Lady Indians sweep Bobcats to clinch final NCCAC title

After scoring 40 runs in a Monday doubleheader in Colorado, the McCook Community College softball team managed just four runs through 12 innings Wednesday at home – but still picked up two wins over Southeast Community College, winning 2-0 and 8-0.

“I’m super proud of our pitchers throwing two shutouts,” said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. “We just couldn’t get comfortable in the box today.”

Sophomores Lexi Knapp (Berthoud, Colo.) and Sadie Kahl (Calgary, Alberta) combined for a four-hit shutout in Game 1 and freshman Paige Warren (Victoria, British Columbia) shutout the Bobcats on one hit in Game 2 as the Lady Indians broke open a 2-0 game with six runs in the sixth inning to end the game on the eight-run rule.

“It’s challenging playing a mid-week game after a long emotional series, but it’s nice to come out with two wins,” said Mendenhall. 

The win secures the last ever Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference championship for MCC as the Lady Indians improve to 10-0 with two games left. Southeast goes to 6-4 and 18-13 overall. North Platte is 0-10. The Lady Indians have one remaining NCCAC game and that will be in Columbus April 21 starting at 1 p.m. against Central Community College (4-6.)

The NCCAC will dissolve after this season with CCC moving to a new region.

“It’s challenging playing a mid-week game after a long emotional series, but it’s nice to come out with two wins,” said Mendenhall. 

MCC improves to 32-6 and this weekend the Lady Indians will defend first-place in the Region IX standings when they travel to Lamar, Colo. for doubleheaders Saturday at noon and Sunday starting at 11 a.m.

“We need to have a few more good practices this week and be prepared for Lamar,” said Mendenhall.

The Lady Indians lead the standings at 10-2, Otero second at 12-4, Trinidad State third at 8-4, Western Nebraska fourth at 6-6, Northeastern JC fifth at 5-7, Luna sixth at 5-11 and Lamar is seventh at 2-14 in the region and 5-25 overall.  

Up-to-date information about MCC softball including livestream links, schedule, statistics, rosters, photos and more can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com 

 GAME 1 – McCook 2, Southeast CC 0: Sophomore Laila Gutierrez (Seminole, Texas) was hit by a pitch in the first inning, then stole second base, advanced to third on flyball to center field and scored on a two-out single by Lexi Knapp.

Knapp pitched the first four innings for MCC and held to Bobcats off the scoreboard on four singles, two walks and she struck out two.

The score remained 1-0 until the fifth inning when freshmen Cassidy Fenske (Gibbons, Alberta) and Haley Emmerson (Sterling, Colo.) led off with singles. Fenske was out stealing second base and Emmerson was retired on the front end of a fielder’s choice but with two outs Gutierrez doubled home a run to put MCC up 2-0.

Sadie Kahl who came on in relief in the fifth inning to retire the side in order, struck out the side in the sixth and worked around a one-out error to retire the final two Bobcats to record the save. She didn’t allow a hit or a walk in her three innings of relief and struck out four.

MCC had six hits in the game with the double by Gutierrez the only extra-base hit.

GAME 2 – McCook 8, Southeast CC 0: Just like the first game MCC used an identical formula to start the offense in the second game. Laila Gutierrez fouled off six pitches before she was hit by a pitch on a 3-2 count. She stole second and scored on an RBI single by Lexi Knapp.

The game remained 1-0 as MCC starting pitcher Paige Warren kept the Bobcats off the scoreboard allowing just three base runners through the first five innings, two on a walk and one on an error.

Kashlin Beck (Claflin, Kan.) led off the MCC fifth with a single, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Angela Banzet (sophomore, Surrey, British Columbia) and came home on a two-out Bobcat error in the outfield.

Southeast’s only hit – a single – came in the sixth inning.

MCC finished off the game with four runs in the bottom of the sixth starting with a leadoff single by Knapp, a double by sophomore Anna Elliott (Calgary, Alberta), a two-run single by freshman Peytann Weiland (Aurora, Colo.), two errors by Southeast, a two-run double by Warren and a game-ending RBI-single by Gutierrez to sore Warren.

Warren picked up the win, allowing the one hit and two walks while striking out six.

MCC had eight hits in the game with two each by Knapp and Gutierrez and two RBIs each by Warren and Weiland.