CONCORDIA, Kan. – Battling strong wind gusts in what would prove to be otherwise ideal weather for early March, the Cloud County Community College softball team would drop their first two games of the day before gutting out an extra-innings win in their final game to finish off day one of the 2020 Cloud County Spring Classic with a 1-2 mark at the Concordia Sports Complex in Concordia, Kansas.

Cloud County would fall in their opening game by a score of 8-4 to Southeast Community College and drop a 6-3 decision to Iowa Central in their second game before managing to win by a score of 6-5 in walk-off fashion over Iowa Lakes in nine-innings to finish out the day. The 1-2 mark on the day moves Cloud County's record to 4-3 overall with two more games remaining in the Cloud County Spring Classic.

Against Southeast:

After grabbing a 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout by Mikayla Bletscher to score Sarah McCown in the bottom of the second, the T-Birds would see Southeast put up a three-spot in the top of the third with a two-run home run delivering the big-blow as part of a three-hit inning.

A sacrifice fly and RBI single for the Storm in the top of the fifth would then push the lead for SCC to 5-1 before seeing CCCC cut the four-run lead down to one in the bottom of the inning as Mattison Hogrefe would hit a one-out RBI single to score Kayla Lee.

A single from Jacie Marcotte and throwing error would load the bases full of T-Birds and allow Emily Wells to deliver with a two-RBI single to score Marcotte and Hogrefe to cut the lead down to one. The 5-4 lead for Southeast would then hold through the sixth before seeing the Storm manage to break through for three insurance runs on four hits in the top of the seventh to go up 8-4 and then retire the T-Birds in order to end the game.

Eight stranded runners would be a big problem in the loss for Cloud County as the T-Birds would see only Marcotte and Wells finish with multiple hits in the game despite recording 10 hits as a team. Wells would also have two of CCCC's four RBI in the contest to go along with one of two walks drawn by Cloud County. Hogrefe would throw a complete game, allowing eight runs on 12 hits and striking out three.

Against Iowa Central:

In their first of two contests with the Tritons on the weekend, Cloud County would and Iowa Central would see a pitcher's duel early make way for eight of the nine runs scored in the contest coming in the final three innings of the game. ICCC would go up 1-0 after an inning of play, but then see both teams go scoreless until the top of the fifth when the Tritons would breakthrough for a pair of runs to go up 3-0. A wild pitch in the top of the sixth would make things 4-0 in favor of Iowa Central, but Cloud County would finally breakthrough in the bottom half of the inning to score a pair of runs on a sacrifice fly and throwing error to get within two at 4-2.

Two insurance runs would be added by Iowa Central in the top of the seventh on three hits as both runs would score with two outs in the inning. Cloud County would have one final go at trying to make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh, putting two of the first three batters of the inning aboard before getting a Marcotte single to score Kennedy Doherty and place the game-tying run on base. The rally would be cut short however as a secondary lead at third would coax a throw that would be in time to pick off Kara Chisolm and end things as the T-Bird would have had two runners in scoring position.

Despite not striking out a single time in the game, Cloud County would go just seven-for-25 at the plate and not have a single extra-base hit in the contest as Hogrefe would finish as the lone Cloud County player with multiple hits. Marcotte and Wells would account for the only two RBI in the game for CCCC, while Brynn Riley would throw all seven innings and strike out four on the defensive side.

Against Iowa Lakes:

Finding ways to scratch runs across would prove to the key to Cloud County's third game of the day as Iowa Lakes would go up 2-0 going to the bottom of the third before seeing a Marcotte RBI single and McCown double allow CCCC to score two runs in the bottom of the third and tie things up at 2-2.

Cloud County's first lead of the game against the Lakers would come in the bottom of the fourth as a wild pitch would allow Doherty to score and Lee to move up 60 feet before seeing a throwing error on the throw to the plate end up wide and allow Lee to race home. The 4-2 lead would be cut in half in the top of the fifth as ILCC would get a run back, but the T-Birds would have a response in the bottom of the sixth with a Chisolm RBI single.

Two runs by Iowa Lakes in the top of the seventh would extend the game and eventually force extra-innings as a scoreless eight would force a second extra-inning to be played. With the international tie-breaker rule in place, Cloud County would retire the Lakers in order in the top of the ninth and then need only one batter in the bottom half of the inning as Lee would connect on a pitch and put the ball in left-center field to score Doherty in walk-off fashion.

The two teams would combine to strand 20 runners in the game, but it would be Cloud County who would manage to leave just eight runners on base while finally managing to come up with a timely hit and get the victory. A three-for-five effort from Lee at the top of the lineup would set the tone for an 11-hit outing from CCCC as the freshman would also score twice. Hogrefe would bounce back with a win in relief, striking out four while allowing just two hits to improve to 2-2.

What's Next?

Cloud County will be back in action on Sunday, March 8th to take on Central Community College and Iowa Central in their final games of the 2020 Cloud County Spring Classic. The games will serve as the final non-conference games prior to the start of Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play.