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The Western Nevada Community College baseball team (36-16, 30-10 in conference) took three of four games from the College of Southern Idaho to clinch first place in the Scenic West Conference in their first year. WNCC won both games Friday 5-1 and 1-0, and then the first game Saturday 4-3 to clinch the title. The Wildcats will host the conference tournament that starts this Wednesday at John L. Harvey Field.
The Wildcats will open the tournament with a bye on Wednesday and then will play the winner of the College of Eastern Utah-Salt Lake Community College game at 5 p.m. Thursday at John L. Harvey Field.
In the first game Friday, Wildcat ace pitcher Justin Garcia went the distance, giving up one run on four hits and striking out five. First baseman Thomas Miller got the scoring started for Western in the first inning with a two-run double. In the second, Kyle Bondurant and Jerahmie Libke each had safety squeeze bunts that knocked in two more runs. Pat Grennan had an RBI single in the third, as the Wildcats scored all their runs in the first three innings.
The second game showcased strong pitching by starter Cole Rohrbough and reliever Dan Grubbs, who teamed up to shut out the Eagles. Thomas Miller was the star of the game, blasting a home run over left field in the sixth, and following up with a clutch mid-air grab to hold onto the lead in the final inning.
Saturday's game was another dramatic finish as the Wildcats were down 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh. Tyson Jaquez came through with a RBI single to cut the lead to one run. Jaquez then scored the winning and conference-clinching run on a Brad Carlsen two-run single. Stephen Sauer got the win for Western, in relief of starter Josh Brink, who gave up three runs on two hits.
Southern Idaho won the last game of the weekend 3-2.
Tournament admission prices are $10 per day for adults; $5 for seniors age 60+, youth 17 years and younger, and WNCC students with a current identification card; and free for children under age 5 accompanied by an adult. Tickets are good for all games that day. Tournament passes can also be purchased for $25.
