Cloud County Sports Information
FORT SCOTT - Needing extra-innings for the first time this season while picking up a 6-5 win in game one, the Cloud County Community College softball team would be unable to overcome a six-run fifth inning for host Fort Scott Community College in the back end of a road doubleheader to come away with a split on the day at the Fort Scott Softball Field in Fort Scott, Kansas on Wednesday, April 26th.
Final score in game two would see the host Greyhounds earn a 10-6 win as Cloud County picks up an important Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference road win over one of the top-four teams in the KJCCC this season to improve to 17-23 overall and 7-9 in the KJCCC while FSCC moves to 28-11 overall and 11-5 in conference play.
Game one
Playing from behind for much of the contest, the T-Birds would see Fort Scott grab an early 1-0 in the bottom of the first before tying things up in the top of the third on a solo home run by Ryleigh Jones as things would stay even into the fifth. After scoring a run on a McKenna Mayhew RBI single to take their first lead of the game, Cloud County would concede a three-run inning to the Greyhounds in the bottom of the fifth off four hits and three errors to make it a 4-2 contest heading into the sixth.
Stranding a base runner in the top of the sixth, FSCC would add to their lead in the bottom of the inning with a one-out hit batter coming around to score on a two-out RBI single as the deficit would reach a game-high three runs for Cloud County heading into their final scheduled offensive opportunity at the plate. Having made several late-inning comebacks already this season, the T-Birds once again would come up with some magic in the top of the seventh by putting five of the first six batters safely on base while pushing across three runs to tie the game at 5-5. After tying things back up, CCCC would have a chance to take the lead with the go-ahead run in scoring position at second base before ultimately stranding a pair of runners.
Working a quick one-two-three inning to force extras, neither team would be able to find a run in the eighth which would send things to a second added inning of softball with the T-Birds having the middle part of the order due up. A Mayhew leadoff double would be followed by a fielding error by the Greyhounds to put two runners on for CCCC to set up a Zoie Kincade go-ahead sacrifice fly to score Mayhew with Cloud County taking their first lead since the top of the fifth. Fort Scott would see two outs to start the bottom of the ninth threaten to end the game before a game-extending double before the T-Birds would induce a game-ending flyout to secure their most conference wins in a season since the 2018 campaign.
Collecting 13 hits as a team, CCCC would be led by a perfect three-for-three effort by Mayhew who would also drive in two runs and draw two walks. Hannah Hotalen would also have three hits with a three-for-five game as the T-Birds would limit their strikeouts to just one in the contest.
Game two
Scoring wouldn't be an issue early on for either squad with FSCC pushing across three runs on two hits in the bottom of the first before seeing Cloud County respond in the top of the second by pushing across three runs on a game-tying three-run home run by Zoie Kincade to cap off a three-hit inning for the T-Birds. Neither offense would show any signs of slowing down as the Greyhounds would reclaim the lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI double just to see a Taylor Dekok two-run home run put CCCC out in front by a 5-4 margin heading into the bottom of the third.
Holding FSCC scoreless for the first time in the game, the T-Birds would look to take advantage of a potential momentum-building opportunity but come up empty in the top of the fourth as a one-out double would be stranded with things staying at a 5-4 Cloud County lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. A problematic inning defensively for CCCC would see Fort Scott put together a one-out rally with four consecutive hits create the big inning that the T-Birds had managed to avoid with six runs coming across on six hits and two errors to turn a one-run FSCC deficit into a five-run lead.
A chance to respond in the top of the sixth would see the T-Birds manage to get a leadoff single from Jayden Rehlander followed by a fielder's choice and Greyhound error to put runners on the corners with one out and score a run on a sacrifice fly that would be dropped in the outfield to plate a run and set up the potential for a big inning on the offensive end. After a third consecutive FSCC error to load the bases with one out, CCCC would be unable to take advantage of bringing the game-tying run to the plate as a strikeout and infield popout would end the threat with the bases loaded and limit the scoring to just one run.
With a prime opportunity thwarted by Fort Scott, Cloud County would manage to work a quick defensive inning in the bottom of the sixth but never be able to put together a threat like they had in the sixth as a pair of one-out base hits would be stranded in the seventh to allow the Greyhounds to salvage a home split of the day's action.
Seven stranded runners proved to be problematic for the T-Birds as nine hits and a walk would lead to just six runs with Rehlander and Brooklynn McCormick finishing as the lone players for CCCC with multiple hits. The home runs by Kincade and Dekok would account for five of Cloud County's six RBI and two of four extra-base hits for the T-Birds with Alexis Billings and McCormick each hitting a double to account for the remaining two.
What's next?
The push to finish in the top seven of the KJCCC standings to qualify for postseason play continues at home on Saturday, April 29th when Cloud County hosts Allen County Community College for a noon doubleheader. Allen is 10-23 overall and 2-12 in the KJCCC ahead of a home doubleheader on Thursday against Kansas City Kansas Community College. In last year's doubleheader in Concordia, the T-Birds would sweep the only two games played between teams with CCCC having won three of the past five games between the two teams.