Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CHANUTE, Kan. – Early deficits would prove to be problematic for the Cloud County Community College softball team on Sunday afternoon in a pair of road contests at Neosho County Community College, falling by scores of 10-2 and 9-1 at the Neosho County Softball Field in Chanute, Kansas.
 
With the losses, Cloud County falls to 15-18 overall and 4-12 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference while the host Panthers improved to 20-11 overall and 9-5 in the KJCCC with the victories.
 
GAME ONE:
Stranding a pair of base-hit singles in the top of the first, the T-Birds would see Neosho County jump out to an early 2-0 lead with two base runners safely reaching base to begin the game as stolen bases by both base runners would set up a scoring opportunity. Responding with a solo home run from catcher Grace Utz in the top of the second, CCCC would see another stranded base runner prove costly as a chance to tie the game with a runner in scoring position and the top of the lineup due up seeing the inning end on a strikeout.
 
Holding the Panthers scoreless in their end of the second, CCCC would manage to push across another run in the top of the third as Shayna Fila would hit a leadoff double and come around to score on a Taylor Dekok RBI single, but it would be short-lived as Neosho would come back with two runs on two hits and an error in the bottom of the third to reclaim the lead at 4-2.
 
Both teams would go down in order in the fourth inning to keep things at just a two-run deficit for Cloud County, but the T-Birds would be retired in order for a second-straight inning which would prove to turn things in favor of NCCC as two walks would be coupled with three hits to bring home another three runs to extend the lead to 7-2. The Panthers would then manage to push across another three runs in the bottom of the sixth as Cloud County would be able to record just one out in the inning and see the Panthers end the game by run rule.
 
Held to just six hits as a team, Fila would be the only T-Bird to record multiple hits while also recording one of only two extra-base hits in the game. For the first time this season, CCCC would be held without a walk on the offensive side as Neosho would record 10 hits and draw four walks in their offensive opportunities with the free passes contributing to the final margin of defeat for Cloud County.
 
GAME TWO:
Two walks and an error would allow Neosho to extend the bottom of the first after pushing across a run as four more runs would come across including a three-run home run that would put the T-Birds in a 5-0 hole after an inning of action. Back-to-back hits with two outs in the top of the second would allow CCCC to get one run back in the top of the second as a Delaney Exon double and McKenna Mayhew single would get Cloud County on the scoreboard.
 
Another crooked number would be put up by Neosho in the bottom of the second as two more runs would come across to put CCCC in a 7-1 hole with the deficit growing to eight at 9-1 with two more runs scoring in the bottom of the third. The T-Birds would look to use a bunt single to begin the top of the fourth but see back-to-back flyouts and a strikeout end the inning with Ryleigh Jones left in scoring position following a stolen base.
 
After holding the Panthers off the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the fourth, Cloud County would need to push across at least one run in the top of the fifth to extend the game despite being held to just three hits through the first four innings of play. Two quick outs would put the T-Birds down to their final out before a walk would be drawn by Mia Kelly to bring up the top of the order in Fila who would reach on a fielding error to put two runners on base. Hitting into a fielder's choice would finish things off for Neosho in the next at-bat, however, as the T-Birds would see another two runners stranded to finish off the game.
 
No player for Cloud County would record more than one hit in the game as Fila was the only player for CCCC to reach base twice in three plate appearances. Exon's second-inning double would be the lone extra-base hit for the T-Birds with Kelly drawing the only walk for Cloud County that would be offset by six strikeouts by the Panther pitching staff. Unearned runs would prove to be the biggest issue of the game for CCCC as only four of Neosho's nine runs would be earned following a first-inning error.
 
What's Next?
For the first time this season, Cloud County will take on a conference foe for the second time as Cowley County Community College will make a return trip to Concordia and the CCCC Softball Field for a 2 PM doubleheader on Tuesday, April 12th. Earlier this season, Cowley defeated Cloud County by scores of 10-2 and 8-0 in CCCC's conference-opening doubleheader of the year on March 17th.