MCC Softball loses pair of games to Illinois teams

WEST BURLINGTON, Iowa – The McCook Community College softball team dropped a pair of games to open the weekend at the 11-team Southeastern Community College tournament at the indoor fields at Fun City Turf. MCC dropped the opener to Olney Central College 13-1 and dropped the second game to Spoon River 7-5. Both schools are located in Illinois.

Olney Central goes to 2-2 on the season. Spoon River goes to 3-4.

MCC falls to 2-6 as the tournament continues with a pair of games both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday MCC faces Ellsworth Community College at 1 p.m. followed by a 3 p.m. game with Iowa Wesleyan JV team. On Sunday MCC plays Augustana JV at 11 a.m. and a 1 p.m. against Black Hawk College-Moline.

OLNEY CENTRAL 13, McCOOK CC 1 – The Blue Knights scored five runs in the second inning and added seven in the sixth inning and held the MCC offense to four hits in the game.

Tyler Mooring (freshman, Santa Clara, Utah) started the game and went 2.2 innings surrendering five earned runs, walking one and striking out three. Anna Wilcox (sophomore, Victoria, British Columbia) pitched the final 3.1 innings, allowing seven earned runs, three walks and she fanned one.

MCC scored its only run of the game in the fifth inning. Nevaeh Ogden (freshman, Littleton, Colo.) reached on a bunt single and later came home on a two-out double off the bat of sophomore Alexis Cortez (Arvada, Colo.). It was the only extra-base hit of the game for MCC.

Ogden had two hits for MCC with the others from Cortez and freshman Sydney Erlandson (Woodbury, Minn.).

SPOON RIVER 7, McCOOK CC 5: The Snappers utilized a three-run sixth inning to take control of the see-saw game.

MCC took a 1-0 lead in the first on a leadoff double by Alexis Cortez. She went to second on Nevaeh Ogden single, and scored on a steal of home.

After Spoon River tied the game in the second, MCC reclaimed the lead in the fourth inning. Sophomore Rae VanMilligan (Marion, Iowa) led off the frame with a single and freshman Tyler Mooring (Santa Clara, Utah) followed with a double. After two outs, Madisyn Simms (freshman, Port Moody, British Columbia) doubled both runners to put MCC up 3-1.

The Snappers responded with three runs in the fourth to lead 4-3.

Mooring singled to lead off the MCC sixth inning and with two outs tied the game 4-4 on a Simms single.

Spoon River responded again, this time with a three-run sixth to lead 7-4.

MCC loaded the bases in the seventh with one out, then scored a run on an infield groundout but left the potential tying runs on second and third base.

Avery O'Neil (sophomore, Ellsworth, Wis.) went the distance in the circle allowing seven hits and three earned runs in six innings pitched. She walked two and struck out 10.

MCC had 11 hits in the game with three from Cortez, and two each from VanMilligan, Mooring, and Simms, who led MCC with three runs driven in.