HESSTON, Kan. – After seeing a nine-run sixth inning by host Hesston College spoil a 4-0 lead in a 9-5 loss, the Cloud County Community College softball team broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the seventh with two runs to earn a 3-1 win to split their Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference opening doubleheader at Bess Mullett Field in Hesston, Kansas on Thursday, March 28th.
Splitting their third straight doubleheader, the T-Birds are now 15-9 overall while opening conference play with a 1-1 record. Hesston remains at .500 with a 8-8 overall record and 1-1 mark in the KJCCC.
Game One:
The 4-0 lead for CCCC came with three runs in the top of the first as the T-Birds used a leadoff walk and one out RBI double from
Kaylee Pinneo to get on the board before scoring a pair of unearned runs with a single from
Kiera Brack coming with a throwing error to finish off a three-run, three-hit inning. Stranding Hesston base runners in both the bottom of the first and second innings, Cloud County worked a clean third and fourth innings to retire the Larks to send things to the fifth which saw both teams go three up and three down to keep the score at 3-0 in favor of CCCC.
In the top of the sixth, Cloud County used a leadoff home run from
Camille Stauffer to add to their lead and take their biggest advantage of the game at 4-0 and eventually stranded a runner following an inning-ending double play that flipped momentum back to Hesston. The change in momentum proved costly for Cloud County as Hesston saw a leadoff double followed with a two-out rally that saw three straight hits and a walk cut the T-Bird lead in half before a bases-loaded pinch-hit three-RBI triple to put HC out in front 5-4. A walk followed by two more hits and an error allowed three more runs to score while forcing CCCC to make a pitching change as Hesston finished out the inning with nine runs on eight hits to take a 9-4 lead. The five-run deficit for Cloud County saw the T-Birds put a leadoff base runner on with a throwing error with
Jillian Artiges eventually coming around to score on a Pinneo fielder's choice in what proved to be the only run of the inning for CCCC to drop a 9-5 decision.
Held to just seven hits and three walks in the game, Cloud County was led by a two-hit performance from
Alyssa Reynolds and
Brooklynn McCormick while seeing Pinneo lead the T-Birds with two RBI. Of the seven hits for CCCC, just two went for extra bases as Cloud County stranded five base runners throughout. In the circle, Brack struck out 12 but took the loss after throwing 5.2 innings and giving up nine runs on nine hits with five shutout innings spoiled in the sixth.
Brecken Whitney also saw time at pitcher, throwing 0.1 innings and allowing one hit in addition to one strikeout.
Game Two:
Another early lead for the T-Birds came in the top of the first of game two as an error and wild pitch set up a Stauffer one out RBI single to score Reynolds with two hits leading to the one run. Hesston stranded a base runner in the bottom of the first before seeing a pair of runners left on base in the second as CCCC managed to maintain their lead heading into the third. After being retired in order in the top of the third, Cloud County saw the Larks use a leadoff triple to score the game-tying run on an RBI groundout in the bottom of the inning with the tie score remaining in place through the end of the sixth inning.
With both teams still limited to just one run heading into the seventh, the T-Birds broke through with an Artiges leadoff single followed by a
Kaitlynn Baca single and HC fielding error to load the bases with one out. Stauffer once again came through with a base hit back up the middle to score both Artiges and Baca to put the T-Birds up 3-1 following the three-hit inning. Two quick strikeouts from CCCC pitcher
Paige Mahler put an end to any potential rally from Hesston in the bottom of the seventh as the Adams, Nebraska native worked a one-two-three inning for the second-straight inning to finish off the game and allow the T-Birds to earn the split.
Mahler improved to 4-3 after throwing her fourth complete game of the year and allowing one run on six hits to go along with six strikeouts against 28 total batters faced. Offensively, Cloud County outhit Hesston 10-6 and got two-hit games from Baca and Stauffer as eight of the nine players to record plate appearances had at least one hit. Stauffer also drove in a game-high three runs while seeing Pinneo and
Harley Smith record the only two extra-base hits for CCCC as the T-Birds struck out just twice in 32 total plate appearances.
What's Next?
The first two home games of the KJCCC season for Cloud County will come on Thursday, April 4th as CCCC will host Highland Community College in a 2 PM doubleheader at the CCCC Softball Field. Highland is 14-12 overall and 0-2 in the KJCCC after dropping a doubleheader to Fort Scott at home this past Thursday and will see their doubleheader with the T-Birds kick off a stretch of eight games in the span of five days with the games in Concordia serving as the lone two road games in the stretch. Last season, Cloud County won the opening game with the Scotties 8-6 before dropping a 9-8 decision in game two out in Highland.
