WC baseball advances to regional semifinal, ends season in Big Spring

The Weatherford College baseball team finished the 2021 season in the regional semifinals in Big Spring Sunday. 

The Coyotes finished with a 37-20 overall record and were ranked No. 19 in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association Division I poll.

WC began the tournament with an 8-0 first round loss to Odessa College Friday.

Odessa (22-24) took advantage of some early WC errors, jumped out to a 3-0 lead by the top of the second, and punctuated the win with a five-run sixth inning.

Bo Willis and Peyton Benesh each went 2-for-3 for WC.

On Saturday, the Coyotes upset No. 10 Howard College (37-13) on their home field, winning 4-3. 

WC overcame a 3-0 deficit in the first inning by scratching out two runs in the second and one each in the fifth and seventh.

Kade Bragg allowed just two hits over six and one-third innings with no earned runs, five walks and seven strikeouts. Reliever Matthew Hickey gave up just one run in two and two-thirds scoreless innings, with two walks and three strikeouts.

Jacob Guerrero and Willis each hit home runs and both finished 2-for-3. 

Cisco College (42-15) outlasted WC in an elimination game Sunday, 8-6. 

As they did in all three tournament games, the Coyotes fell behind early as Cisco led 6-0 by the bottom of the second. But WC stormed back to tie the game 6-6 by the top of the sixth, only to allow two more runs in the bottom half of the same inning.

Weatherford used six pitchers in the final game, with Jace Lopez getting the most work with three and a third innings out of the bullpen. The Brock sophomore allowed three hits, one earned run and four walks while striking out three.

Nathan Rooney and Noah Boughton each hit home runs in the final game.

Odessa and Cisco were scheduled to play for the regional championship Monday, with the winner playing in a super regional against No. 15 McLennan College (40-16) in Waco next weekend for a berth in the JUCO World Series.