MCC Softball season ends with loss to Otero

LA JUNTA, Colo. – The season ended Sunday for the McCook Community College softball team in a 12-3 loss to Otero Junior College. The Lady Rattlers took the best-of-three game series 2-1 in the semifinal round of the Region IX Championship Tournament.

The two teams split the opening day of the series Saturday with MCC winning the opener 8-4 then losing a heart-breaker 16-15 in Game 2 when Otero hit a two-run home run with two outs in the seventh inning.

“Today was a tough one,” said MCC Coach Mike Mendenhall. “I think we were emotionally drained after last night’s game. We put everything we had into the game and came up short today.”

On Sunday, Otero took a 1-0 lead in the first scoring on an unearned run.

Freshman Anna Elliott (Calgary, Alberta) led off the MCC second with a single followed by a double off the bat of Brylee Dean (Gering). Elliott tied the game scoring on a passed ball and starting pitcher Ella Covill-Marter (Queensland, Australia) helped her own cause driving in the go-ahead run with a single, putting her team up 2-1.

The Lady Rattlers tied the game in the third on a solo home run and took the lead on a two-run home run to go up 4-2.

With two outs in the MCC third Elliott doubled home freshman Sadie Kahl (Calgary, Alberta), who’d singled to reach base.

Otero scored twice in the fourth and once in the fifth to go up 7-3.

Covill-Marter pitched three innings for MCC, allowed four earned runs on six hits, no walks and three strikeouts.

The Lady Rattlers put the game out of reach scoring five runs in the seventh.

MCC didn’t score after the third inning and were held to eight hits – two each by Elliott and Dean.

Kahl pitched the final four frames and allowed 11 hits and seven runs with no walks and three strikeouts.

MCC finishes the season at 34-21.

“It was a great season for us and I appreciate all the sophomores and what the time and effort they put in these past two years,” said Mendenhall. “These girls have a bright future ahead of them.”

Otero moves on to the Region IX Championship series next weekend against Trinidad State.

All the latest information MCC softball including up-to-date schedule and changes as well as statistics, rosters and photos can be found on the MCC Athletics website, www.mccindians.com