Thunderbirds’ season ends with loss to KCK

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Cloud County Community College softball team had its season come to an end with a pair of losses to Kansas City Kansas Community College in the opening round of the Region VI Division II District D tournament on Saturday.
Kansas City Kansas pulled out a 6-4 win in the first game of the doubleheader, and then shut out the Thunderbirds 9-0 in the second game.
Cloud County finished up 11-29.
The T-Birds grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning in game one.
With two out, Mattison Hogrefe hit a ground-rule double. She scored on a double by Jacie Marcotte.
The Blue Devils tied the game at 1-1 with a run in the bottom of the first.
A run in the fourth inning gave KCK a 2-1 advantage.
Cloud County, scoring three runs with two out in the top of the fifth inning, reclaimed the lead at 4-2.
Emily Wells singled with two.
Mikayla Bletscher followed with a single, and Wells was able to score on the throw.
Hogrefe then walked and Marcotte doubled in two runs.
Taking advantage of a close call at first base on a bunt attempt by Alaina Smith in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Blue Devils regained the momentum.
After Smith was called safe, KCK strung together five straight hits on its way to scoring four runs to go back on top 6-4.
“We felt it was a bad call at first base, and it changed the whole complexion of that inning and the game,” Cloud County coach Aaron Acree said, “It got them on a roll. Then we were left with just three outs to work with in the top of the seventh. We knew we had to get the first game to get momentum, but the pressure was on with us playing at their facility. It was just very unfortunate.”
Wells led off the top of the seventh inning with a single, but Bletscher hit into the doubleplay.
A ground ball by Hogrefe ended the game.
Hogrefe suffered the loss.
Marcotte was 2-for-3 with three runs batted in.
Wells had two hits in four at bats.
KCK's Mackenzie Pinkerton shut Cloud County out on two hits in the second game, which ended after the top of the fifth inning because of the eight-run rule.
“After facing an off-speed pitcher in game one, KCK threw a girl with some velocity in game two and we struggled to adjust,” Acree said, “We hit a lot of balls right at people.”
The Blue Devils took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and added two runs in the third to make it 4-0.
Kaylee Amzen hit a three-run home run as KCK tacked on five runs in the bottom of the fourth.
KCK (34-18) advances in the playoffs, and will face Hesston College (34-11) at Hummer Park in Topeka on Saturday.