Cloud County Softball Ends Season with Doubleheader Defeats to #19 Neosho

A three-run bottom of the sixth for host and number 19 ranked Neosho County Community College proved to be the difference in game one as the Cloud County Community College softball team fell 3-0 and 17-0 to conclude their 2024 campaign at the Neosho CC Softball Field in Chanute, Kansas on Wednesday, May 1st.

Finishing their year with a 16-28 overall record, Cloud County ends the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference season with a 2-20 mark while seeing Neosho guarantee at least a tie for second in the KJCCC with their regular season complete at 37-14 overall and 18-4 in the KJCCC while winning 12 of their final 14 games down the stretch.

Game One:
Facing the top-scoring offense in the KJCCC this season, the T-Birds and starting pitcher Kiera Brack limited the Panthers to just five total hits in the game with only two hits coming in the first five innings of play. After seeing the first eight batters of the game retired in order, CCCC's Harley Smith worked her way on base with a two-out infield single before seeing the inning end one batter later with Neosho stranding a two-out base runner of their own in the bottom of the second. Cloud County's best chance to produce a run came in the top of the third as Madyson Buescher hit an infield single and advanced to second a wild pitch with a throwing error allowing the Onaga, Kansas native to take third and eventually be retired at home 9-2. NCCC threatened in a similar fashion in the bottom of the third by putting a one-out base runner aboard with a bunt single followed by a stolen base and throwing error to put a go-ahead run 60 feet from scoring. Getting aggressive on the base paths, Neosho attempted to steal home following a delayed return throw to the pitcher on a strike call and was thrown out to keep the game tied 0-0.

One-two-third innings in both ends of the fourth kept the game still scoreless with the T-Birds working to put two runners on with one out in the top of the fifth after a Brooklynn McCormick leadoff single and subsequent error on Neosho two batters later on a fielder's choice to put runners at first and second for CCCC. A strikeout and groundout ended the inning two batters later however as Cloud County could not come up with a clutch hit. Things remained scoreless into the bottom of the sixth when a leadoff single and stolen base set up a bunt single and delayed steal of second by Neosho's Emma West to bring home the first run of the game from third as NCCC took a 1-0 lead. The Panthers added two more runs two batters later on a two-run home run as three runs came across on three hits in the inning which proved to be the only runs of the game as Cloud County was retired in order in the seventh.

The three runs for Neosho was just the eighth time in 51 games that NCCC was held to three runs or fewer as Brack faced just five batters over the minimum and struck out seven in six innings of work. Cloud County was limited to just three hits however, with McCormick, Brack, and Buescher each recording base-hit singles with three total base runners getting stranded.

Game Two:
A much different story in terms of offense was told in game two as Neosho broke out in the bottom of the first to plate four runs on four hits which included a pair of home runs. The 4-0 deficit for the T-Birds grew again in the top of the second as NCCC sent 10 batters to the plate and brought home another six runs on five hits and two CCCC errors to go up 10-0 after two innings of play.

Needing to work out of the double-digit deficit, Cloud County was unable to turn a Kaitlynn Baca one-out double into any run production in the third before allowing the Panthers to score another five runs in the bottom of the inning with things going from bad to worse with the deficit ballooning to 15-0. After being retired in order in the top of the fourth, the T-Birds saw Neosho push across another two runs on their fifth home run of the game in the bottom of the inning with the game ending in the top of the fifth following a one-two-three inning offensively for CCCC.

Offensive production was again lacking for Cloud County with Baca and Kaylee Pinneo recording the only hits of the game for CCCC with Smith drawing a walk to account for the only other T-Bird base runner in the contest. Neosho meanwhile pounded out 14 hits and drove in 16 of their 17 runs with only one baserunner getting stranded for the Panthers.