Cloud County Softball Drops Two at #7 Johnson County Community College

Limited to just nine hits over the course of two games, the Cloud County Community College softball team saw recent offensive struggles once again prove to be an issue against number seven nationally ranked Johnson County Community College with an 8-0, five-inning loss followed by a 3-0 loss at the JCCC Softball Field in Overland Park, Kansas on Saturday, April 6th.

The losses drop Cloud County to 15-13 overall and 1-5 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference while Johnson County picks up their 25th and 26th wins of the year to improve to 26-6 overall and 5-1 in the KJCCC.

Game One:
Following a missed opportunity with a two-out rally in the top of the first that loaded the bases, the T-Birds saw Johnson County make the most of a fielding error by CCCC to set up an RBI double to grab a 1-0 lead with the only run scored through two innings of play. The Cavaliers added to their lead in the bottom of the third as a leadoff infield single and wild pitch set up an RBI double two batters later followed by a two-run home run to give JCCC a 4-0 lead heading into the fourth. Threatening once again to get on the scoreboard with a single from Kiera Brack followed by a Harley Smith single, Cloud County saw two strikeouts and a groundout end the inning with two stranded base runners with another solid opportunity to get back in the game getting squandered.

Despite being held off the scoreboard in the inning, CCCC responded defensively to keep the Cavaliers off the board with back-to-back strikeouts from Brack allowing the T-Birds to work around a two-out bunt single to get out of the inning unscathed to send things to the fifth where a double play erased an Alyssa Reynolds leadoff single into left field to allow Johnson County to face the minimum. In the bottom of the fifth, the Cavaliers put their leadoff batter on with a bunt single followed by a walk to set up a three-run home run to take a commanding 7-0 lead with the game ending one batter later on a second-straight home run with JCCC hitting three home runs in the game.

Six hits and two walks led to seven stranded base runners for Cloud County as Kaylee Pinneo was the lone T-Bird to finish with multiple hits in the game which included both extra-base hits for CCCC. Brack was the lone pitcher used in the circle for Cloud County, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits despite striking out seven while falling to 8-6 overall.

Game Two:
Runs proved even more difficult to come by on both ends of the field in the back end of the doubleheader as both Cloud County and Johnson County stranded solo base runners in the first before seeing the T-Birds have a two-out rally in the second ended on a strikeout. JCCC also went scoreless in the second before seeing both teams held off the scoreboard in the third to keep things at 0-0 until the bottom of the fourth when the Cavaliers went back to the long ball for a two-run home run to grab the lead. Following the homer, CCCC got out of the inning without any more damage and kept the deficit at two runs until the bottom of the sixth when Jaylee Jefferson hit her second home run of the afternoon with a solo shot that gave Johnson County one more insurance run to work with before getting around a Madyson Buescher one-out double in the seventh to finish off their third-straight shutout win.

Limited to just three total hits, CCCC saw the double from Buescher serve as the lone extra-base hit by the T-Birds in the game along with singles from Reynolds and Smith to go along with four total walks. Stranding another seven base runners in the game proved to be costly as Cloud County limited Johnson County to seven hits and three stranded base runners. Paige Mahler threw all six innings for CCCC, striking out five and facing just six batters over the minimum.

What's Next?
Another road trip awaits Cloud County with the T-Birds set to head to Arkansas City to take on Cowley Community College in a 2 PM doubleheader on Thursday, April 11th. Cowley has won eight straight games including six consecutive games within the KJCCC to hold a 29-10 overall record with a 6-0 mark in the Jayhawk Conference. Of the 29 wins for the Tigers, 15 have come at home in their 16 home games played this season.