WNCC softball opens season topping Garden City

               GARDEN CITY, Kan. -- The Western Nebraska Community College softball team combined for 27 runs and six home runs as the Cougars swept Garden City Community College in the team’s season opener Sunday in Garden City, Kansas.

                Game one saw the Cougars score nine, seventh-inning runs including home runs from Tina Horton, Tori Travers, and Gracie Holm to record the come-from-behind 16-13 win.

                The second game saw Abbey Arntsen hammer two home runs and finish with six RBIs while also going the distance in the circle in striking out four as the Cougars registered the 11-10 win.

                It was the first time the Cougars started the season 2-0 since the 2019 season. Arntsen, a freshman from Dinsmore, Saskatchewan, said the two wins were a team effort.

                “I am super proud of how our team played against Garden City. We battled all 14 innings even when we were down and that was what led to our success,” Arntsen said. “Our energy is ultimately what carried us to the end. We picked each other up after mistakes and kept moving forward.”
                Arntsen said defeating a talented Garden City team who was 6-2 coming into the contests, was huge in giving them confidence.

                “Starting the season off with two wins is huge for us. We can only go up from here, nut that was an exciting start to the season,” Arntsen said. “27 runs in two games reflects just how strong we are at the plate. Building our confidence early on will help us moving forward with the season. Our new head coach was a big part of the win. Having someone who trusts each and every player makes a big difference.”

                Nayeli Diaz, who became the interim head coach in December, is proud of the way her team played and stayed together even when they were down.

                “The team played phenomenal against Garden City Community College. They showed a no-quit attitude, even when things weren’t going their way,” Diaz said. “Offensively, they demonstrated great discipline at the plate. They stayed patient, waited for their pitch, and handled their business when the opportunity came.”

                Diaz, who was the assistant for the Cougars the past two seasons, said while they won, there is still room to improve, especially when they head to Texas this weekend for six games against some national-caliber teams in Tyler Junior College, Trinity Valley Community College, and Paris Junior College.

                “This is a great start to our season and proves to these young ladies that they can overcome adversity and find ways to win,” Diaz said. “Even though we came away with two wins, there is always room for improvement, and we will continue working to elevate our performance.”

                Gracie Holm, who got the first-game win and also had the first home run of the season for the Cougars in the crucial 9-run seventh inning, said this team played with the mindset of winners.

                “We played with a winner’s mindset,” the freshman from Grantsville, Utah, said. “When a mistake was made, we forgot it and moved on to the next play. Our energy was top tier and kept us in the game when we were down. No matter what happened, we never put our heads down.”

                Holm got the pitching win in game one, going 5 2/3 innings in allowing eight runs and striking out two. But it was her bat that got things started in the seventh inning where the Cougars trailed 11-7 in their final at bat.

                Holm, who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs in game one, had a big 2-run home run to get things started in the seventh that scored Jasmine Castro to make it an 11-9 game. After that, the hit parade continued as Alyssa Albaugh doubled and Ellie Soper walked. Tina Horton then delivered a 3-run home run to put the Cougars on top 12-11. Tori Travers followed with a solo shot to make it 13-11.

                WNCC wasn’t through in the seventh as WNCC loaded the bases after Arntsen was hit by a pitch, Viktoria Sarkanyova singled, and Castro walked. Holm then scored another run in her second plate appearance of the inning with a walk and then Albaugh scored two with a double for the 16-11 run.

                The other inning in the first game that was crucial was the fifth when they scored four times after trailing 9-2. The fifth saw the Cougars unleash for four straight doubles. Horton started things with a one-out double and then Travers, Adi Duke, and Arntsen all had RBI doubles as WNCC to within 9-6.

                WNCC hammered out 17 hits in the first game that included three home runs and seven doubles. Horton, Travers, and Arntsen all finished with three hits, while Sarkanyova, Holm, and Albaugh all had two hits.

                Horton had a double, home run, three runs scored, and four RBIs while Travers had a double, home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Arntsen had a double with two runs scored and two RBIs.

                Sarkanyova had two singles with a run scored, while Holm had a home run, double, and three RBIs. Albaugh had two doubles with two runs scored and two RBIs along with three stolen bases.

                Game two was a different story as WNCC led the entire time, scoring a run in the first six innings. The Cougars went up 1-0 as Arntsen doubled home Holm for the 1-0 lead.

                Garden City tied it with a run, but the Cougars went up 2-1 with a run as Hayley Blumenschein scored on a fielder’s choice hit. WNCC added three more in the third as Arntsen had a 2-run home run and then Albaugh had a sacrifice fly to score a run for the 5-1 lead.

                The Cougars made it 8-2 with three in the fourth on two home runs. Dannaca Moss led off with a solo home run and then Arntsen had her second homer of the game with a 2-run shot.

                The Cougars plated two in the fifth and a single run in the sixth for their 11 runs and then held Garden City in check in the bottom of the seventh to get the win.

                WNCC finished with 13 hits in the contest led by Arntsen with a 3-for-4 performance with six RBIs, a double and two home runs. Moss also had three hits with a home run with two runs scored and two RBIs. Holm, Horton, and Castro all had two hits in the contest.

                Holm said the way they played sets the tone for the rest of the season.

                “Opening the season with two wins is huge for us. This sets the tone for the rest of the season,” she said. “After losing our head coach we were nervous how the rest of our season was going to go, but our new head coach, Coach Diaz, stepped up and made this season possible for us. We are here to prove to everyone we can do it and we are here to win.”

                WNCC will have tough games this weekend in Texas and Arntsen said they have to be ready. After this weekend, the Cougars have their home opener Feb. 28 and March 1 against Dawson Community College.

                “We leave soon for Texas where we will be playing six games in three days. In order to have success, we will need to give our full tank to push through the weekend,” she said. “It will be tough, but after seeing our performance this weekend I have faith we will do good. All we need to do is play our game both offensively and defensively. As long as our energy remains strong, Texas will be a good weekend for us.”

Game 1

WNCC                100 141 9 – 16 17 0

GCCC                 201 620 2 – 13 11 3

WP – Gracie Holm.

2B – Tina Horton, Tori Travers, Abbey Arntsen, Gracie Holm, Alyssa Albaugh.

HR – Tina Horton, Tori Travers, Gracie Holm.

Game 2

WNCC                113 321 0 – 11 13 3

GCCC                 101 224 0 – 10 15 0
WP – Abbey Arntsen.

2B – Abbey Arntsen.

HR – Abbey Arntsen, Dannaca Moss.