Lady Indians take Luna series with Wednesday split

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The McCook Community College softball team took a 3-1 series win over Luna Community College, splitting their Wednesday doubleheader. LCC won the opener 9-3 and MCC scored a 23-15 win in Game 2.

Luna's Angelica Ortiz, the nation's top-ranked slugger, powered two home runs as Luna took the first game 9-3.

"We just got beat in the first game," said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. "Our approaches as the plate weren't great and we left too many runners on."

MCC broke open a 10-10 game in the seventh inning of Game 2 by scoring 13 runs. Freshman Lexi Knapp (Berthoud, Colo.) hit two home runs in the inning and drove in five runs as well as picking up the win in the pitching circle.

"We came out swinging in Game 2, then didn't really get anything going until the sixth and seventh," said Mendenhall. "We never gave up."

MCC emerged as the winner in the slugfest with 27 hits, including four homers, a triple and five doubles. Luna had 16 hits including seven home runs in the series finale.

Luna's Ortiz hit two more home runs in Game 2 to give her 33 homers in 34 games and gives her a 17-homer lead over the nation's second place hitter.

MCC was out-homered in the four-game series 14-7 but won three of four games winning both games Tuesday, 10-9 in 10 innings and 11-4.

"Luna is easily the best-hitting team we have faced," said Mendenhall.

Luna goes to 15-18 and 2-6 in Region IX play.

MCC is now 21-5 and 3-3 in the region.

The Lady Indians travel to Columbus Friday to start Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference schedule against Central Community College with two games starting at 1 p.m. On Sunday the NCCAC schedule continues as MCC goes to Beatrice for two games against Southeast Community College.

The next scheduled home games for MCC are March 28 and 29, a Region IX series against Otero Junior College. Doubleheaders start Thursday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 11 a.m.

All the latest information MCC softball including up-to-date schedule and changes as well as statistics, rosters and photos can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com

GAME 1 – Luna CC 9, McCook CC 3: Angelica Ortiz powered a two-run home run to right field in the first inning and Luna added three more in the second and two more in the third to take a 7-0 lead.

MCC got on the scoreboard with a two-out, two-run home run by Andie Suhai (Medicine Hat, Alberta). It was her 10th homer of the season.

Ortiz hit her second homer of the game to lead off the fifth inning and Luna added another run in the sixth.

The Lady Indians scored a final run in the seventh on a leadoff single by freshman Angela Banzet (Surrey, British Columbia) and a two-out RBI single from Knapp.

Freshman Sadie Kahl (Calgary, Alberta) pitched five innings for MCC and struck out two, but Luna had 11 hits, including four round-trippers.

"Sadie gave us her best, but Luna just played better," said Mendenhall.

Knapp pitched the final inning in relief allowing one hit and striking out one.

MCC had 10 hits in the game with two each from Laila Gutierrez (freshman, Seminole, Texas), Rocio Mascorro (freshman, Brownsville, Texas) and sophomore Brylee Dean (Gering).

GAME 2 – McCook CC 23, Luna CC 15: It was MCC that used the home-run stroke to take a 4-0 lead in the first inning when Laila Gutierrez opened the game with a solo home run to left field. With one out, Andie Suhai doubled, Lexi Knapp singled and Sadie Kahl put MCC up 4-0 with a three-run home run to right field.

Angelica Ortiz hit her 32nd home run of the year in the Luna third – a two-run shot to right – to cut the MCC lead to 4-2.

The Lady Indians responded in the fourth to get one run back. Ella Covill-Marter singled to lead off the inning and was bunted to second by Haylee Anguiano (freshman, Abilene, Kan.). With two outs Gutierrez drove home Covill-Marter to put MCC ahead 5-2. MCC drew a walk and a hit batter to load the bases but were unable to push and more runs across the plate in the inning.

Luna tied the game 5-5 in the fifth inning with a leadoff home run and a two-run homer by Ortiz then took the lead with another solo shot two batters later. Covill-Marter went 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits and six earned runs, two walks and seven strikeouts.

"Ella threw a great game after throwing 10 innings Tuesday," said Mendenhall.

Two of Luna's three errors in the game created opportunities in the MCC sixth as MCC wrestled back the lead on an RBI-singles by Knapp and Kahl, an RBI-groundout with Brylee Dean batting and a two-out, two-run double by Anguiao to give MCC a 10-6 lead.

Knapp gave up a solo home run to lead off the sixth and Luna tied the game with a three-run round-tripper.

Tied 10-10 in the seventh MCC sent 18 hitters to the plate and the first nine all recorded base hits, highlighted by Suhai's two-run single to start the scoring, Knapp's three-run home run to put MCC up 15-10, Suhai's two-run triple to give MCC a 21-10 lead and Knapp's two-run home run to cap the scoring.

Luna scored five times in the bottom of the inning including a two-run homer, but Knapp managed to extinguish the Roughrider offense and pick up the win in relief. She pitched the final 2.2 innings, allowed eight hits and nine runs, walked four and struck out two.

MCC outhit Luna 27-16. Knapp went four-for-five with four runs scored and six RBIs on her fifth and sixth home runs of the year. Dean and Kahl both went four-for-six as Kahl drove in four and Dean one. Suhai drove in four on three hits. Gutierrez, Angela Banzet (freshman, Surrey, British Columbia) and Anguiano all had three-hit games.