Cloud County Softball Earns KJCCC Road Sweep of Coffeyville

For the first time this season, the Cloud County Community College softball team would go on the road and pick up a doubleheader sweep after winning both games against conference foe Coffeyville Community College at Byers Field on Saturday, April 22nd.

Winning by scores of 6-2 and 8-6, CCCC has now won three consecutive games to move to 16-22 overall and 6-8 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference while the Red Ravens are now 6-30 overall while remaining winless in the KJCCC at 0-14.

Game One:
Breaking a scoreless tie in the top of the third, the T-Birds would turn a leadoff Ryleigh Jones triple into a run on a Kaitlynn Baca RBI single to plate their first run of the game before adding another solo run in the top of the fourth with Jones hitting a sacrifice fly to score Zoie Kincade who would lead off the inning with a double. The Cloud County lead would once again grow in the top of the sixth as back-to-back singles from Hannah Hotalen and Zoie Kincade would put two runners on base with both coming around to score two batters later off an Alexis Billings two-RBI double. After a flyout to put a second out on the board, Baca would extend the inning with an RBI single before seeing an error by Coffeyville bring home another run to keep the rally alive as McKenna Mayhew would cap the inning off with an RBI single to finish a four-run inning for CCCC.

The Red Ravens would score each of their two runs in the contest in the bottom of the sixth as a leadoff walk and fielder's choice that would see all runners safely advance and set up back-to-back RBI base hits. Coffeyville would see their rally come to an end following the second RBI base hit as a flyout would end the inning and strand a runner to send things to the seventh where the T-Birds would be retired in order to give the Red Ravens one last chance at mounting a comeback. A two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh would see a single, walk, and single load the bases for Coffeyville to bring the game-tying run to the plate, but a diving catch from Baca in center field would end the game while stranding all three base runners to allow Cloud County to earn a game one win.

Pounding out 14 hits in the game, CCCC would be led by three-hit performances by both Baca and Hotalen with Mayhew and Kincade each recording two hits. Baca would also drive in a game-high two RBI while seeing Mayhew, Jones, and Billings each drive in one run for the T-Bird offense. In the circle, Taylor Dekok would go the distance to pick up her sixth win of the year after allowing two runs on eight hits while striking out six in her 10th complete game of the year.
 
Game Two:
Taking an early lead with single runs in the top of the second and third innings, CCCC would see Coffeyville respond in the bottom of the third with a two-run home run after a one-out walk to tie the game at the end of three innings. Pushing across a run for the third straight inning with an RBI groundout from Baca in the top of the fourth, the T-Birds would manage to maintain their lead into the bottom of the fifth when the Red Raven offense would manage to find a big inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, Coffeyville would collect four hits including three two-out hits in a four-batter stretch along with a walk to push across three runs and take their first lead of the afternoon at 5-3. The T-Birds would get a run back in the top of the sixth on a solo home run from Billings to pull back within a run at 5-4 but see the Red Ravens match CCCC in the bottom of the inning by turning a pair of one-out singles into a run on a sacrifice fly to go back up by two runs heading into the final inning of play.

Needing at least two runs to extend the game, things would look dim for Cloud County after a leadoff flyout and one-out flyout after putting runners on base with a walk and single to be down to their final out and just one runner in scoring position. Not trying to do too much, Kincade would extend the inning with a base hit single that would move both Mayhew and Rehlander up 60 feet to put both runners in scoring position to allow Brooklynn McCormick to come to the plate and hit a go-ahead bases-clearing double to score all three base runners. Having turned a 6-4 deficit into a 7-6 lead, CCCC would pick up one more run on a Billings single and throwing error by Coffeyville to be able to hold a two-run lead and sit just three outs away from their first doubleheader sweep in three weeks.

After allowing a leadoff single to bring the game-tying run to the plate, Cloud County would get back-to-back strikeouts to put the Red Ravens down to their final out of the game before seeing a walk extend the put some added pressure on the T-Birds with the game-tying run now on base. Following the walk, CCCC starter Kiera Brack would induce a flyout into right field that would be caught by Mayhew to end the game and secure the victory.

Collecting 12 hits as a team and avoiding to strikeout a single time in the game, Cloud County would be led by three-hit games from Jayden Rehlander and Billings with the duo driving in three of CCCC's seven runs. Other players to record a hit in the game for the T-Birds would include Jones and Kincade (two each) along with one-hit games from Emily Kvasnicka and McCormick. Improving to 4-7 in the circle this year, Brack would go the distance and allow five runs on 10 hits while striking out six and forcing Coffeyville to strand seven runners in the game.

What's Next?
Another trip to the southeast part of the state will see Cloud County head to Fort Scott for the first time in two years and just the second time since 2018 to take on the Greyhounds in a 2 PM doubleheader on Thursday, April 27th. FSCC has won five consecutive games which includes a home doubleheader sweep over Coffeyville and a road sweep of Hesston College this past week to improve to 27-10 overall and 10-4 in the KJCCC.