CONCORDIA, Kan. – Facing off against a second-straight Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference division leader, the Cloud County Community College softball team would fall by scores of 10-0 and 14-4 in a pair of games against Johnson County Community College at the CCCC Softball Field in Concordia, Kansas on Saturday, March 26th.
Falling to 10-13 overall, Cloud County now sits at 0-8 in the KJCCC while Johnson County improves to 14-6 overall and 8-0 in conference play with the victories.
GAME ONE:
Defensive errors and offensive woes would be the story of the opener for CCCC as Johnson County would put up four runs on three hits and three errors with three of the four runs coming as unearned runs. The Cavaliers would then put up another two runs in the second before going on to add another four in the fourth as Cloud County would be held without a baserunner until a
Grace Utz walk with one out in the bottom of the third in what would become the best chance of the day for the T-Birds to produce some offense as a pair of runners would be stranded in the inning. CCCC would also draw a pair of walks in the bottom of the fourth that would also get stranded as the game would end in the bottom of the fifth with Johnson County taking the 10-run victory.
Cloud County's four walks would be offset by five strikeouts in the game as only two base runners would advance into scoring position. Johnson County would have two players record two hits each with nine 10 hits and two walks producing their 10-run total.
GAME TWO:
Another rough start for the T-Birds would see JCCC break out for five runs in the top of the first as four hits and a walk would produce the Cavalier runs. The T-Birds would finally break through for a run in the bottom of the first after being shut out in game one as an infield single from
Shayna Fila and
Ryleigh Jones walk would be paired with a pair of wild pitches to produce a run for CCCC.
Johnson County would tack on another two runs in the top of the second as three walks would be the undoing of Cloud County in the inning with a two-RBI double allowing JCCC to extend their lead to 7-2. Producing some more offense in the bottom of the second, catcher
Grace Utz would manage to reach base on a wild pitch on a third strike before moving to second on an
Alexis Billings single and third on a wild pitch that put two runners in scoring position. After an
Ella Caudill RBI single plated a run,
Rae Ann Hartwig would lay down a sacrifice bunt that would bring in another run with Caudill moving all the way to third on the play. The heads-up base running from Caudill would pay off as a Fila RBI single into center field would cap off a three-run inning for CCCC that would pull the T-Birds back within three at 7-4.
Unfortunately for Cloud County, Johnson County would be able to reverse momentum in the fourth with three runs on two hits before pushing across another three runs in the top of the fifth that would put CCCC in another 10-run deficit. Needing at least 3 runs to extend the game in the bottom of the fifth, Cloud County would see a one-out single from
Kelsey Bohnsack erased on a pinch-hit fielder's choice from
Mia Kelly as the game would end on the next pitch with JCCC throwing out Kelly attempting to steal second.
The Cavaliers would double up the T-Birds in hits 12-6 in the contest as CCCC would manage to draw three walks and also have a batter hit by a pitch. Two of Cloud County's six hits would come from Fila with Bohnsack, Jones, Billings, and Caudill accounting for the remaining four hits with Hartwig, Fila, and Caudill all driving in runs.
What's Next?
Cloud County will look to rebound in a home doubleheader on Thursday, March 31st as the T-Birds will play host to Allen County Community College in a 2 PM doubleheader at the CCCC Softball Field. The Red Devils sported an 8-12 overall record heading into a home doubleheader on Saturday afternoon with Hesston College and are scheduled to play at Crowder College on Sunday before making the trip to Concordia for their games with CCCC.
