MCC Softball sweeps Central CC to open conference play

COLUMBUS - The McCook Community College softball team opened conference play Tuesday with a pair of wins over Central Community College. MCC won 6-2 in the opener and won the second game 13-8 in eight innings.

 "It was nice coming away with two wins so I'm proud of the kids," said MCC Coach Kevin Kaalberg. "We struggled some with the slower pitching and while we had 31 hits today we left players on base and had dry spells."

Tied 7-7 in Game 2, MCC took the lead in extra innings on a pair of three run homers by freshmen Madisyn Simms (freshman, Port Moody, British Columbia) and Nevaeh Ogden (freshman, Littleton, Colo.).

"They stayed the course and eventually strung hits together," Kaalberg said. "We had a good day defensively and Avery O'Neil and Anna Wilcox got us through pitching."

MCC improves to 17-13 overall and 2-0 in the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference.

Central goes to 11-13 and 4-2 in the NCCAC.

On Friday MCC returns home for doubleheaders against NCCAC foes Southeast Community College Friday at 1 p.m. and against North Platte Saturday at 1 p.m. Those are the Purple-Out games for epilepsy awareness.

The Storm enter the weekend 6-14, and 1-3 in NCCAC North Platte is 1-17, and 1-3.

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 – McCook CC 6, Central CC 4: MCC reached the scoreboard twice in the third inning. Rae VanMilligan (sophomore, Marion, Iowa) lined a one-out double and Taylor Thein (sophomore, West Branch, Iowa) followed with a single. After an infield single by Nevaeh Ogden (freshman, Littleton, Colo.) to load the bases, sophomore Ashland Baca (sophomore, Byers, Colo.) singled in the first two runs of the game.

Central tied the game in the bottom of the inning off Anna Wilcox (sophomore, Victoria, British Columbia), who pitched four innings allowed the two earned runs and two hits, walked two and struck out six.

MCC broke up the 2-2 game with three runs in the sixth inning. Sydney Erlandson (freshman, Woodbury, Minn.) singled to lead off the frame and after a groundout and an error, Thein doubled in two runners for a 4-2 lead. Sophomore Alexis Cortez (sophomore, Arvada, Colo.) drove in an insurance run with an RBI-groundout.

In the seventh, a CCC error and back-to-back two-out singles from freshman Alyssa Winter (Lexington) and VanMilligan put MCC up 6-2.

Avery O'Neil (sophomore, Ellsworth, Wis.) pitched the final three innings, allowing two runs in the seventh to preserve the win. She allowed four hits, walked one and struck out five.

MCC had 12 hits in the game with two each from Ogden, Erlandson, Winter, VanMilligan, and Thein.

GAME 2 – McCook CC 13, Central CC 8: The Raiders scored two times with two outs to take a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning off MCC starting pitcher Paige Smith (freshman Perth, Australia).

MCC responded with a three-run second inning. Madisyn Simms (freshman, Port Moody, British Columbia) and Sydney Erlandson led off the inning with singles. Rae VanMilligan singled home Simms and Taylor Thein doubled in Erlandson and VanMilligan to tie the game 3-3. With two outs, MCC got consecutive singles by Alexis Cortez, Ashland Baca, Smith and Simms, followed by a bases-loaded walk and an RBI from Alyssa Winter to put MC up 7-3.

Smith pitched a scoreless second and left having pitched two innings, allowing three hits, three earned runs, two walks and three strikeouts. Anna Wilcox came on in relief and went 2.2 innings before Central tied the score 7-7 with a run in the fourth and three in the fifth. Avery O'Neil relieved with two outs in the fifth inning and kept CCC off the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh.

MCC led off the eighth with singles from Baca and Smith and took a 10-7 lead on a three-run home run by Simms and with two outs got a three-run home run Nevaeh Ogden (freshman, Littleton, Colo.).

Simms had four hits and three RBIs in the game. Cortez, Baca and Erlandson both recorded three-hit games for MCC.

O'Neil picked up the win in 3.1 innings of relief, allowing one earned run, one hit, two walks and she struck out five.