MCC Softball drops series finale against Runnin’ Lopes, 14-5

LAMAR – After scoring outscoring Lamar Community College 86-14 in sweeping the first four games of the series, McCook Community College dropped the series finale Monday to the Running Lopes 14-5.

"Yeah, it doesn't really make sense what happened. Too many mistakes," said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. "These five-game series are a grind, but when you win like we did yesterday (21-2 and 30-0), we need to stay locked in."

The win was the first for Lamar against any Region IX opponent and the Running Lopes go to 1-22 in the region and 3-28 overall. MCC committed five errors in the game leading to six unearned runs.

"This is the second time this has happened, in the last game of a five-game road series" said Mendenhall. "We couldn't make the routine plays today. Just a bad day."

Lamar was the visiting team in the scorebook since this was a makeup game from earlier in the season when the Region IX round-robin was postponed in March. The Lopes came out in the first inning and the first seven batters reached base, on a walk, two singles, a double a triple and a home run off starting pitcher Isabella Robertson (Las Alamos, N.M.) who left without retiring a hitter.

MCC scored three times in the bottom of the inning on a pair of leadoff walks, an RBI-single by sophomore Hailee Ruble (Delta, Colo.), a sacrifice fly by sophomore Emma Pennala (Kennewick, Wash.) and an RBI-single from sophomore Cassidy Fife (Provo, Utah).

Lamar scored a run in the second and took a 13-3 lead with five runs in the third.

MCC got four-straight hits to start the bottom of the inning with a leadoff double by freshman Andie Suhai (Medicine Hat, Alberta), a Ruble single, and RBI-singles from Pennala and Fife. That was the end of the scoring on the day.

Ruble pitched five innings in relief, allowing one earned run on six hits, two walks and three strikeouts.

MCC had seven hits with two each from Pennala, Fife and Ruble.

MCC goes to 11-8 in Region IX and 17-20 overall.

On Tuesday MCC travels to North Platte for two games starting at 4 p.m. followed by a Wednesday trip to Beatrice for a pair of games with Southeast Community College starting at 2 p.m. This weekend the team will host Trinidad State in a five-game series with doubleheaders Friday and Saturday starting at noon and 11 a.m. Sunday.

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