Cloud County Sports Information
CONCORDIA - Using a six-run bottom of the fifth inning would allow the Cloud County Community College softball team to overcome a 5-1 deficit before holding on to pick up a 9-8 victory over Kansas City Kansas Community College in game two to split a home doubleheader at the CCCC Softball Field on Thursday.
Snapping what had become a six-game losing skid after a 9-0 loss in game one of the day's doubleheader, Cloud County improves to 14-22 overall and 4-8 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference following the come-from-behind game-two victory. KCKCC is now 18-15 overall and 6-4 in the KJCCC while having a five-game winning streak in conference action come to an end with the game-two defeat.
GAME ONE
Not much would go right for CCCC in the opening game as the T-Birds would see KCKCC record nine of the 10 total hits in the game while putting up five runs in the third to go along with three in the fourth and one in the fifth. The lone hit of the game for Cloud County would come in their first at-bat in the bottom of the first as leadoff batter Ryleigh Jones would record a standup double before being stranded as part of a scoreless first two innings of play. After holding the Blue Devils without a hit through two innings of play, the Kansas City Kansas bats would come alive in the third as four hits, a walk, and a fielding error would lead to a five-run inning. KCKCC would follow up with a three-hit inning in the top of the fourth while also taking advantage of two walks to extend their lead to 8-0 with one final run coming home in the top of the fifth after a leadoff bunt single that would come around to score on an RBI double.
The leadoff double by Jones would wind up being CCCC's only base runner of the contest as Blue Devil starting pitcher Landri Lopez would face one batter of the minimum while striking out five and needing just 51 total pitches. Of the nine hits recorded by Kansas City Kansas, three would go for extra bases with seven of the nine runs coming across as earned runs against T-Bird starting pitcher Taylor Dekok.
GAME TWO
Another slower start for Cloud County would see KCKCC jump out to an early lead in the top of the second after five consecutive two-out singles would allow for a rally to come together and lead to three runs while stranding two runners. A stretch of 18 consecutive batters being retired between games one and two for CCCC would be snapped by sophomore McKenna Mayhew to leadoff the bottom of the second with a base hit back up the middle before seeing a Jayden Rehlander double put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Two quick outs would follow before a walk to load the bases and eventually, an Alexis Billings RBI single to get Cloud County on the scoreboard and cut the Kansas City Kansas lead down to 3-1 after seeing the T-Birds leave the bases loaded to end the inning.
More scoring would be found in the top of the third as a leadoff double for the Blue Devils set up a two-run home run to put KCKCC up by their largest margin of the game at 5-1. Things would remain a 5-1 contest until the bottom of the fourth when CCCC would get a Hannah Hotalen leadoff single and turn it into a run later in the inning with a Billings sacrifice fly bring the T-Birds back within three at 5-2. Working a quick one-two-three top of the fifth would allow Cloud County to continue to build momentum as CCCC would get a leadoff base hit from Kaitlynn Baca in the bottom of the inning to knock Blue Devil starter Jayden Hull from the contest.
Set to face reliever and game one starter Lopez for the second-straight game, CCCC would be able to solve the pitching puzzle that they couldn't in game one by recording three-straight base hits including a Mayhew two-RBI single that would be followed by a Rehlander single and Hotalen walk to load the bases with still no outs. KCKCC would induce a popup in foul territory to get an out on the board but still not be out of danger as Brooklynn McCormick would turn a one-run T-Bird deficit into a two-run lead as a base-hit single and error would clear the bases and put the Wamego, Kansas native at third. A base-hit single for Billings would bring home McCormick in the next at-bat to cap off what would ultimately be a six-run inning on six hits to give CCCC their first lead of the day.
A response from KCKCC would see the Blue Devils record back-to-back base hits to begin the top of the sixth with aggressive base running putting two runners in scoring position to bring up the game-tying run to the plate. A pinch-hit two-RBI single would pull Kansas City Kansas within a run before seeing more aggressive base running lead to an out at second to flip momentum back into Cloud County's favor to get out of the inning without any more damage to retain a one-run lead. Needing to find a response of their own, CCCC would make the most of a leadoff walk for Mayhew by seeing Hotalen hit an RBI triple into right field to push across a crucial insurance run that would allow the T-Birds to hold a two-run lead heading into the top of the seventh.
Things wouldn't come easy for Cloud County in the final inning of play as a leadoff double and base hit into shallow center field would put runners at first and second with no outs before seeing a groundout back to the pitcher put the game-tying run in scoring position. Pressure would continue to be applied by the Blue Devils as a walk would load the bases to set up a force out at any base for CCCC while eventually getting a second out with a flyout into shallow right field that would not be deep enough to bring home a run. Having avoided danger in the last at-bat, a hit batter would bring home a run for Kansas City Kansas in addition to keeping the bases loaded with the game-tying run now 60 feet away from scoring. Standing tall to the pressure, the T-Bird defense would do their job with the top of the order due up by getting a game-ending groundout back to the pitcher to snap an 11-game losing streak to KCKCC stretching back to the 2017 season.
Totaling 13 hits in addition to four walks, Cloud County would be led by a three-for-three performance and two RBI from Mayhew in addition to two hits in two at-bats and three runs driven in by Billings. Rehlander would also have a multi-hit game with a two-for outing while scoring once as seven different T-Birds would record at least one hit. Going the distance in the circle would be freshman Kiera Brack who would throw 144 total pitches to pick up the victory for her third win of the year.
What's next?
Cloud County is on the road for their next four contests which begins on Saturday with a trip to Coffeyville to take on the Red Ravens in a 2 p.m. doubleheader. Coffeyville currently holds a 6-28 overall record and is winless in the KJCCC at 0-12 after dropping a road doubleheader at Fort Scott this past Tuesday.