Lady Indians split doubleheader with No. 8 JCCC

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The McCook Community College softball team split two games Friday with Johnson County Community College. MCC staged a late comeback to win the first game 8-6 but the Cavaliers – ranked No 8 in the D2 preseason polls --scored nine unearned runs in Game 2 on the way to a 14-6 win.

In Game 1 sophomore starting pitcher Kaiyah St. Amand (Duncan, British Columbia) went three-for-three at the plate with a homer and three RBIs and MCC got a clutch grand slam late in the game by sophomore Audrey Reeves (Sterling, Colo.) as MCC came back from a 6-3 deficit in the sixth inning. Freshman Hannah Schneider (Alliance, Neb.) pitched the final 2.1 innings in relief and recorded the win.

“Today was a battle in Game 1. Kaliyah and Hannah threw really well,” said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. “We could have easily folded after they scored six runs in the fifth inning, but we kept on battling. A quality win for sure.”

MCC’s defense faltered in Game 2 as Johnson County scored nine unearned runs on three errors and ended the game in the fifth inning on the eight-run rule.

“We just made too many mistakes,” said Mendenhall.

The Cavaliers go to 5-3 on the season.

MCC goes to 9-3. On Saturday the Lady Indians play another D2 team as they play at No. 19 Kansas City Kansas Community College.

GAME 1 – McCook CC 8, Johnson County CC 6: With two outs in the first, the Lady Indians got on the scoreboard with a walk, a single by freshman Lyndsay Keogh (Surrey, British Columbia) and a two-out single by

Kaliyah St. Amand – who then doubled the MCC lead to 2-0 with a solo homer in the fourth inning.

MCC added a run in the fifth inning with a one-out walk by freshman Brooklyn Gillen (McCook), a two-out single by freshman Josie Wright (Calgary, Alberta) and a two-out RBI single from sophomore Payton Kinsley (Didsbury, Alberta).

The Cavaliers sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fifth and took a 6-3 lead with two singles, two doubles, two walks, an MCC error and a home run. St. Amand pitched 4.2 innings, allowed five earned runs on seven hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Freshman Hannah Schneider (Alliance, Neb.) relieved St. Amand in the inning.

The Lady Indians responded in the sixth with a leadoff single by Keogh, a walk to St. Amand and a JCCC error to load the bases with one out for Audrey Reeves, who hit a grand slam to left field for her second homer of the year to put MCC ahead 7-6.

After Schneider retired the Cavaliers in order in the bottom of the sixth, MCC added an insurance run in the seventh. Wright and Kinsley both walked to lead off the inning and St. Amand drove in her third run of the game with an RBI-single to put the Lady Indians up 8-6.

Schneider walked the leadoff hitter in the seventh, and a second batter reached base on a fielder’s choice, but then she got a strikeout and two groundballs to close out the win. In her 2.1 innings of work, she didn’t allow a hit or run, walked one and struck out one to pick up the win.

MCC had nine hits with three from St. Amand, two from Keogh and the four RBIs from Reeves.

GAME 2 – Johnson County CC 14, McCook CC 6: The Cavaliers scored a pair of runs in the first. MCC scored four runs in the second to take a 4-2 lead on a JCCC error, a fielder’s choice and a two-run single by Josie Wright.

JCCC reclaimed the lead 7-4, with five runs in the second. The Lady Indians got back-to-back doubles by Lyndsay Keogh and Audrey Reeves in the third and Keogh scored on a Cavalier error to make it a 7-5 deficit for MCC.

MCC starting pitcher Paige Warren (Victoria, British Columbia) surrendered a leadoff home run in the JCCC third and walked two hitters before she was relieved by sophomore Olivia Moorhead (Hershey, Neb.). Warren pitched 2.1 innings, allowed eight hits, four earned runs, three walks and two strikeouts. JCCC led 9-5 after three innings.

Keogh doubled in a run in the fourth to close the gap to 9-6 but the Cavaliers scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the inning to lead 12-6 and ended the game with two more runs in the fifth to win the game on the eight-run rule.

Moorhead pitched two innings, allowed three hits and one earned run. She walked six. MCC committed three errors leading to nine unearned runs.

MCC had eight hits with two each by Keogh and Reeves. Warren stole three bases.

Up-to-date information about MCC  softball including up-to-date schedule and changes, livestream links for home games, rosters, photos, statistics and more can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com