COLUMBUS, Neb. – Finishing off non-conference play on the road ahead of their final four games of the season, the Cloud County Community College softball team would overcome an early 2-0 deficit by scoring the final 10 runs of the game to defeat Central Community College by a final score of 10-2 in six innings at the CCC Softball Field in Columbus, Nebraska on Tuesday, May 4th.
Earning their third win over the Raiders this season, Cloud County improved to 17-30 overall with the victory while Central dropped to 15-26 overall.
The early deficit for the T-Birds would come as part of a two-run first inning for the Raiders following a one-two-three top half of the inning for CCCC as Central would use a hit batter, bunt single, and walk to load the bases with no outs and put pressure on the Cloud County defense. After a wild pitch would advance all three runners and bring home the first run of the game, the Raiders would use a one-out sacrifice fly to drive in another run before stranding runners at the corners with a fielder's choice to end the inning.
Leading things off in the top of the second would be freshman
McKenna Mayhew with a leadoff single before seeing
Kelsey Bohnsack reach base on a fielding error to allow the T-Birds to put each of their first two batters safely on base.
Mia Kelly would then hit an infield single to load the bases as
Rae Ann Hartwig would drive in Cloud County's first run of the game with a fielder's choice that would leave runners at first and second with one out. A double steal from CCCC would successfully move both runners into scoring position for freshman
Alexis Billings who would hit another fielder's choice that would see Kelly thrown out at home, but an aggressive play on the base paths from the Wamego, Kansas native would allow Hartwig to come home on a rundown play that would see Billings manage to take second base safely. A groundout in the next at-bat would end the inning for Cloud County as things would enter the bottom of the second deadlocked at two.
Working around a leadoff single and two-out base runner on a catcher's interference, CCCC would manage to keep the Raiders off the scoreboard in the second before taking their first lead of the game in the top of the third. Turning a one-out
Shayna Fila single into a rally,
Delaney Exon and Mayhew would manage to hit back-to-back doubles to left field with Mayhew's double driving in a pair of runs to make the score 4-2 in favor of Cloud County. A groundout from Bohnsack would move Mayhew to third and allow her to score on an infield bunt single by Kelly as three runs would come across on four hits for the T-Birds.
Things would stay a 5-2 Cloud County lead until the top of the sixth when CCCC would add to their lead two singles to lead off the inning to go along with a stolen base from Hartwig and a wild pitch that would score Kelly to put the score at 6-2 and a runner at third with still nobody out. Billings would hit an infield pop out for the first out of the inning but be followed by an RBI single from
Ella Caudill who would use two wild pitches and a groundout by
Ryleigh Jones to come home and give Cloud County a six-run lead with two outs. Starting a two-out rally would be Fila with a single back up the middle before coming around to score on an Exon RBI double as the T-Birds would be nearing an eight-run advantage. One final run would come across on a Mayhew RBI single with Cloud County recording seven hits in the inning to break the game open and sit just three outs away from a run-rule victory.
One last chance at the plate for Central would lead to more trouble for CCCC as two quick outs would be followed by three consecutive walks to load the bases as the Raiders would need just one run to extend the game into the seventh inning. After the third walk would be issued on four consecutive pitches, starting T-Bird pitcher
Taylor Dekok would induce a first-pitch foul out to Billings at third to end the game.
Outhitting Central by a 14-3 tally, Cloud County would see four of their hits go for extra bases despite not drawing a single walk in the game. The T-Birds also showed an aggressive style on the base paths, stealing six bases with Kelly stealing three bases in addition to a three-for-four effort at the plate.
Tossing her 15th complete game of the year, Dekok would allow just three hits and two earned runs while striking out seven batters on a total of 123 pitches. The win would improve Dekok's record to 9-15 overall, with two complete-game victories coming over the Raiders.
What's Next?
Cloud County will be back on the road for their final road doubleheader of the year in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play with a 2 PM start at Coffeyville Community College on Thursday, May 5th. In their previous matchups with the Red Ravens back on April 6th, the T-Birds would defeat Coffeyville by scores of 10-2 and 14-3 with both victories coming in five innings. Dating back to the 2019 season, CCCC has won five of the previous eight matchups with the Red Ravens but has not won at Coffeyville since April 13, 2018.
