Lady Indians take two games at Northeastern JC

STERLING, Colo. – The McCook Community College softball team knocked Northeastern Junior College out of second place in the Region IX standings Wednesday taking a pair of games 2-1 and 10-1.

"Hats off to our pitchers by only allowing three total hits on the day," said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall.

Sophomore Ella Covill-Marter (Queensland, Australia) took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Game 1 before surrendering a solo home run, but struck out 11 hitters in the complete-game win.

"Ella threw a great game. It was a pitchers' duel for sure," said Mendenhall. "NJCs pitcher kept us off balance the entire game, but we found a way to scrap a win."

In Game 2, freshman Sadie Kahl (Calgary, Alberta) allowed two hits and no earned runs as MCC broke the game open scoring eight runs in the seventh inning.

"Sadie did a wonderful job in Game 2 and didn't fold when we made mistakes in the field," said Mendenhall. "Our approaches at the plate were better in Game 2, but we need to score early."

MCC splits the season series against NJC 2-2. The road team won all four games.

NJC falls to 8-4 in Region IX behind Trinidad State and Otero to third place. MCC improves to 7-5 in the region, good for fourth place, and is 25-7 overall.

This weekend MCC hosts fifth place Lamar (5-11, 12-16) in a four-game series with doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday. First pitch on Saturday at the Jaycees Sports Complex is noon with Sunday's games starting at 11 a.m.

All the latest information MCC softball including up-to-date schedule and changes as well as statistics, rosters and photos can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com

GAME 1 – McCook CC 2, Northeastern JC 1: The Lady Indians scored with a leadoff walk by freshman Laila Gutierrez (Seminole, Texas) followed by a bunt single from freshman Angela Banzet (Surrey, British Columbia). A Plainswoman error led to MCC's first run and a sacrifice fly by Sadie Kahl put MCC up 2-0.

In the bottom of the inning, Ella Covill-Marter walked a pair of NJC hitters but didn't allow a run. She got the side out in order in the second and third innings with one strikeout in the second and three in the third.

MCC put their first two runners on base with singles in the fourth inning, but a batter interference ruling and two straight foul popouts stopped the offense.

Covill-Marter walked a hitter in the fourth but struck out two. She recorded a one-two-three fifth inning with two strikeouts and struck out one in the sixth with a walk.

NJC got a one-out solo home run by Blayke Duncan in the seventh for the only hit of the game for the Plainswomen. Covill-Marter retired the final two hitters to pick up the complete-game win. She walked four and struck out 11.

Offensively MCC was held to five singles with two by Banzett.

GAME 2 – McCook CC 10, Northeastern JC 1: After two quick outs to start the game, Northeastern committed an error and MCC capitalized getting back-to-back singles by freshman Lexi Knapp (Berthoud, Colo.) and Sadie Kahl.

An MCC error in the bottom of the fourth helped NJC tie the game 1-1 with a sacrifice fly.

Freshman Anna Elliott (Calgary, Alberta) singled to lead off the MCC sixth, went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Brylee Dean (sophomore, Gering) and scored on a single from Ayana Goodwin (freshman, Broomfield, Colo.) to give MCC a 2-1 lead.

The Lady Indians broke the game open in the seventh scoring eight runs highlighted by a two-run single by Elliott, Haylee Anguiano (freshman, Abilene, Kan.) and a two-out grand slam by Lexi Knapp.

"We had multiple opportunities, but couldn't push any runs across until the seventh, when we had the huge inning," said Mendenhall.

Kahl picked up the win in the circle, allowing two hits, no earned runs, no walks and four strikeouts.

MCC had 13 hits with three-hit games from Goodwin and Elliott, and two-hit games from Knapp and Kahl.

REGION IX-D1 SOFTBALL STANDINGS
                      W-L   PCT.      OVERALL
Trinidad State 10-2   .833       24-11
Otero JC         11-5   .688       16-19
Northeastern    8-4    .667      18-15
McCook            7-5    .583      25-7
Lamar CC       5-11    .313      12-16
Luna CC         4-12    .250      17-24
Western Neb.   3-9    .250        7-19

UPCOMING GAMES
Thursday
     Otero at Trinidad State, noon, 2 p.m. (MT)
Friday
     Western Nebraska at Northeastern JC, 1, 3 p.m. (MT)
Saturday
     Lamar at McCook, noon, 2 p.m. (CT)
     Trinidad at Otero, noon, 2 p.m. (MT)
Sunday
     Lamar at McCook, 11 a.m., 1 p.m. (CT)
     Northeastern JC at Western Nebraska, 1, 3 p.m. (MT)