Western Nevada College

Through the first four innings of the 2016 baseball season, Western Nevada College played the type of baseball associated with the program’s 10 previous winning seasons.

But the Wildcats of Carson City couldn’t hold a three-run lead against South Mountain Community College in their season opener Saturday in Phoenix. WNC pitchers struggled to throw mid-game strikes, leading to a 6-3 comeback victory by the Cougars.

South Mountain overtook the Wildcats in the sixth when Wildcat relievers struggled to find the strike zone. Four walks, two wild pitches, a passed ball and a hit batter led to three runs crossing the plate for a 4-3 South Mountain lead.

“We allowed them to beat us without swinging the bat,” said WNC coach D.J. Whittemore. “You either command the ball or lose. Today we lost.”

WNC produced the first run in the opening frame as freshman Chandler Barkdull walked, stole second base and advanced to third on a groundout. He scored on freshman Chad Bell’s groundball to the right side of the infield.
Freshman first baseman Daniel Nist homered over the left-field fence in the second inning as WNC doubled its lead, 2-0.

WNC went ahead 3-0 in the third inning as Bell doubled and scored on Brogan Secrist’s base hit.

“Overall, it is really obvious how hard our guys worked in the offseason,” Whittemore said. “Lots of players have made strides.”

Sophomore pitcher Matt Young, who blanked the Cougars through four innings, ran into trouble in the fifth. Young left after the Cougars loaded the bases with a pair of singles and a sacrifice bunt that he couldn’t come up with along the third-base line.

Freshman reliever Jordan Ragan allowed just one of those Cougars to score as catcher Sam Salyers threw out a baserunner at second base following a fly out to DJ Peters. The rally ended on a groundout to second baseman David Modler. But Ragan and sophomore Josh Mill couldn’t hold the 3-1 lead in the pivotal three-run sixth.
In the seventh inning, South Mountain widened its advantage to 6-3 on a two-out, two-run single by Jacob Aguilar.

In his 62-pitch, four-inning outing, Young allowed four hits and one earned run. He struck out six and walked one.

WNC got all three of its hits and runs off starter Pono Anderson. The Wildcats were no-hit over the final 5 2/3 innings by relievers Jackson Webb and Marshall Shill.

WNC (0-1) continues its four-game series with South Mountain at noon Sunday.