Trojans Rally in Game Two to Split Weekend Doubleheader with WNCC

Ty Beutner collected four hits across both games as Trinidad State clawed back from a lopsided opener to edge Western Nebraska Community College 10-9 in the nightcap Saturday at Central Park field, splitting an Empire Conference doubleheader that exposed the Trojans' pitching vulnerabilities as sharply as it confirmed their late-game resolve.

The contrast between the two games was as stark as the final scores. In the opener, WNCC battered Trinidad State 19-8, connecting for five home runs and delivering a nine-run seventh inning that converted a competitive game into a runaway. Payton Denny earned the pitching win for the Cougars from Scottsbluff, Nebraska, as the visitors demonstrated the kind of sustained offensive output capable of unraveling a staff in a single frame.

Game two belonged to a different version of the Trojans. Trinidad rallied late to flip a potential sweep into a split, with Beutner's four-hit effort standing as the clearest individual standout of the afternoon. His production across both contests anchored an offense that had to fight for every run in a one-run finish, the kind of grind-it-out result that builds lineup confidence heading into the heart of conference season.

That nine-run seventh in game one, though, is the number Trinidad State's coaching staff will carry into next week. A relief corps that surrenders nine in a single inning against Empire Conference competition is a liability in close games, and the Trojans' schedule will not get easier as April deepens and postseason positioning tightens in NJCAA play.

WNCC moves on to face Lamar Community College in their next conference assignment, taking the series split but leaving Trinidad without the sweep they threatened after game one. For the Trojans, the task is straightforward: build on Beutner's production, stabilize the bullpen, and turn this split into a foundation rather than a ceiling.