Lady Indians lose twice to close out regular season

COLUMBUS -- The McCook Community College softball team closed out the regular season Wednesday on the road and lost two games to Central Community College. The Raiders won 4-0 and 6-3.

Central kept MCC bats cold with just two baserunners in a 4-0 shutout.

Freshman Laila Gutierrez (Seminole, Texas) was the only MCC player to reach base in Game 1 and had both hits.

"Laila reached third base on her first at bat of the game but that's as far as we could get," said Assistant Coach Rachel Conroy. "No one else saw the bases and you can't win if you don't get on base. It was a tough loss."

Sophomore Ella Covill-Marter pitched both games and struck out 21 hitters on the day to put her at the 200-mark for the season, but offensively MCC struggled in Game 2.

"We made a few adjustments and had runners in scoring position," said Conroy. "But we waited too late in the game and couldn't push enough runs across."

CCC goes to 20-13 and 4-4 in the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference.

MCC falls to 33-19 and finishes at 2-6 in the NCCAC.

The doubleheader scheduled for Sunday in Colby was cancelled.

The next action for Lady Indians will be as one of four Region IX teams that qualified for the post-season tournament, gaining the No. 3 seed. MCC will travel to La Junta, Colo. to take on second seed Otero Junior College in a three-game series starting May 4.

"We're missing a few key hitters from the lineup due to injury so that played a big factor," said Conroy. "Once we get Sadie Kahl and Lexi Knapp healed up, we're confident that our bats will wake up and we'll compete next weekend at La Junta."

The winner of the MCC/Otero series will play for the Region IX championship May 11 against the winner of the series between top-seeded Trinidad State and fourth seeded Northeastern Junior College.

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 – Central CC 4, McCook CC 0: Freshman Laila Gutierrez (Seminole, Texas) led off the game with a double – the first of just two hits MCC had in the game. She singled in the third for the team's other hit.

Central got a two-run home run in the bottom of the first and doubled the score on a double followed by back-to-back MCC errors to go up 4-0.

Ella Covill-Marter went the distance in the circle, allowing four hits, one walk, two earned runs while striking out 12.

GAME 2 – Central CC 6, McCook CC 3: Central jumped on top with a pair of two-out runs in the first to lead 2-0 and extended the lead to 3-0 with a solo homer in the third inning.

The Lady Indians crossed home plate for the first time on the day in the fifth inning. Freshman Anna Elliott (Calgary, Alberta) singled to start the inning and sophomore Brylee Dean (Gering) followed with a single. Ella Covill-Marter sacrificed both runners up a base and freshman Kendree Kern (LaSalle, Colo.) drove home Elliott on a sacrifice fly.

After the Raiders added another two-out run in the fifth to lead 4-1, MCC got a leadoff double by Laila Gutierrez who scored on a CCC error to pull within 4-2.

Central added two more runs in the sixth to take a 6-2 lead.

Dean powered a home run to lead off the MCC seventh. It was her fifth home run of the year.

MCC had six hits in the game with two by Dean.

Covill-Marter allowed nine hits and five earned runs while striking out 11 hitters.