Lady Indians reclaim first place in rout over Otero

LA JUNTA, Colo. – After getting swept out of first place in the region standings Sunday by Otero College, the McCook Community College softball team came back Monday with a violent offensive response, reclaiming first place in a sweep over the Lady Rattlers 20-3 and 20-5. It was the Lady Indians' 29th and 30th wins of the season.

"It was a complete turn-around from where we were at yesterday," said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. "The girls brought a lot of intensity and were locked in at the plate."

The Lady Indians had 32 hits in 12 innings, 14-extra base hits, and six home runs in the doubleheader.

In Game 1 the Lady Indians busted open a 5-3 game in the sixth inning scoring five times and put the game away with 10 runs in the seventh. MCC banged out 16 hits, nine extra bases and four home runs including three from freshman Payton Kinsley (Didsbury, Alberta) and one from Peytann Weiland (freshman, Aurora, Colo.).

In Game 2, sophomore Lexi Knapp (Berthoud, Colo.) ignited the offense in a nine-run first inning highlighted by her grand slam and RBI single in the opening inning. She went four-for-four in the game with seven RBIs. Sophomore Anna Elliott (Calgary, Alberta) also homered in the game. Freshman Paige Warren (Victoria, British Columbia) picked up the win in the pitching circle and had five hits and six RBIs in the doubleheader.

"Our pitchers also did a better job of competing in the zone," said Mendenhall.

Otero falls to 12-4 in the Region IX standings and 18-15 overall

MCC moves back into first place in the Region IX standings at 10-2 in the standings and 30-6 on the season.

"The games yesterday were a reality check that we can't just go through the motions," said Mendenhall. "I am super proud of the performance today."

The Lady Indians will be home Wednesday for a Nebraska Conference doubleheader against Southeast Community College. First pitch at the Jaycees Sports Complex is 1 p.m.

GAME 1 – McCook 20, Otero College 3: Payton Kinsley started off the scoring with a solo home run with two outs in the first inning and Peytann Weiland hit a solo shot in the second to give MCC a 2-0 lead.

After Otero tied the game with two runs in the second off MCC sophomore starting pitcher Sadie Kahl (Calgary, Alberta), who pitched to two batters in the Otero third before she was relieved by freshman Kaliyah St. Amand (Duncan, British Columbia). Kahl allowed two earned runs on six hits one walk and one strikeout.

The Lady Indians caught a break with a two-out Otero error in the fourth inning and sophomore Angela Banzet (Surrey, British Columbia) took advantage and delivered a two-run double putting MCC ahead 4-2.

Kinsley homered with one out in the fifth inning to make it a 5-2 MCC lead. Otero pushed a run across the plate in the bottom of the inning to cut the gap to 5-3.

MCC sent 10 batters to the plate in the five-run sixth inning. A Weiland single and an Otero error put the first run home and Kinsley hit a grand slam to make it a 10-3 game.

St. Amand pitched four innings, and allowed one earned run on two hits and she struck out six.

The first 12 hitters in the MCC seventh all reached base. Paige Warren had two doubles and three RBIs in the inning, Weiland and Banzett both had two-run singles as the Lady Indians scored 10 runs on four singles, three doubles, three walks, a hit batter and an Otero error.

Freshman Olivia Moorhead (Hershey) closed out the win with a scoreless seventh inning. She allowed one hit and one walk in her inning of work.

Kinsley led MCC with four hits in six at bats, with four runs scored, 13 total bases, and six RBIs. Banzet had three hits and four RBIs, Weiland had three hits and three RBIs. Warren drove in three runs on two hits and MCC also got two-hit games from Kahl and sophomore Laila Gutierrez (Seminole, Texas).

GAME 2 – McCook 20, Otero 5: Lexi Knapp fired the offense up with a first-inning grand slam and two batters later sophomore Anna Elliott smashed a two-run homer to put MCC up 6-0. Paige Warren drove in two-runs with a bases-loaded single and Knapp singled in another run to give MCC a 9-0 lead.

Otero scored a run in the first of starting pitcher Paige Warren. MCC got two runs in the second on a two-out RBI-double by Warren and an RBI-single by Laila Gutierrez. The Rattlers scored twice in the second to make it an 11-3 MCC lead.

The Lady Indians scored twice in the third on back-to-back RBI doubles by Elliott and Kaliyah St. Amand and added a run in the fourth on a walk by Gutierrez who stole second and third and scored on an RBI-single by Knapp to put MCC up 15-3.

Warren went four innings, allowed five earned runs on 10 hits and five strikeouts.

Otero scored two runs in the fourth inning, but MCC got those back in the fifth and more. MCC scored five runs with a leadoff single by St. Amand, an error, an RBI-single by Angela Banzet and a passed ball, and a steal of home by Warren, an RBI single by Knapp and an RBI-groundout with sophomore Rocio Mascorro (Brownsville, Texas) batting.

St Amand closed out the game in the fifth retiring the Rattlers in order.

MCC outhit Otero 16-10. Knapp led the way going four-for-four with seven RBIs. Warren had three hits and three RBIs and St. Amand went three-for-three with two RBIs.