CONCORDIA, Kan. – Behind a complete-game two-hitter from sophomore Mattisyn Hogrefe in game one, the Cloud County Community College softball team would open up their 2020 campaign with a doubleheader sweep of the Doane University JV team at the CCCC Softball Field in Concordia, Kansas on Monday, February 24th.

The wins would come by scores of 8-0 in six innings and 9-3 as the T-Birds open the season 2-0 while kicking off a season-opening nine-game homestand.

GAME ONE:

Working around a leadoff walk to start the game, Cloud County would waste no time with their first at-bat of the game as the first four batters for CCCC would reach base with Mattison Hogrefe hitting a two-RBI single to score Kara Chisolm and Kayla Lee to go up 2-0. The T-Birds wouldn't be done in the inning, adding two more runs on an Emily Wells single to center field as Cloud County would put up four runs in the bottom of the first inning on two hits and three Doane errors to take a 4-0 lead after one.

Hogrefe would a big second inning in the circle, striking out three batters after a leadoff walk to get the T-Birds back on the offensive side of things where a one-out triple from Lee would allow for Chisolm to drive in her first run of the season on a groundout and make the score 5-0 in favor of Cloud County after two. Both offenses would then go quiet as Hogrefe would take a no-hitter into the top of the sixth as the Tigers would manage to put together a pair of hits and threaten to get on the board but a fielder's choice with runners on second and third would end the inning and allow the T-Birds to maintain a 5-0 lead.

Mikayla Bletscher would spark the Cloud County offense in the bottom of the sixth, hitting a leadoff triple as Kennedy Doherty would follow with an RBI single before seeing a stolen base and pair of fly outs put two outs on the board with Burks moving to third. Hogrefe would drive in her third run of the game on an RBI single as Jaci Marcotte would extend the inning with a single and put the game-ending run just 60 feet from home. Sarah McCown delivered as the next batter up with a single right back up the middle that would allow Hogrefe to score and end the game as the T-Birds would hold an eight-run lead.

Hogrefe's big day saw the Lincoln, Nebraska native earn the win in the circle after striking out eight and allowing just the two hits while also going two-for-four at the plate with three RBI and two runs scored. Marcotte would also have a big start to the season, going three-for-four and scoring once.

GAME TWO:

Things would stay close throughout the first half of the game as the T-Birds and Tigers would find themselves deadlocked after two and a half innings before seeing Cloud County pull away late with four runs in the final four innings of action while shutting down the Doane offense after the third. A leadoff walk and single for the Tigers would allow Doane to plate a run on a sacrifice fly in the top of the first to take their first lead of the game, but see Cloud County respond with three straight singles to start their first at-bat of the contest and score runs on a sacrifice fly and groundout to go up 2-1 after one.

The T-Birds would then turn a Wells leadoff walk into another run in the bottom of the second as Burks would deliver with a two-out RBI double as the insurance run would put CCCC up 3-1 going into the third. A fielding error and two doubles would allow two runs to come across for Doane in the top of the third and tie things up at 3-3, but starting pitcher Brynn Riley would get a pop out and lineout to end the inning. Back-to-back one-out singles from Hogrefe and Marcotte would be followed by an Emily Dunaway walk to load the bases for Wells as the Shawnee, Kansas native would deliver with a two-RBI double to put Cloud County up 5-3. The T-Birds would end up stranding two runners to end the inning, but with the damage done once again be playing with the lead over the Tigers.

A run on a fielding error in the bottom of the fourth would allow CCCC to extend their lead once more to 6-3 as the T-Birds would shut down Doane in the top of the fifth with two strikeouts and a lineout putting away the Tigers. Burks would have another big hit in her in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out, two-RBI single to score Wells and Dunaway as the lead would continue to grow with Cloud County pushing things to a score of 8-3. One final run would come across in the bottom of the sixth for the T-Birds with a Wells RBI double scoring pinch-runner Erin Hammel as CCCC would strand a Doane leadoff double to end the game and sweep the doubleheader.

Riley picked up her first collegiate victory in the circle after throwing four innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits while striking out one as relief pitcher Delaney Miller would throw the final three innings and strike out four while allowing just one hit. Both Hogrefe and Wells would finish with three hits in game two as Wells would drive in three and score twice to account for five of Cloud County's nine runs.

What's Next?

Cloud County will take the rest of the week off and return to action at home on Tuesday, March 3rd with a 2 p.m. doubleheader against the Bethany College JV team.