MCC softball team splits first two at Regional

TRINIDAD, COLO. – The McCook Community College softball team went 1-1 Saturday on the first day of the Region IX Tournament on Saturday.

MCC won its opening game in the double-elimination tournament over Western Nebraska 6-1 and dropped the nightcap to Northeastern Junior College 7-3.

The top two seeds Trinidad State (No. 1) and Northeastern (No. 2) made it through the first day of play as the only unbeaten teams and will face each other in the championship bracket at 2 p.m. (MT).

McCook CC 6, Western Nebraska 1: The Lady Indians opened the Region IX Tournament Saturday, churning out runs in each of the first four innings and a pair of MCC pitchers held the Cougars to two hits in a 6-1 MCC win.

Freshman Alexis Cortez (Aurora, Colo.) put the Lady Indians in the lead for good just three pitches into the game hitting a home run to right field to lead off the bottom of the first. MCC loaded the bases with no outs but were only able to add one more run in the inning on an RBI-ground out off the bat of Camryn Laird (sophomore, Pueblo, Colo.).

Anna Wilcox (Victoria, British Columbia) started in the circle and kept the Cougars off the scoreboard, limiting them to a walk in the first and a single in the second.

Taylor Thein (freshman, West Branch, Iowa) was hit by a pitch with one out in the second, stole second and third and came home on a groundball by sophomore Alice Midiri (Condove, Italy). Freshman Ashland Baca (Byers, Colo.) homered to lead off the third and the Tribe took a 5-0 lead in the fourth with a leadoff single by Cortez, two stolen bases and an RBI-single by Midiri.

Wilcox went four innings to start the game and allowed two hits, one walk, no runs and she struck out eight. Freshman Avery O'Neil (Ellsworth, Wis.) came on in the fifth inning and kept the shutout streak going allowing one base runner on a walk.

Western scored in the sixth with a pair of walks to lead off the inning, a passed ball and a sacrifice fly to make it a 5-1 game. The Cougars loaded the bases but O’Neil induced a popout to end the threat. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, Laird singed home Midiri -- who had singled -- to give MCC the final margin of victory.

O’Neil issued a walk and a hit a batter in the seventh but induced a game-ending doubleplay from Laird at second base to Rae VanMilligan (Marion, Iowa) at first base, who fired to Baca at third to catch the runner off base.

O’Neil allowed one run in three innings of work, walked six, didn’t allow any hits and fanned two.

MCC out-hit Western Nebraska 11-2 with two hits each by Cortez, Midiri, and Baca.

Northeastern JC 7, McCook CC 3: The Plainswomen scored two runs in the first inning, one in the second, two in the third and two more in the fifth and held the Lady Indians to seven hits.

Alexis Cortez walked to lead off the game and was bunted to second by Alice Midiri, but the third batter of the inning, sophomore Taryn Jenkins (Aldergrove, British Columbia) lined out to centerfield and Cortez was doubled off second.

NJC scored a pair of unearned runs in the first, added a third run in the second inning on a solo home run, and two more on a two-run home run in the third inning to lead 5-0. A solo blast in the fifth put the gap to six runs and the final run came on a double and a single.

The Tribe got on the scoreboard in the seventh inning. Jenkins and Ashland Baca singled to lead off the inning and Camryn Laird had a one-out single to center to load the bases. Sidney Sansregret (Surrey, British Columbia) walked to drive in the first run for MCC, an NJC error led to the second run. Taylor Thein hit a sacrifice fly to right field to make it a 7-3 game.

Avery O'Neil pitched the first three innings, Anna Wilcox pitched the final three. O’Neil allowed four hits and four earned runs with one walk and a strikeout. Wilcox allowed three hits two earned runs, and struck out two.

MCC had seven hits in the game including two from sophomore Emily Arp (McCook).