MCC Softball splits Friday doubleheader with Cougars

With first-place in the standings on the line Friday the McCook Community College softball team split a pair of games with Western Nebraska. The Cougars took the first game 5-3 and MCC came back and won the second game 8-5 to remain in first place.

"I'm proud of the kids for coming back to get the split," said MCC Coach Kevin Kaalberg. "We played hard, we just couldn't seem to catch a break in first game."

MCC got home runs from sophomores Alexis Cortez (Aurora, Colo.) and Ashland Baca (Byers, Colo.) in both games as the team remains in first place in the standings with a record of 19-9 against Region IX opponents. MCC can claim the Region IX title by winning its final two games.

Western Nebraska is tied for second place at 17-11 along with Trinidad State 16-10 and Otero Junior College 18-12. NJC is in fifth place three games back of MCC.

The top finishing team in the standings will host the Region IX tournament starting May 5.

Trinidad State hosts NJC in a four-game series Saturday and Sunday and needs at least three wins in that series to remain alive for the conference title.

In the head-to-head tie breakers, MCC leads Western Nebraska 2-1 and needs to win one of the final two games Sunday to secure the tie-breaker with the Cougars. Trinidad State has the 3-2 season edge over MCC.

Sunday's MCC game with Western Nebraska was moved back to 1 p.m. with a sophomore recognition ceremony to take place on the field at noon.

"They need to come out relaxed on Sunday, have fun and not press," Kaalberg said. "That's when they play well."

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 – Western Nebraska 5, McCook CC 3: Western Nebraska broke open a scoreless tie in the fourth inning scoring a two-out run off Avery O'Neil (sophomore, Ellsworth, Wis.).

MCC responded in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back home runs by Alexis Cortez and Ashland Baca to put MCC up 2-1. For Baca it was her 22^nd home run of the year and for Cortez it was her third of the year.

The Cougars scored twice in the fifth inning with two outs to take a 3-2 lead with sophomore Anna Wilcox (Victoria, British Columbia) pitching.

After Wilcox hit a batter and surrendered a sixth-inning single, O'Neil re-entered the game and was greeted by an RBI single to put the Cougars up 4-2, and with two outs added another run to lead 5-2.

Cortez led off the sixth with a single and with two outs came home on an RBI-single by Madisyn Simms (freshman, Port Moody, British Columbia).

Western Nebraska out-hit MCC 8-6.

O'Neil pitched six innings, allowed five hits, two earned runs, one walk and she struck out seven. Wilcox went one inning and allowed three hits, and three runs with a walk and a strikeout.

GAME 2 – McCook CC 8, Western Nebraska 5: The Cougars put up two first-inning runs but MCC was able to tie the game 2-2 in the second inning on a bases-loaded double by sophomore Rae VanMilligan (Marion, Iowa).

Alexis Cortez led of the MCC third inning with a solo home run to put MCC up 3-2 and freshman Sydney Erlandson (Woodbury, Minn.) delivered an RBI-double, and freshman Cassidy Fife (Provo, Utah) had an RBI-groundout  to give MCC a 5-2 lead.

After the Cougars countered with a leadoff homer in the fourth, MCC responded with two in the bottom of the inning when Cortez singled in front of an Ashland Baca home run (her 23^rd of the season) to put MCC ahead 7-3.

Western added runs in the fifth and sixth innings to cut the deficit to 7-5 but MCC was able to push across a run in the sixth on a two-out single by freshman Tyler Mooring (Santa Clara, Utah).

Mooring pitched five innings, allowed two earned runs on six hits no walks and five strikeouts. Anna Wilcox pitched two innings and allowed one hit and she struck out two.

MCC out-hit WNCC 13-7 and had three hit games by Cortez and Erlandson.

With five hits on Friday, Cortez has 93 on the season. She was third in the nation at the start of the day. She also leads all players in NJCAA Division I with 25 doubles.