Softball | 4/27/2025 8:19:00 PM

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Playing for the first time in nine days, the Cloud County Community College softball team swept a doubleheader against Hesston College at Bill Burke Park in Salina, Kansas on Saturday, April 27. Taking game one 3-1, the T-Birds outhit the Larks 12-2 on their way to an 8-0 shutout victory in five innings in the finale.

With the wins, the T-Birds have won five in a row to improve to 15-25 on the year and 6-12 in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play.

Game one saw Cloud County jump out to an early 2-0 lead on a two-run home run by freshman Berkleigh Curtis in the bottom of the first inning.

Sophomore pitcher Brecken Whitney sat Hesston down in order in two of the first three innings.

The Larks managed to get a run back in the top of the fourth inning on an RBI double by freshman Macy Bullard.

Cloud County added another run in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman Emalee Johnson singled with one-out. Sophomore Jillian Artiges, pinch running for Johnson, then stole all three bases, scoring on an error by Hesston freshman short stop Julie Jones.

Whitney once again retired the side in the top of the seventh to preserve the win. Whitney threw all seven innings, allowing one run on seven hits with three walks and a season-high six strikeouts.

Johnson led the T-Birds at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one run scored. Curtis added her second home run of the season, scoring freshman Bella Santin in the first inning, while sophomore Shaylee Keslar had the only other hit of the game for Cloud County.

Sophomore starting pitcher Paige Mahler pitched a complete game shutout to lead the T-Birds to an 8-0 victory in five innings in the second game of the doubleheader. Mahler faced only 18 batters, limiting Hesston to two hits and one walk while striking out four batters.

Cloud County's offense totaled 12 hits, including six extra-base hits.

Freshman Maliyah Koster got the scoring started with an RBI single in the first inning.

Sophomore Camille Stauffer opened a six-run fourth inning with a lead-off solo home run. Stauffer, who is the current team leader in homers with six, later added an RBI double in the fourth, scoring Koster. Freshman Hailey Garcia drove in a run on a double of her own in the fourth frame. Santin followed with a double, scoring Garcia and sophomore Harley Smith. Curtis had an RBI ground out in the fourth.

The T-Birds capped the scoring with a walk-off double by Garcia that scored Artiges to bring the score to 8-0.

Six different T-Birds recorded hits in the win, led by Garcia's 3-for-3 performance with two doubles, one run scored and two RBI. Stauffer went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, one run scored and two RBI. Santin finished 2-for-3 with a triple, a double, two runs scored and two RBI. Koster also went 2-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI. Johnson added a base hit, Curtis had an RBI, and Artiges, Keslar and Smith scored one run each.

Cloud County begins the final week of the regular season with a trip to Highland, Kansas on Monday, April 28 to face the Highland Scotties in Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play. First pitch is scheduled for 1 pm from Scottie Park.