ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. – Beginning Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play on the road, the Cloud County Community College softball team would be defeated by host Cowley Community College by scores of 10-2 and 8-0 to drop a doubleheader at Ed Hargrove Field in Arkansas City, Kansas on Thursday, March 17th.
 
Falling to 8-7 overall, CCCC falls to 0-2 in KJCCC play while the host Tigers improve to 10-6 overall while getting out to a 2-0 start in conference action with back-to-back home sweeps over opponents.
 
GAME ONE:
Unable to turn a one-out single in the top of the first into any offensive production, the T-Birds would see Cowley put together a three-hit bottom of the first that would lead to two runs before giving up a third run on two hits in the bottom of the second to trail 3-0 heading to the third. Another quick inning at the plate by Cloud County would allow Cowley to add to their lead as a solo home run to start the bottom of the third would part of a two-homer, four-run inning with a three-run blast pushing the lead to 7-0 in favor of the Tigers before an out would be recorded.
 
Three of CCCC's five base runners in the contest would reach in the top of the fourth as a leadoff walk for Ryleigh Jones would start an inning that would eventually produce a pair of runs as a bunt single from Delaney Exon would be followed by a McKenna Mayhew two-run home run to center field to get the T-Birds on the board. Unfortunately for Cloud County, Cowley would put together another big inning as four straight batters would reach with one out in the inning to push across three more runs to make things a 10-2 lead as a one-two-three top of the fifth would end the game.
 
Only one of Cloud County's three hits in the game would go for extra bases with Jones and Kelsey Bohnsack also reaching on walks as the T-Birds produced only five total base runners. Seven strikeouts would hurt CCCC as would a caught stealing to lead to not a single runner reaching scoring position.
 
GAME TWO:
Struggles at the plate would carry over from the opening game as a leadoff single for Rae Ann Hartwig would be followed by a line out and two strikeouts to end the inning as Cowley would once again jump out to an early lead with a three-run first. Despite being held to just one hit between the second and third innings with three runners winding up stranded, the T-Birds would be able to keep the Tigers from adding to their lead as the bases would be left loaded by Cowley in the second before stranding another runner in the third to keep things at a 3-0 deficit.
 
After a two-out bunt single from Alexis Billings would be left stranded in the top of the fourth, Cloud County would work around a leadoff double and throwing error that put runners on the corners with no outs for Cowley as a pop-out and 5-3 inning-ending double play would keep the Tigers from adding to their lead. The T-Birds never would take advantage of a potential momentum-shifting moment however as a two-out single from Fila would go stranded before seeing two errors and three hits which included a three-run home run manage to put Cowley up by an eight-run margin to end the game in the bottom of the fifth.
 
A two-for-three performance from Fila would lead Cloud County offensively with the two hits including the lone extra-base hit for the T-Birds with a double in the top of the third. Outside of the four hits CCCC was able to record, a Grace Utz hit-by-pitch would be one of only two other base runners for the T-Birds as Cloud County would go 0-5 at the plate with runners in scoring position.
 
What's Next?
Back on the road for another conference doubleheader, Cloud County will head to Hesston College for a 1 PM doubleheader against the Larks at Bess Mullet Field. Hesston has won their past three games including a home sweep over Coffeyville to open KJCCC play on Thursday afternoon and is now 9-9 overall and 2-0 in conference play.