty and Bradley Lewis, and DJ Peters being hit by a pitch for the second time. Salt Lake's Braxton Bullock struggled with his control coming out of the bullpen, walking Brogan Secrist to score pinch-runner Justin Mannens, increasing WNC's lead to 5-1. Bullock also walked Nist, plating Peters before Bell sent a single through the middle of the infield to score the Wildcats' final two runs. That was all for Barlow, who struck out seven and threw 124 pitches.

Young (6-4) left after six innings to ice his arm. He allowed three hits and one earned run, while striking out eight and walking three.

"That was probably one of Matt's best starts of the year, and he's getting back to being as good as we want him to be because he's our Friday night guy," Whittemore said.
Reliever Kyle Thompson gave up a three-run homer to Kam Lane in the seventh inning.
Bell was 3 for 4 with a run scored and five RBI, Lichty was 2 for 4 with a run scored and Nist was 1 for 2 with two runs scored and a RBI.

In the second game, Salt Lake took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Mitch Cavanagh doubled and scored on an infield hit off the bat of Cameron Benson.

However, the Wildcats erupted for four runs in the third. Lewis and Yagi provided RBI base hits and Nist delivered a run-scoring double as WNC went ahead 4-1.

Fox made the most of his second start of the season. The sophomore right-hander retired the Bruins in order in four separate innings.

"I love to start," Fox said. "I have to pace myself more when I start. With starting, it's, 'All right, don't overthrow and just stay within your game.’”

His ability to locate his fastball early in the count set up his other pitches.

"Ty was phenomenal," Whittemore said. "Sometimes a guy throws seven innings and gives up one run and they kind of get lucky ... they pitch out of some jams or the defense makes a ply or guys hit balls hard. He was ahead in the count and commanding his fastball at the knees. He silenced a really good group of hitters."

Lichty said, "Once Ty is in his groove, he's in his groove. You just have to get him in his groove, and it was nice to see him do that today."

By throwing seven innings, Fox bested his previous high of 4 2/3 innings against Salt Lake on March 12 and vs. Eastern Utah on March 25.

Lichty's two-out RBI base hit to shallow center field padded WNC's lead to 5-1 in the sixth inning. The sophomore catcher tacked on a RBI double in the eighth.

Lichty topped WNC's 17-hit attack by going 4 for 5 with three RBI.

"It was nice to have some (bloop) hits because I've hit a lot of balls hard than have been caught," Lichty said.

Peters was 3 for 5 with two runs scored, while Yagi delivered three hits, knocked in a run and scored. Modler, Lewis and Nist provided two hits apiece. However, the Wildcats left 23 runners on base in the two games.

"You have to get the hit and you have to be situationally aggressive," Demosthenes said. "Obviously with a little two-strike hitting we could have been better there, too."

The Wildcats and Bruins conclude their four-game series on Saturday with a twin bill starting at noon.