Lady Indians win Region IX with Friday split

The McCook Community College softball team clinched the Region IX regular season title Friday gaining a split against Western Nebraska Community College. The Cougars extended their win streak to 14 games in Game 1 with a 12-6 win but MCC came back to win 9-1 in Game 2.

With the win comes the school's second Region IX title and the right to host the Region IX tournament. The double-elimination tournament starts Friday, May 2 and continues May 3-4 at the Jaycees Sports Complex.

Trailing 4-3 in Game 1, the Cougars scored three runs in the fifth inning and broke open the game with a six-run sixth inning for their 14th straight win.

The Lady Indians took most of the drama out of Game 2 scoring six runs in the first inning and ending the game on the eight-run rule in the sixth inning. Sophomore Payton Kinsley (Didsbury, Alberta) had a home run in the game and freshman starting pitcher Kaliyah St. Amand (Duncan, British Columbia) didn't allow an earned run holding the Cougar bats in check.

"It was nice to finally clinch it," said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. "Western is a scrappy team. I was not expecting that first game."

MCC improves to 44-8 on the season and 19-3 in Region IX. They are one win away from tying the school record of 45 wins set in 2015. The Lady Indians travel to Scottsbluff Sunday to finish out the regular season with two games against Western Nebraska.

"Ultimately we did what we needed to do and won," said Mendenhall.

Pairings will officially be announced following the regular season games Sunday, but MCC has locked up the top seed and will host the No. 4 team – either Trinidad State or Northeastern Junior College. That game would be at 2 p.m. Friday, May 2. Otero has locked up the second seed and would be the home team against Western Nebraska, the third seed.

The double-elimination tournament continues with three games May 3, starting at noon and one or two games May 4 starting at noon.

GAME 1 – Western Nebraska 12, McCook 8: Freshman Paige Warren (Victoria, British Columbia) led of the MCC first with a single, stole second and scored on a single by sophomore Lexi Knapp (Berthoud, Colo.).

Western Nebraska put the first two hitters on base in the second with a double and a single and tied the game on a groundout then took a 2-1 lead in the third on a single, a sacrifice bunt, a stolen base and a sacrifice fly.

Payton Kinsley (Didsbury, Alberta) singled to lead off the MCC third inning, advanced to second base on a groundout and scored on a two-out double by Anna Elliott (sophomore, Calgary, Alberta). Sophomore Rocio Mascorro (Brownsville, Texas) singled home Elliott to put the Lady Indians ahead 3-2.

The Cougars tied the game on a two-out single in the fourth inning but MCC reclaimed the lead 4-3 in the bottom of the inning when sophomore Laila Gutierrez (Seminole, Texas) singled, stole second and third base and scored on a Knapp single.

With two outs in the fifth, WNCC got a single and a three-run homer to lead 6-4. In the sixth, the Cougars scored on a walk and an RBI-triple to lead 7-4 then with two outs, Western sent seven straight hitters to the plate scoring five more runs on a walk a double, a two-run home run, and two MCC errors.

Sophomore Sadie Kahl (Calgary, Alberta) was charged with the loss allowing 11 hits, and three walks in 5.2 innings pitched. Freshman Olivia Moorhead (Hershey) pitched the final 1.1 innings allowing one hit and one hit batter.

Warren and Gutierrez led off the MCC sixth with a single and double and the Lady Indians scored on an RBI-groundout with Kinsley batting and another on a Cougar error for the final margin of 6-2.

Both teams had 12 hits and three errors. Warren led MCC with three hits, Gutierrez and Knapp both had two.

GAME 2 – McCook 9, Western Nebraska 1: The Lady Indians took charge early taking advantage of three first-inning walks and scoring six runs. Lexi Knapp drove in two runs with a single, another run scored on a wild pitch and a bases-loaded walk and with two outs Paige Warren doubled in two more runs to give MCC a 6-0 lead.

Three MCC errors in the third inning gave WNCC its only run of the game.

Payton Kinsley hit a solo home run in the fourth and starting pitcher Kaliyah St. Amand helped her own cause with a two-out RBI single to give her team an 8-1 edge.

The game ended on the eight-run rule in the sixth inning with a leadoff single by Knapp, back-to-back singles from Anna Elliott and Rosio Mascorro and the walk-off game-winning single by St. Amand.

MCC outhit WNCC 12-3. Mascorro led the team with three hits, St. Amand, Elliott and Knapp all had two each.

St. Amand pitched up the win to improve to 15-2 on the season, scattering three hits over six innings with one walk and five strikeouts.