Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CHANUTE, Kan. – Finishing off a run of eight games in seven days to end their 2021 campaign, the Cloud County Community College softball team would find themselves on the wrong end of a pair of losses by scores of 12-4 and 6-4 to Neosho County Community College at the Neosho Softball Complex in Chanute, Kansas on Friday, May 7th.

With the season officially complete for the T-Birds, CCCC ends their season with an 8-28 overall record and 3-27 mark in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference while the Panthers improved to 27-24 overall and 17-13 in the KJCCC.

GAME ONE:
Held to just a hit batter in the first inning of play, Cloud County would see host Neosho come out swinging in their half of the first as two hits, an error, and hit batter would lead to two runs despite two stranded runners. The CCCC offense would then come alive in the top of the second as a leadoff groundout would make way for two errors, two triples, and a single that would help Cloud County push across three runs to take the lead at 3-2.

The lead for the T-Birds would be short-lived as a leadoff double would come around to score on an RBI single before a two-run home run would break a 3-3 tie and make it 5-3 Panthers after two. A chance for Cloud County to pull back even in the third would be thwarted by NCCC as a leadoff single and hit batter would both be stranded as would a two-out walk with three stranded runners keeping things at a two-run Neosho lead.

Five straight batters would reach base safely for the Panthers to lead off the bottom of the third as five runs would come across and turn the 5-3 Neosho lead into a 10-3 NCCC lead. Cloud County would get a run back in the top of the fourth as a one-out walk drawn by Kayla Lee would come around to score later in the inning, but it would not be enough in the long run as Neosho would hit a game-ending two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to put the eight-run mercy rule into effect.

Limited to just four hits in the game, Cloud County would see the hits come courtesy of Lee, Emily Dunaway, Bohnsack, and Exon. Both Lee and Bohnsack would have their hits go for extra-bases while Lee would drive in two of CCCC's four runs.

Game Two:
It would be another early lead from the host Panthers in game two as Neosho would work a perfect top of the first before going on plate two runs in the bottom of the first and take a 2-0 lead. The two-run lead for Neosho would stay intact until the top of the third as an error to start the inning along with a single from Lee would put two runners on with freshman Taylor Glause driving in both runs and knot the game up at 2-2.

After a one-two-three bottom of the third, Cloud County would put a go-ahead run on base with one out in the top of the fourth but see the inning end on a 6-4-3 double play that would allow Neosho to grab momentum heading into the bottom of the fourth. With the inning-ending double play bringing NCCC back up to the plate, Neosho would take full advantage as three errors would account for two unearned runs that would allow the Panthers to reclaim the lead 4-2.

Trailing by two for a second time in the game, Cloud County would waste little time getting back within one on a solo home run from Lee in the fifth as the T-Birds would manage to hang around and keep within striking distance. Neosho would get the run allowed in the top of the fifth right back on a leadoff single and two stolen bases in the bottom of the inning as a sacrifice fly would put things at a 5-3 score heading to the sixth.

Still battling, CCCC would get the run just conceded right back in the top of the sixth with Glause reaching on a leadoff single before a base hit bunt followed by an RBI single off the bat of Taylor Burks would get the T-Birds within one once more. Cloud County would see the game-tying run represented by Rae Ann Hartwig make her way to second before a strikeout and flyout would end the inning and rally that CCCC would seemingly have going.

An insurance run for the Panthers would then be scored in the bottom of the sixth as errors once again would be to the detriment of the T-Birds with Neosho taking full advantage of the defensive miscue. With Cloud County facing a two-run deficit one final time, the T-Birds would be retired in order and see the game end as NCCC would manage to win both games and defend their home field.

Seven errors total would lead to only four of the six runs scored by Neosho being charged to pitcher Brynn Riley as the final margin of victory would come courtesy of the unearned runs. Lee, Glause, Hartwig, and Burks would all have two hits each to account for CCCC's eight hits in the game with Lee scoring a team-high two runs.