MCC Softball sweeps Lamar, wins eighth straight game

The McCook Community Collee softball game won its eighth game in a row Saturday taking a doubleheader from Lamar Community College 10-1 and 11-2. MCC has won 18 of its last 20 games.

"I'm very proud of the kids for continuing to remain focused and play with energy," said MCC Coach Kevin Kaalberg. "To sweep a four game series isn't easy and to only play 20 innings is very impressive. 

Freshman Paige Smith (Perth, Australia) homered in both games and MCC as MCC hit five home runs on the day. Sophomore Taylor Thein (West Branch, Iowa) had five hits Saturday including a home run.

"The pitchers threw well and we had solid defense," Kaalberg said. "Offensively they continue to make the necessary adjustments and hit the ball hard."

MCC improves to 29-15 overall and 15-5 in Region IX.

Lamar goes to 10-34 and 8-18 in Region IX games.

MCC will head to Sterling Colo. Tuesday for a 2 p.m. game against Western Nebraska Community College and a 4 p.m. game with Northeastern Junior College. These are makeup games from the Region IX showcase in McCook that were postponed March 3.

On Wednesday MCC is at Beatrice for a pair of Nebraska Community College Conference games with Southeast Community College. Those games are set to start at 1 p.m.

MCC is back in the region next weekend for a four-game series at Trinidad State Saturday and Sunday.  

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 10, Lamar CC 1: MCC took the lead with three straight singles to start the bottom of the first from Nevaeh Ogden (freshman, Littleton, Colo.), Taylor Thein, and Alexis Cortez (sophomore, Aurora, Colo.).

Lamar tied the game in the second off Avery O'Neil (sophomore, Ellsworth, Wis.). She pitched two innings allowed one unearned run on two walks and four strikeouts.

MCC took the lead for good in the fourth inning. Ashland Baca (sophomore, Byers, Colo.) and Madisyn Simms (freshman, Port Moody, British Columbia) smacked back-to-back doubles to give MCC a 2-1. Paige Smith hit a two-run homer to right field and one out later sophomore Rae VanMilligan (Marion, Iowa) made it 5-1 with a two-run home run.

Anna Wilcox (sophomore, Victoria, British Columbia) pitched three scoreless innings of relief, allowing no hits, two walks and she fanned four hitters.

Thein led off the fifth with a solo home run. Cortez followed with a double, then with two outs MCC put he game away with three walks and a three-run triple from VanMilligan.

MCC outhit Lamar 12-2 with two hit games from Cortez, Simms, Ogden, Thein, and VanMilligan.

GAME 2 – McCook CC 11, Lamar CC 2: Taylor Thein tripled in the MCC first and came on a grounder followed by a solo home run from Ashland Baca.

Avery O'Neil tossed two shutout innings for MCC allowing two hits while striking out four.

A bases-loaded Lamar error in the bottom of the second allowed two McCook runners to score. Thein's RBI single put MCC up 5-0 and a two-run single by Madisyn Simms put the home team up 7-0

The Lopes got a run in the third inning off Paige Smith, in relief of O'Neil. Smith allowed two hits and struck out four in her two innings of work.

MCC got a run back in the third on an RBI-single by Thein and put the game away with three runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Tyler Mooring and a two-run homer by Smith.

Mooring pitched the fifth for MCC, allowing one run on two hits. She fanned one.

MCC had 10 hits in the game with Three from Thein and two each by Smith and Sydney Erlandson.