April 1, 2007

The Northeastern Junior College baseball team split a doubleheader with Western Nebraska on Sunday in Sterling. Coach Bryan Shepherd's group improved to 19-9-1 on the season and 8-2 in Region IX.

The Plainsmen dropped the first game 7-5 in eight innings. NJC rallied back to take Game Two, 7-1.

NJC broke open a 4-0 lead in the second inning of the first game on RBI singles by Mike Mendenhall, Josh Warren and Gus Velazquez.

Western cut the lead to 4-3 then tied the game in the seventh inning with a two-out, RBI single. The Cougars scored three in the top of the eighth to wrap it up.

NJC starter Derrick Townsend cruised through six and two-thirds innings before Western Nebraska's late rally. Townsend was tagged with his first loss in Region IX play.

The Plainsmen fell behind, 1-0, in the third inning of the second game, but the offense got things rolling behind starting pitcher James Quisenberry.

Quisenberry threw six complete innings to record the win for NJC. Freshman Justin Mattelka came on to retire the three Western Nebraska hitters he faced in the seventh.

NJC scored three in the third and four in the fifth to seal it.

Sophomores Langston Frison and Mendenhall led Northeastern at the plate with two hits each. Mendenhall scored two runs and stole a base while Frison stole a bag and knocked in two runs.

Catcher Rhett Welsh chipped in a big day at the plate, collecting two hits and an RBI. On the defensive side, Welsh threw out three Western Nebraska runners and picked one off first base.

Freshman Colton Williams reached base three times in as many at-bats. Williams drew three walks, stole a base and scored a run.