MCC Softball scores a pair of walk-off home wins over Southeast CC

The McCook Community College softball team won a pair of games Thursday at home against Southeast Community College, 14-11 and 7-6.

MCC won both games with walk-off hits in the seventh inning. In Game won the team overcome a seven-run deficit in the seventh inning to pull out the 12-11 win. MCC was down 6-3 in the fifth inning of Game 2 and scored two runs in the fifth and two runs in the seventh on a game-winning home run by sophomore Hailee Ruble (Delta, Colo.).

"We couldn't make the adjustments at the plate until the last inning in Game 1," said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. "I need to applaud the girls for coming back down seven runs and winning a ball game. We needed that one with how the season has been going."

It took just six pitches in the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 2 for MCC to end the game, getting a leadoff double from freshman cleanup hitter Andie Suhai (Medicine Hat, Alberta) and a first-pitch home run to centerfield by Ruble.

"I felt pretty good going into the last inning down by one with Andie and Hailee coming up to bat for us," said Mendenhall. "They both have been clutch all year long."

Southeast goes to 5-15 overall and, 1-5 in the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference standings.

MCC improves to 5-18 and goes to 2-0 in the NCCAC.

"Those were two big two wins for us and need to keep the momentum going," said Mendenhall.

MCC's games at North Platte April 4 were postponed until April 18 at 4 and 6 p.m. The team's next home games will be April 10 with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against the Hastings College JVs.

For all the up-to-date information on MCC softball this season including up-to-date scheduling changes, statistics, rosters and photos, please visit the official website of MCC Athletics at mccindians.com

GAME 1 – McCook CC 14, Southeast CC 11: The Storm scored first on a first-inning solo home run and went up 5-0 in the fourth with four more runs. Isabella Robertson (freshman, Las Alamos, N.M.) pitched 3.1 innings, allowed four hits and three earned runs on two walks and a strikeout. She was relieved by Hailee Ruble.

MCC got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run double by Andie Suhai.

Southeast added a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to lead 8-2.

MCC scored twice in the sixth to make it a 8-4 game on a two-run RBI double by Ruble but Southeast added three runs in the seventh to lead 11-4 going into the sixth.

Freshman Ella Covill-Marter (Queensland, Australia) led off the inning with an infield single and sophomore Cassidy Fife (Provo, Utah) followed with a single. After back-to-back walks to score the first run on the inning, a passed ball made it an 11-6 game. Sophomore Madisyn Simms (Maple Ridge, British Columbia) followed with a two-run triple to make it an 11-8 game. She scored on a Suhai single. After a single by Ruble, freshman Graci Nelson (McCook) laid down a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning to put the tying runs on second and third base. Freshman Ava Martinez (Houston, Texas) drove in a run with an RBI-single to left field and Covill-Marter tied the game with an RBI-single. Fife singled to load the bases to set up the game-winning hit to right field by sophomore Emma Pennala (Kennewick, Wash.).

Simms and Fife both had three hit games for MCC, and Suhai drove in three on a pair of hits.

Ruble was the winning pitcher in 3.2 innings of relief. She allowed four earned runs on six hits, three walks and she struck out two.

GAME 2 – McCook CC 7, Southeast CC 6: Southeast broke out on top with a run in the second inning. MCC scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to take a 3-1 lead but Southeast scored five runs in the fifth to lead 6-3.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth MCC scored a single by Madisyn Simms, a Suhai walk, an RBI-single by Ruble and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch with freshman Brylee Dean (Gering) at the plate.

"It was very similar to Game 1 as far as our hitting was going," said Mendenhall. "We could sit back on their pitchers and had a lot of weak fly balls."

Ella Covill-Marter (Queensland, Australia) picked up the win on the mound allowing 11 hits, three walks and striking out nine in seven innings.

"Ella threw great for us," said Mendenhall.

Neither team scored in the sixth setting up the two-batter walk-off sequence by Suhai and Ruble in the seventh inning.

Ruble finished with three hits and three RBIs. Suhai and Simms had two hits each.

NEBRASKA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ATHLETIC CONFERENCE STANDINGS

                         W - L      PCT.

Central CC          4 – 0     1.000

McCook CC         2 – 0     1.000

North Platte        1 – 3      .250

Southeast CC      1 – 5      .167

MCC NCCAC RESULTS

March 30 – G1: MCC 12, Southeast 11. G2: MCC 7, Southeast CC 6 (at McCook)

MCC's REMAINING NCCAC SCHEDULE

April 4 – McCook at North Platte, 2 games

April 13 – Central CC at McCook CC, 2 games

April 19 – McCook CC at Southeast CC, 2 games

April 26 – McCook CC at Central CC, 2 games

April 28 – North Platte at McCook CC, 2 games