Posted: 9:03 PM May 26, 2012
Reporter: WNC

One thing that D.J. Whittemore could depend on during Western Nevada College's 2012 baseball season was his team's competitiveness and ability to keep games close.

That didn't happen Saturday as third-ranked Polk State College of Winter Haven, Fla., defeated the sixth-rated Wildcats 10-1 in seven innings at the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.

It was WNC's most one-sided defeat since an 11-1 loss to Pima Community College on Feb. 5, 2011. Until Saturday, the Wildcats hadn't lost a game by more than three runs.

Western Nevada (47-16), however, remains alive in the double-elimination tournament. The Wildcats will play either Jefferson, Mo., or Cisco, Texas, at 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Wildcats missed an opportunity to jump on the Eagles' all-everything starting pitcher Alec Asher in the first inning. WNC loaded the bases with one out, but a double play ended the opportunity.

After giving up a home run to Dillon Ness and an ensuing base hit to Alex Schmidt in the second inning, Asher dominated the Wildcat hitters and pitchers. The 6-foot-4 Asher pitched a complete-game five-hitter and knocked in four runs with a pair of doubles. Asher only had one RBI to his credit going into Saturday.

Asher (13-1), who was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 23rd of the 2010 Amateur Baseball Draft, struck out five Wildcats and walked three.

After throwing 153 pitches in his previous start — a complete-game win over Central Arizona at the Western District tournament — Wildcats pitcher Andrew Woeck wasn't able to make it out of the third inning. He gave up five hits and four earned runs while fanning one.

Western Nevada missed an opportunity to go ahead early, loading the bases in the first inning after leadoff hitter Chris Woolley struck out. But after Mike Umscheid walked, Derrick Pitts singled and Zach Hendrix walked, Bobby Pappin worked a 3-0 count against Asher. But Asher came back with two strikes, then induced Pappin to hit into a double play to end the threat.

The Eagles went ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first, manufacturing a run on just one hit. Leadoff hitter Conor Szczerba singled into the left-field corner, but Pitts quickly got to the ball to hold him to one base. However, a passed ball and sacrifice bunt moved Szczerba to third base, and he came home on Michael Danner's groundout to first baseman Schmidt.

Ness homered to lead off the second, tying the score at 1. It was his fifth homer and 50th RBI of the season.

But the Eagles regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs on four hits. Asher's RBI double over Pitts' head in left center scored Matthew Singletary. It was Asher's second RBI of the season.

Polk State scored twice more in the second without hitting a ball out of the infield. A diving Woeck stabbed a liner up the middle, but his throw home to Neil Lawhorn wasn't in time to get Holden Reeves. Szczerba's ground ball to the right side of the infield allowed Asher to score from third, putting the Eagles ahead 4-1.

The Eagles struck for two more runs in the third on Reeves' two-out, two-run double off the left-field wall. Andrew Consiglio relieved Woeck with a 1-1 count on Asher and recorded a strikeout to end the third.

After a shaky start, Asher settled in to hold the Wildcats' offense in check. He retired 15 of 17 hitters after surrendering a single to Schmidt in the second inning.

In the seventh, WNC put more than one runner on base for the first time since the opening inning. With one out, pinch-hitter Cole Ferguson's fly ball to right center was blown toward the infield for a base hit. With two outs, Woolley singled to left, moving Ferguson to second base. But Asher retired Umscheid on a groundout to first base to end the game.

WNC, which is making its third appearance in the JUCO World Series in seven years, finished with five hits. Hendrix and Umscheid each reached base twice. Szczerba, Singletary, Reeves and Asher each collected two hits for the Eagles.

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