MCC Softball fall twice to No. 1 ranked Phoenix College

PHOENIX – The McCook Community College softball team lost twice Thursday to No. 1 ranked Phoenix College 9-1 and 8-3.

 After winning the first two games of the spring-break trip, MCC finishes the week 2-4.

"This was a great experience for the team," said MCC Coach Kevin Kaalberg. "Wednesday was a rough day, anything that could go wrong did.

On Thursday, MCC was held to two hits in the opener as the defending national Division II champs scored seven runs in the fourth inning to pick up a win in five innings. The Bears chipped away scoring runs in four of the first five innings in Game 2 to stretch the team's winning streak to 10 games.

"Today against the top ranked team in the country we competed hard the whole time and played well," Kaalberg said. "This level of competition can only make you better."

Phoenix, 23-3, is tied with Des Moines Area CC for the top rank in the National Junior College Athletic Association, improves to 23-3 on the season.  

MCC goes to 11-11 on the season and will return to action Thursday, March 24 at Sterling, Colo. where the first two of four makeup games with Northeastern Junior College takes place. MCC takes on NJC at noon (CT). The team continues its 14-game road streak March 26-27 at Luna Community College in Las Vegas, N.M.

MCC's next home games are set for Friday, April 1 against Southeast Community College and Saturday April 2 against North Platte for the annual Purple Out games for epilepsy awareness.

For all the up-to-date information on MCC softball this season including, schedules, statistics, rosters and photos, please visit the official website of MCC Athletics at: https://mccookcc.prestosports.com/landing/index

GAME 1 – Phoenix College 9, McCook CC 1: After Phoenix took a 1-0 lead in the first, MCC tied the game in the second on their only two hits of the game. Ashland Baca (sophomore, Byers, Colo.) led off the second with a single, advance to second on a groundout and scored on a double by Rae VanMilligan (sophomore, Marion, Iowa).

The Bears took a 2-1 lead in the third with an unearned run, then scored seven times in the fourth inning on a pair of home runs, aided by two MCC errors. MCC committed five errors in the game leading to five unearned runs.

Avery O'Neil (sophomore, Ellsworth, Wis.) pitched the first three innings for MCC allowing six hits and four earned runs. She walked one and struck out three. Paige Smith (freshman Perth, Australia) pitched one inning, allowing one earned run two hits and she struck out one.

GAME 2 – Phoenix College 8, McCook CC 3: The Bears scored a run in the first, added two more in the third and one in the fourth off MCC starter Anna Wilcox (sophomore, Victoria, British Columbia). She allowed four hits, three earned runs, two walks and two strikeouts in her four innings of work.

MCC got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. Alexis Cortez (sophomore, Arvada, Colo.) singled to lead off the frame and later scored on a two-out single off the bat of Sydney Erlandson (freshman, Woodbury, Minn.).

Phoenix greeted MCC reliever Paige Smith with a four-run fifth inning to take an 8-1 lead.

MCC got two runs back in the sixth. Madisyn Simms (freshman, Port Moody, British Columbia) led the inning off with a single and came home on a two-run home run by Taylor Thein (sophomore, West Branch, Iowa).

Smith pitched two innings and gave up three earned runs on three hits and two walks.

MCC outhit Phoenix 8-7. Cortez and Thein both had two-hit games.

MCC committed two errors in the game.