Cloud County Softball Wins Five Straight, Sweeps Hastings JV at Home

Offense was on full display by the Cloud County Community College softball team on Saturday as 25 total runs were scored by the T-Birds in a home doubleheader sweep over the Hastings College JV team at the CCCC Softball Field on March 9th.

Winners of five straight games, Cloud County is now 11-3 overall on the season with nine of their 11 wins coming on their home field which includes a 5-1 mark after capping off a six-game homestand on Saturday.

Game One:
Scoring the first eight runs of the game, CCCC cruised to a run-rule victory in the doubleheader opener as the T-Birds scored three runs on four hits in the bottom of the first before adding another five runs on five hits in the bottom of the second while allowing just one Bronco baserunner through two innings of play. Providing the offense in the first was Kaylee Pinneo with an RBI double to score Kaitlynn Baca before seeing Kiera Brack drive home both Pinneo and Brooklynn McCormick two batters later with a single into right-center field to go along with a two-RBI double in the bottom of the second. Brack took care of business in the circle as well with three innings pitched, striking out the side to end her outing defensively to finish with five strikeouts as the T-Birds added another run in the bottom of the third on a Madeline McIntire double to score Madyson Buescher before allowing a pair of runs on two hits in the top of the fourth. CCCC managed to get both runs back in the bottom of the inning with Brack driving in Camille Stauffer with an RBI single before seeing Harley Smith hit an RBI double to get back up nine and in position to end the game in the top of the fifth by run rule. Hastings JV threatened to extend the game by putting together a two-out rally with back-to-back hits to bring home a run and put the game-extending run at third following a wild pitch but saw a lineout to Baca in center field end the game with CCCC earning their fourth win of the year by at least eight runs.

At the plate, Brack went a perfect three-for-three alongside McCormick as the T-Birds pounded out 15 hits and struck out just three times with Brack (five) and Stauffer (three) accounting for eight of Cloud County's 11 RBI. Seven of the 15 hits went for extra-bases with McCormick adding three stolen bases as eight of the nine players who had plate appearances recorded at least one hit. Following Brack's three innings in the circle, Alyssa Reynolds made her pitching debut for the T-Birds by throwing two innings and striking out three on 44 total pitches.

Game Two:
An equally impressive performance offensively by CCCC came in game two as a two-run bottom of the first made way for a five-run second and six-run third with Cloud County scoring the first 14 runs of the game and recording 11 hits in the first three innings of play. Pinneo drove in three runs through the first two innings while Brack continued her massive day at the plate by driving in another two runs on a second-inning double into right-center field before adding one more RBI in the bottom of the third with her second straight double. The T-Birds sent 11 batters to the plate in the third inning while allowing just 15 total batters to Hastings JV through three innings as CCCC brought home one final run in the fourth with a McCormick RBI single to match their season-high in runs scored. In the top of the fifth, the Broncos managed to spoil a potential shutout effort from pitcher Brecken Whitney as three hits and a sacrifice fly brought home the lone run of the game for Hastings JV with two base runners getting stranded on a game-ending strikeout to give Cloud County their largest margin of victory this season.

Setting the tone at the top of the lineup was Baca with a four-for-four effort with two RBI and three runs scored while seeing Pinneo, McCormick, and Brack all drive in three runs as seven different T-Birds drove in at least one run. In addition to 13 hits, CCCC drew eight walks as a team and sent 34 total batters to the plate hitting .520 as a squad in the contest. Whitney remained unbeaten in the circle by throwing her first complete game in her third start of the season while striking out nine and allowing one run on seven hits.

What's Next?
Six straight home games will now make way for six consecutive games away from home which begins on Monday, March 11th for Cloud County with a 2 PM doubleheader at Southeast Community College in Beatrice, Nebraska. The T-Bird and Bobcats have already met twice on the diamond this season, with Cloud County sweeping a doubleheader on February 23rd by scores of 8-0 and 8-6 in Concordia. Southeast is 3-13 overall after sweeping Central Community College on the road Saturday afternoon.