MCC women reach Region IX final but lose

SCOTTSBLUFF – The McCook Community College softball team made it to the Region IX championship game Saturday but the season ended on a 14-5 loss to top-seeded Western Nebraska at Volunteer Field.

The Lady Indians opened the day with a 5-3 win over third-seeded Trinidad State.

MCC ends the season 29-33.

Western Nebraska – winners of 12 games in a row -- improves to 35-18 and will host Butler Community College in a best-of-three series for the district championship with the winner moving on to the national tournament in St. George, Utah.

MCC opened the tournament Friday with a heart-breaking 3-2 loss to Western Nebraska on a two-out, two-strike, two-run home run on the final play of the game. Facing elimination Friday night against Otero Junior College, the Lady Indians came back from a 4-0 first-inning deficit win an 11-9 game in extra-innings. MCC earned a spot in the championship game with a 5-3 win over Trinidad State in the first game Saturday.

In Saturday’s championship game, the Cougars got first-inning home runs from Mickie Mills and Bri George to take a 3-0 lead.

MCC got a run back in the second, on an RBI-single by Jade Hollands (Effingham, Kan.) and after starting pitcher Shae Muggridge (Perth, Western Australia) retired the Cougars in order in the second, MCC couldn’t keep WNCC off the scoreboard in any inning the rest of the game with a run in the third inning, one in the fourth, four in the fifth and five in the sixth inning.

Trailing 9-1 in the sixth inning, Chanel Siebenthal (Lakewood, Colo.) had a one-out double followed by an Emily Charchuk (Victoria, British Columbia) single. Jerusha Miner (Gunnison Valley, Utah) delivered a sacrifice fly to make in 9-2 then Isabel Serna (Roy, Utah) powered a two-run home run to center to cut the gap .