The Coyotes (48-13) beat New Mexico Junior College in an elimination game Saturday morning and then lost to McLennan Community College Saturday afternoon. McLennan will represent Region V in the NJCAA Division I World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado, for the second straight year.
Trailing New Mexico 2-0, Weatherford scored three runs in the top of the fifth with quality at-bats from Trey Butler, J.C. Davis and Garrett Schroeder.
Mason Ashlock homered to right field in the top of the ninth, scoring three more runs.
Cooper Strawn gave up three hits and two runs over four and one-third innings, striking out three and walking three. Noah Bentley tossed one and one-third innings of shutout ball in relief. The game ended as a 7-3 Coyote win, advancing WC to the finals later that afternoon.
The McLennan game was an offensive show, with the two teams combing for four home runs against worn-down pitching staffs. WC used eight pitchers and MCC used four. McLennan’s highlight was a ninth inning grand slam from Deiten Lachance, conference player of the year. MCC won the game 19-7.
For Weatherford, Blake Martinez was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI as a pinch hitter. Uriah Walters went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Mason Ashlock hit a home run and walked twice.
The Coyotes ended the season ranked No. 3 in the nation after winning their third straight conference championship.
Lightfoot will now take the reins at WC’s full-time athletic director. Lightfoot crossed the 900-victory mark this season, finishing with 912 wins, 565 losses and one tie. His career included a NJCAA Division III national championship at Eastfield College in 2001, along with a national runner-up finish at that school in 1998 and a third-place finish in NJCAA Division I with WC two years ago.
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