For five innings, Western Nevada College's softball team was in the game against North Idaho College.
The Wildcats imploded in the top of the sixth, however, giving up eight runs en route to a 13-2 loss in the first game of a Scenic West Athletic Conference doubleheader Friday at Edmonds Sports Complex.
North Idaho won the second game 10-1. Both games were shortened because of the run rule.
The sweep dropped WNC to 4-26 in conference and 5-31. North Idaho improved to 18-16 in conference and 25-21 overall. The teams conclude their series with a doubleheader starting at noon today at Edmonds.
"There were a couple of innings (in the first game) where we had more than enough opportunities to get out of innings," WNC coach Leah Wentworth said. "We played some heads up ball at time. Overall I was very happy with our effort."
Northern Idaho took a 1-0 lead in the first when leadoff hitter Alyssa Hawley beat out a chopper in front of the plate and scored on a single by Amanda Krier, who wore out the Wildcats in the opener. Krier went 4-for-5 and drove in five runs.
The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead in the second against NIC starter Kathy Comack. With one out, Alyssa Rampa singled and scored on a two-out double to deep center by Lisa Senko. Ashley Hall followed with a double to the base of the fence in left. Frances Estrada was retired to end the inning.
That was the end of the Wildcats' offense for the day. Comack allowed no hits and three baserunners over the final four innings.
"We were letting some good pitches go by," Wentworth said. "We were focusing on getting their own pitches."
Juliann Hartnett's fielder's choice and a run-scoring single by Briggett Plenger in the North Idaho third gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead. Krier doubled home a run in the fourth to make it 4-2. Plenger drove in another run in the fifth to make it 5-2.
That set the stage for the sixth when NIC exploded for eight runs and sent 12 batters to the plate. Krier drove in three more runs with two hits. WNC hurt itself in the field with two errors.
Hall, Senko, Rampa and Paige Savage all had a hit apiece off Comack, who fanned two and walked one.
In the second game, Hall doubled in the bottom of the fifth and was replaced on the basepath by Chrissy Lawton, who scored on a single by Savage for WNC's run.
Savage went 2-for-3, while Rampa, Estrada and Hall contributed a hit apiece.