MCC Softball opens five-game set at Otero with Thursday doubleheader split

LA JUNTA, Colo. –  The McCook Community College softball team split a pair of games with Otero Junior College Thursday. The Rattlers rode a four-run fourth inning in Game 1 to a 6-4 win and MCC banged out 20 hits in Game 2 on the way to a 16-10 win.

"Ella (Covill-Marter) threw well in the first game and we hit the ball hard but right to people. We couldn't find consistency at the plate," said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. "We really hit the ball well from one through nine in our order in Game 2."

Otero goes to 11-16 and 10-5 I  Region IX.

MCC is 6-19 on the season, 3-8 in Region IX.

The two teams will resume their five-game series with two more games Friday starting at 1 p.m.

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 – Otero JC 6, McCook CC 4: MCC scored twice in the first. Nevaeh Ogden (Littleton Colo.) led off the first with a single. Emma Pennala (Kennewick, Wash.) lashed a two-out single and Ella Covill-Marter (Queensland, Australia) delivered a two-run single.

MCC took a 3-1 lead in the fourth as freshman Brylee Dean (Gering) led off with a single and came home on an RBI-groundout from Andie Suhai (Medicine Hat, Alberta). Otero scored four runs in the fourth on a walk, a triple, a single and a two-run home run to lead 5-3 off starting pitcher Covill-Marter. She went six innings gave up nine hits and five earned runs on one walk and eight strikeouts.

Sophomore Cassidy Fife (Provo, Utah) made it a 5-4 game with a solo home run in the sixth.

MCC had 11 hits in the game with three by Pennala and two each by Dean, Ogden and Simms.

GAME 2 –McCook CC 16, Otero JC 10: MCC scored five first-inning runs and never trailed. Sophomore Hailee Ruble (Delta, Colo.) started the scoring with a two-run double. Emma Pennala doubled in Ruble and with two outs Ella Covill-Marter doubled in two runs to put MCC up 5-0.

A two-out double by Ruble keyed a three-run rally in the second. Cassidy Fife doubled in two runs to make it an 8-2 game. An RBI-single by sophomore Madisyn Simms (Maple Ridge, British Columbia) in the third added another run and Ruble's sacrifice fly put MCC ahead 10-4. Ava Martinez (freshman, Houston, Texas) doubled in a run in the fifth and a bases-loaded walk put MCC up 12-5

Freshman Isabella Robertson (Las Alamos, N.M.) pitched the first two innings for MCC allowing five hits and four earned runs. Ruble came on to pitch four innings, and allowed five earned runs on eight hits, one walk and four strikeouts.

Leading 12-10, Ruble led off the MCC seventh with a solo home run. Pennala doubled, Covil-Marter drove home Pennala on a single to make it a 14-10 game and Simms delivered a two-out, two run single for MCC's final runs.

Covil-Marter pitched a scoreless seventh to preserve the MCC win. She allowed one hit and struck out one.

Pennala, Simms and Covil-Marter all had four-hit games for MCC. Ruble had three hits and led MCC with four RBIs.