MCC Softball sweeps Scotties in Saturday games

HIGHLAND, Kan. – The McCook Community College softball team snagged a pair of 10-7 wins Saturday over Highland Community College to improve to 11-1 on the season.

Sophomore Lexi Knapp (Berthoud, Colo.) had five hits on the day and came on in relief in Game 1 to preserve the win for starting pitcher Sadie Kahl (sophomore, Calgary, Alberta).

“Sadie did a nice job in the first game and she allowed no earned runs on the day,” said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. “We are a good team, and good teams find a way to win but we had to dig deep today as Highland is a very scrappy team as well.”

Freshman Paige Warren (Victoria, British Columbia) hit a grand slam and picked up the win in the circle in Game 2 on a day that the MCC defense committed 10 errors.

“We were a different team today. We struggled defensively, but our bats and speed kept us in the game,” said Mendenhall. “Paige did a nice job in the circle in Game 2, we just need to be better defensively.”

The Scotties fall to 2-3 on the season.

“Overall it was a good weekend for us,” said Mendenhall.

The season pace picks up this week as the Lady Indians will be back in Kansas Friday and Saturday then on to Beatrice Sunday. MCC will be in Overland Park Friday for a noon game against Johnson County and a 2 p.m. game with North Iowa Area Community College. On Saturday the Lady Indians play Kirkwood Community College at 10 a.m. then play North Iowa Area CC at 2 p.m.

On Sunday MCC is back in the Nebraska Conference for a doubleheader against Southeast Community College starting at 1 p.m.

The Lady Indians are scheduled for their first home game March 12 at noon against Dakota College at Bottineau.

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 10, Highland CC 7: The Lady Indians jumped out on top in the first taking advantage of three two Scottie errors and two walks and an RBI-double by Lexi Knapp and an RBI single by Anna Elliott to take a quick 4-0 lead.

Sadi Kahl started the game in the circle and held Highland in check until the fourth when a leadoff bunt resulted in a run on a pair of MCC errors.

MCC took a 9-1 lead in the fifth with five runs highlighted by RBI-singles from sophomore Rocio Mascorro (Brownsville, Texas) and freshman Paige Warren (Victoria, British Columbia).

Highland scored six runs in the fifth aided by a pair of MCC errors.

Freshman Peytann Weiland (Aurora, Colo.) hit a leadoff home run in the sixth for the final run of the game.

Kahl picked up the win pitching 4.1 innings, allowing six hits, no earned runs, no walks and six strikeouts. Knapp took over in relief and went 2.2 innings, allowing one hit, two walks and no runs.

MCC had 11 hits in the game led by two each from Elliott, Warren, Knapp and Kinsley.

GAME 2 – McCook 10, Highland CC 7: Down 1-0 in the second, MCC took the lead with a grand slam from Paige Warren.

Highland got a two-run home run in the fourth to make it a 4-3 game, but the Lady Indians got a two-out, two-run home run by Sadie Kahl to give MCC a 6-3 lead.

MCC opened the game up in the seventh scoring four times with a leadoff single by Laila Gutierrez (Seminole, Texas), an RBI single by Lexi Knapp, an RBI-double by Kahl and two runs off passed balls.

Knapp had three hits for MCC, Kahl two with three RBIs.

Warren pitched the first six innings and left the game but in the seventh inning three MCC errors and three walks opened the door for the Scottie offense, which scored four times off Kahl and the Lady Indian defense, but Warren returned to the circle to record two outs and held off the Scotties.

Warren went 6.2 innings, allowed nine hits, two walks, two earned runs and she struck out three.