MCC softball splits doubleheader with Bobcats

The McCook Community College softball team split a pair of games Wednesday at home losing a 6-5 game to Southeast Community College and coming back to win the second game 6-1.

Down 5-4 in the seventh inning of Game 1, Southeast pushed across two runs and retired the Lady Indians in order in the bottom of the inning.

“Today we got a lot of new girls in the game,” said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. “We didn’t play bad by any means, but those are the games you need to win.”

In Game 2, pitchers Sadie Kahl and Ella Covill-Marter held the Bobcats to one hit, no walks, no earned runs while striking out 12.

“Sadie and Ella shut them down and we did what we needed to do at the plate,” said Mendenhall.

Southeast goes to 4-2 in the Nebraska Conference and 14-19 overall.

MCC goes to 2-2 in the Nebraska conference and 31-13 overall.

The Lady Indians have one home doubleheader remaining on the regular season schedule and that comes Friday when Western Nebraska comes to the Jaycees Sports Complex. Six sophomores will be recognized prior to the games, which start at 2 p.m.

MCC wraps up the Region IX regular season play Sunday at Scottsbluff with two games starting at 1 p.m.

Trinidad State leads the Region IX standings at 16-4, Otero is second at 16-8, MCC is third at 11-9 and Northeastern Junior College fourth at 10-10. Western Nebraska is fifth at 8-12 and 12-22 on the season.

The top two teams in the standings will host the third and fourth-place teams for the post-season tournament in a three-game series to start May 4 with the championship series the following weekend.

MCC will conclude the Nebraska conference schedule with four games on the road Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday MCC travels to Beatrice for two games against Southeast CC and goes to Central CC Wednesday for a pair of games.

MCC also has a non-conference doubleheader scheduled for April 28 at Colby CC.

All the latest information MCC softball including up-to-date schedule and changes as well as statistics, rosters and photos can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com

 

GAME 1 – Southeast CC 6, McCook CC 5: The Bobcats broke up a scoreless game with three runs in the third inning.

MCC scored its only runs of the game in the bottom of the third. Freshman Haylee Anguiano (Abilene, Kan.) led off the inning with a single. After a Southeast error, sophomore Andie Suhai (Medicine Hat, Alberta) singled in Anguiano and another error allowed MCC to tie the game 2-2. Freshman Laila Gutierrez (Seminole, Texas) put MCC up 3-2 with an RBI-single. With two outs Kendree Kern (freshman, LaSalle, Colo.) singled in a run and freshman Kaylee Smith (Calgary, Alberta) followed with an RBI-single to put MCC up 5-2.

The Bobcats added two runs in the fifth to close within 5-4 and scored twice in the seventh and held on for the win.

All five of MCC’s hits came in the third inning. The Indians struck out eight times in the game.

“We didn’t swing it great in the game,” said Mendenhall. “We need to eliminate some of those strikeouts as well.”

Freshman Lexi Knapp (Berthoud, Colo.) pitched seven innings, allowed six hits, four earned runs, walked four and struck out six.

“Lexi threw a great game,” said Mendenhall.

 

GAME 2 – McCook CC 6, Southeast CC 1: MCC took a 4-0 lead in the third inning. After a pair of leadoff walks and an Andie Suhai single, freshman Laila Gutierrez singled to drive in two runs and Lexi Knapp singled in two more.

Southeast made it a 4-1 game with two outs in the fourth on a single and an error.

Freshman Angela Banzet (Surrey, British Columbia) doubled home Ella Covill-Marter in the fourth inning to put MCC up 5-1.

Sadie Kahl (Calgary, Alberta) pitched the first four innings allowing the one unearned run and one hit with five strikeouts.

Gutierrez doubled to lead off the fifth and scored on a groundout with Rocio Mascorro (freshman, Brownsville, Texas) batting.

Covill-Marter (Queensland, Australia) pitched three hitless, scoreless innings and struck out seven.

MCC had 10 hits with two each from Suhai, Gutierrez and Covill-Marter.