MCC softball team completes sweep of Cougars

SCOTTSBLUFF –The McCook Community College softball team swept the four game series at Western Nebraska taking both ends of a Sunday doubleheader 10-2, 13-7.

“This was a very good weekend for the team,” said MCC Coach Kevin Kaalberg. “We hit the ball consistently and very hard all weekend.”

MCC out-hit Western 14-5 in Game 1 including home runs by freshman Alexis Cortez (Aurora, Colo.), Ashland Baca (Byers, Colo.) and sophomore Taryn Jenkins (Aldergrove, British Columbia) and a complete game in the pitching circle by sophomore Anna Wilcox (Victoria, British Columbia).

Sophomore Emily Arp (McCook) led MCC on the day with three hits in each game.

The Lady Indians broke up a 7-7 tie in the seventh inning Game 2 with a bases-loaded walk and a grand slam by freshman Taylor Thein (West Branch, Iowa) to secure the four-game sweep.

“Overall our defense was good this weekend especially today,” Kaalberg said. “We only had probably one inning all weekend where we lost some focus on defense.”

Western Nebraska falls to 4-19 and 8-23 overall.

MCC improves to 35-9 overall and 17-5 in the Region IX standings, bringing up a critical four-game series this weekend against Northeastern Junior College. NJC split a weekend series with Trinidad State. The Trojans wrap up the Region IX standings with a 20-6 mark. MCC and NJC are both tied with 17-5 conference records.

Their four-game series at the Jaycees Sports Complex starts Friday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. and continues Saturday at the same time.

“This group plays hard for each other and really supports each other,” Kaalberg said. “I’m very proud of them for their team-first approach.”

GAME 1 – McCook CC 10, Western Nebraska 2: Alex Cortez and sophomore Camryn Laird (Pueblo, Colo.) led off the game with a pair of singles and Taryn Jenkins hit a three-run home run (her team-leading 19th of the season) to put MCC up 3-0. Cortez hit a home run in the second inning to make it a 4-0 game.

After The Cougars scored two in the second The Lady Indians doubled their run total in the third inning with four runs. Ashland Baca, Emily Arp (sophomore, McCook) and Taylor Thein all had hits in the inning.

Baca closed out the scoring with a two-run home run in the fifth, she moved into a tie for the team lead with her 19th home run of the year.

Anna Wilcox picked up the win in the pitching circle allowing five hits, and two earned runs. She walked one and struck out three.

Arp led the 14-hit MCC attack with three hits. Cortez, Laird, Jenkins and Baca all had two hits.

GAME 2 – McCook CC 13, Western Nebraska CC 7: The Lady Indians took the lead on a single by Taylor Thein who swiped second and third base and came home on a sacrifice fly from sophomore Alice Midiri (Condove, Italy).

After Western took a 3-1 lead in the second MCC came back with four of five “unconventional runs in the third inning scoring on a bases-loaded walk, two runs on a fielder’s choice, and one on a doubleplay ball. MCC got hits in the inning from Thein, Midiri, Emily Arp, and the only RBI-hit in the inning – a single by freshman Rae VanMilligan (Marion, Iowa) putting the Tribe in front 6-3.

The Cougars tied the game 6-6 with a two-out homer in the fifth.

Taryn Jenkins took her second bases-loaded walk of the game in the sixth inning to put MCC back in the lead 7-6 but Western knotted the game in the bottom of the frame.

Arp led off the seventh with a single, followed by a walk from Sidney Sansregret (sophomore, Surrey, British Columbia) and a VanMilligan bunt single to load the bases for who Cortez, walked to make it an 8-7 game. One out later, Thein homered to left field on 2-2 pitch to put the Lady Indians up 12-7. After singles by Midiri and Jenkins, Arp’s RBI-groundout drove in the final MCC run.

Freshman Avery O'Neil (Ellsworth, Wis.) pitched the first five innings, allowing six hits, four walks and she struck out three. Anna Wilcox pitched the final two innings of scoreless relief surrendering two hits, no walks and she struck out three.