MCC Softball sweeps Sunday games with Western Nebraska

SCOTTSBLUFF – The McCook Community College softball team won a pair of games against Western Nebraska Sunday taking the first game 11-2 and holding off the Cougars late in Game 2 to win 6-5.

Freshman Ella Covill-Marter (Queensland, Australia) picked up the win in the pitching circle in Game 1 and picked up a one-out save in Game 2 for starting pitcher Isabella Robertson (Las Alamos, N.M.).

"These were two good wins for us today," said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. "Ella threw great the first game and came in and got the save in the second game. Bell threw great today as well. She competed in the zone and didn't let the small things affect her."

Madisyn Simms (sophomore, Maple Ridge, British Columbia) led the MCC offense with five hits on the day but the MCC defense committed four errors leading to three unearned runs in Game 2.

"We need to be more locked in defensively," said Mendenhall. "The second game shouldn't have been that close."

Western Nebraska falls to 10-33 and 10-19 in Region IX play.

MCC goes to 27-27 overall and 16-12 in Region IX play. The two teams play a single game Monday.

"We are .500 now which says a lot about these girls and how the year started," said Mendenhall of his team that started the season 0-8 and won just one of its first 14 games.

Northeastern Junior College, which won the Region IX regular-season championship, will host the post-season tournament starting Thursday. Bracket information and pairings will be announced after the games Monday.

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 11, Western Nebraska 2: Freshman Graci Nelson (McCook) led off the third with a walk and scored on a triple by sophomore Nevaeh Ogden (Littleton Colo.). Madisyn Simms singled home Ogden, who stole second and made it 3-0 scoring on a Cougar error.

MCC got consecutive singles from Ogden, Simms and freshman Andi Suhai (Medicine Hat, Alberta) to lead off the fifth with Ogden and Simms scoring. Sophomore Emma Pennala (Kennewick, Wash.) had an RBI-groundout to put MCC up 6-0 and sophomore Cassidy Fife hit a sacrifice fly to push the MCC lead to 7-0.

Ella Covill-Marter singled to lead off the sixth and scored on a Nelson single to make it 8-0. After Western scored a run in the sixth, MCC scored three times in the seventh with a leadoff double by Suhai, a single by Sophomore Hailee Ruble (Delta, Colo.), a Pennala RBI-single, a Fife RBI-groundout and an RBI-groundout by freshman Kalyn Jackson (Highlands Ranch, Colo.).

Covill-Marter picked up the complete-game win allowing eight hits over seven innings, two earned runs, two walks and eight strikeouts, this puts her over the 200-strikeout mark for the season. She is among the top 10 in the nation in strikeouts.

MCC had 12 hits in the game with two each by Odgen, Simms, Suhai and Ruble.

GAME 2 –McCook CC 6, Western Nebraska 5: MCC scored a run in each of the first three innings to take a 3-1 lead. In the first Emma Pennala singled in Nevaeh Ogden, in the second inning Ogden singled in Graci Nelson, who had doubled, and in the third Madisyn Simms doubled and came home on an RBI-groundout by Pennala.

Western Nebraska took a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning, but MCC responded with a run in the fifth to tie the game on a Simms single and a Pennala double. Simms drove home the go-ahead run in the sixth scoring Nelson, who had reached on an error.

Cassidy Fife hit a one-out double in the seventh, and a Cougar error put runners at first and third. Pinch-runner Ella Covill-Marter stole second base. Fife scored and Covill-Marter advanced to second on an RBI-groundout by Kalyn Jackson to put MCC up 6-4.

Starting pitcher Isabella Robertson went into the seventh inning and after allowing a run she left the game with two outs and runners at first and second base. She allowed two earned runs in 6.2 innings, seven hits, four walks and she struck out three. Covill-Marter came on to pick up the save.

MCC had 13 hits with three by Simms and two each by Ogden, Suhai, Pennala and Nelson. Pennala drove in three runs.