Independence, KS- The Cloud County T-Bird softball team split a doubleheader at Independence on Tuesday afternoon. They used three home runs in game two to win 8-4. They dropped the first game by the score of 5-2. 

Cloud needed the league win and got it on the road over an Independence team who is now 10-10 overall. Bailee Larson and Leslie Shuetz each drove in three in game two to lead an offensive outburst for Cloud County. 

After a sluggish start to the day, Cloud redeemed themselves by exploding for seven runs in the first two innings of game two. The T-Birds sent nine batters to the plate in the first and jumped ahead 3-0.

In the second inning, Schuetz launched her first home run of the game scoring Shafer and putting the T-Birds ahead 5-0. Just two batters later Bailee Larson went deep for a two run shot and Cloud was ahead 7-0.

Cloud starter Bayleigh Cope gave up single runs in the second, third, sixth, and seventh. She worked around four T-Bird errors in the game.

Schuetz struck again in the seventh with a solo shot to add an insurance run and seal an 8-4 win.

Cope improved to 3-4 with the win. She went the distance tossing all seven innings and allowing just one earned run. Cope lowered her season ERA to just 3.78 with the complete game performance.

The T-Birds fell behind early in game one as Independence opened the game with three consecutive singles. Cloud starter Lexi Duhrkop stranded the bases loaded in the inning as she fanned the last two hitters but one run scored and Indy jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

Cloud would answer in the third as they took the lead on an RBI triple from Jaycee Worrell. She would then score on an RBI groundout from Samantha Shafer to go ahead 2-1. 

The Pirates then tied the game in the bottom of the third and went ahead for good in the fourth with three more runs. They would hold on to win game one 5-2.

The T-Birds committed four errors and were struck out 11 times in the loss by Independence starter Heather Breslin. Lexi Duhrkop took the loss for Cloud.

Cloud is now 5-11 on the year and will play four more conference road games over the weekend. They will travel to Coffeyville on Friday and Labette on Saturday.