Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BEATRICE, Neb. – Defensive woes would be the undoing of the Cloud County Community College softball team on Thursday afternoon in their first road games of the year as the T-Birds would drop a road doubleheader at Southeast Community College by scores of 9-2 and 8-6 at the Hannibal Park Softball Complex in Beatrice, Nebraska on Tuesday, March 8th.
 
With the defeats, Cloud County falls to 5-4 overall on the season while Southeast picks up wins number two and three to improve to 3-5 on the season.
 
GAME ONE:
Jumping out to an early lead, Cloud County would plate a run in the top of the first with a leadoff home run from sophomore Rae Ann Hartwig in what would be the only hit for Cloud County the first time through the lineup. After retiring the next three batters in order, Southeast would get their first opportunity at the plate where the Storm would use a leadoff single to left field and back-to-back walks to set up a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded that would be dropped with an out being recorded at second to at least record one out on the play. The T-Birds would then get a strikeout before another free pass would load the bases, but a groundout would end the inning with the bases loaded and no additional damage being done.
 
SCC would strand another two runners in the bottom of the second after a quick one-two-three top half of the inning from CCCC as the score would remain a 1-1 deadlock heading to the third. Back-to-back walks to lead off the top of third from Kelsey Bohnsack and Ella Caudill would put a pair of runners on with the lineup being flipped over to Hartwig before a flyout and infield fly would threaten to keep things tied. Freshman Ryleigh Jones would ensure that Cloud County would not end the inning empty-handed as a ground-rule double to right-center field would bring home Bohnsack and put runners on second and third before a walk and strikeout would see the T-Birds leave the bases loaded.
 
An offensive response from Southeast would see the Storm get a leadoff single followed by a two-run home run to center field to give SCC their first lead of the day as seven of the first eight batters would safely reach base. Following the home run, a fielding error by the T-Birds and one-out walk would be combined with a single to load the bases for the top of the order as another walk would bring home the third run of the inning. A fielder's choice on the ensuing at-bat would see Cloud County cut down a potential fifth run for Southeast at the plate as a strikeout would finally end the inning.
 
Still unable to find any type of production on the offensive end, Cloud County would be unable to take advantage of a hit batter in the fourth and strand a runner in the fifth as SCC would continue to add to their lead with a four-run bottom of the fourth. The four-run inning would come all with two outs as a walk, error, and single to go along with a passed ball would bring home a run and put two on for the top of the order. An RBI double would make things a 7-2 lead for the Storm before a two-RBI single to right-center field would blow the game open as eight of the nine runs for Southeast would come in the middle innings.
 
The best remaining opportunity for Cloud County offensively to try and produce any runs would come in the top of the sixth as back-to-back singles would put runners on first and second before a pair of fly outs would begin to turn momentum back towards SCC. Bohnsack would then be hit by a pitch to load the bases, but a groundout would see the bases left loaded for the second time in the game as CCCC would be unable to cut into the deficit in the final inning.
 
Held to just five hits and two runs, Cloud County would strike out seven times in the opening contest and strand eight runners as timely hits would be a missing component to the offensive production. Each of the first five batters in the T-Bird lineup would record one hit each as each of the five walks would also come from five different players. Taking the loss in the circle would be freshman Taylor Dekok after pitching the first 2.1 innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits while striking out three batters. McKenna Mayhew would come on in relief to throw the final 3.2 innings and allow four unearned runs on four hits.
 
GAME TWO:
Looking for a bounce back to try and salvage a split on the afternoon, CCCC would face an early hole after stranding a leadoff runner in the top of the first before giving up a two-run home run as a one-out single set up the blast that would give Southeast an early 2-0 lead heading into the second. Finally able to come up with a response when trailing, Cloud County would turn a leadoff single from Delaney Exon into a run as freshman Zoie Kincaid would hit an RBI double into the right-center field gap that kicked off a four-run inning on four hits and a walk.
 
The T-Birds would manage to strand a Southeast runner at third in the bottom of the second to maintain their two-run lead before seeing a pair of their own runners end up left on base after a pop out and strikeout would end the top of the third. Taking advantage of yet another CCCC error, SCC would see their first three batters of the inning safely reach base before an RBI fielder's choice set up outs on three consecutive plays to end the inning and limit the damage to just one run. A one-out error in the top of the fourth on a base-hit single from Hartwig would allow the Adams, Nebraska native to score and put Cloud County back by two runs at 5-3.  
 
Things would remain a 5-3 T-Bird lead until the bottom of the fifth as a leadoff home run would bring Southeast back within one at 5-4 with the Storm eventually putting together a two-out rally thanks in part to an error and two passed balls that allowed a single to turn the game-tying run. Not wasting any time to get back out in front, Cloud County would use a Kelly leadoff single and stolen base to allow Caudill to hit a sacrifice bunt to move the Topeka, Kansas native to third as an RBI single from Hartwig gave CCCC their final lead of the game.
 
Trying to protect the lead would once again prove difficult for Cloud County as a one-out double would be followed by a game-tying RBI double and walk. A go-ahead RBI single would then put SCC back out in front by a score of 7-6 as one more run would come home on yet another RBI single with the Storm turning five hits into three runs to take a two-run lead into the final inning of the game. With one final opportunity to try and extend the game, the T-Birds would be limited to a groundout, pop-out, and strikeout to end the game.
 
Despite putting together nine hits as a team and getting a three-hit, three-RBI game from Hartwig at the top of the lineup CCCC would three total extra-base its and two walks while stranding six runners. No other player in the game for the T-Birds would have more than one hit with the remaining two RBIs coming from Shayna Fila and Kincade. Sophomore Kyra Meyer would throw a complete game in the circle for CCCC,  allowing eight runs on 13 hits while throwing a total of  92 with 67 of the pitches going for strikes.
 
What's Next?
Cloud County has moved its originally scheduled Saturday home doubleheader against Northwest Kansas Technical College to a tentatively new date of Sunday, March 13th. With an impending winter storm scheduled to make its way across the area on Wednesday night and Thursday, a final decision on a game date and start time between the T-Birds and Mavericks will be finalized once field conditions are assessed following the storm. The games are scheduled to be the first of four games between CCCC and NWKT this season as both teams are scheduled to host doubleheaders against the other.