T-Birds drop pair to Scotties

A Highland Community College softball team riding a 15-game winning streak dealt the Cloud County Community College Thunderbirds a pair of Jayhawk Conference Division II losses Thursday at the CCCC Softball Field.
Cloud County was shut out 4-0 in the first game and lost the second game 11-4 to fall to 10-11 overall and 0-6 in conference play.
Getting a solo home run and a run-producing single, Highland grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning in game one.
The Scotties, now 15-3 overall and 6-0 in the conference, added two runs in the third inning to make it 4-0.
Cloud County was blanked on five hits.
Shayna Fila had two hits for the T-Birds,
Kyra Meyer pitched the first three innings in taking the loss. She gave up four runs, three earned, on seven hits and struck out three.
Taylor Dekok worked four scoreless innings and allowed three hits. She struck out five and walked two.
Highland put up five runs in the top of the second inning in game two.
One run in the third inning and three in the top of the fourth gave the Scotties a 9-0 advantage.
Grace Utz homered with Rae Ann Hartwig aboard in the bottom of the fourth inning, and Cloud County trailed 9-4.
A two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning extended the Scotties' lead to 11-2.
The T-Birds added two runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Delaney Exon doubled to drive in Mia Kelly and scored on a wild pitch.
Dekok took the loss. She surrendered six runs on six hits, struck out three and walked five in four and two-thirds innings.
McKenna Mayhew gave up five runs on five hits, struck out three and walked four in two and a third innings.
Utz drove in two runs for the T-Birds.