Thunderbirds open season with sweep of Doane JV

The Cloud County Community College softball team opened its season by sweeping a doubleheader from the Doane University junior varsity on Monday.
Kicking off the season at home, the Thunderbirds shut out Doane 8-0 in the first game and posted a 9-3 victory in the second.
Mattison Hogrefe tossed a two-hit shutout for Cloud County in game one. She struck out eight and walked five.
Hogrefe singled to drive in Kara Chisolm and Kayla Lee as the T-Birds got out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning.
Jacie Marcotte and Hogrefe scored on a base hit by Emily Wells.
Cloud County made it 5-0 in the second inning when a ground ball by Chisolm got Lee home.
The T-Birds tacked on three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game because of the eight-run rule.
Taylor Burks singled to drive in Mikayla Bletscher.
A single by Hogrefe plated Burks.
Hogrefe scored on a single by Sarah Mccown.
Cloud County pounded out 12 hits in the game.
Hogrefe was 2-for-4 at the plate. She drove in three runs and scored two.
Wells knocked in two runs.
Marcotte had three hits in four at bats.
Lee was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, and Bletscher had two hits.
Doane took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning in game two.
Cloud County answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning.
Lee scored on a sacrifice fly by Hogrefe.
A ground ball by Marcotte got Chisolm home.
Burks doubled home Wells in the second inning to put the T-Birds up 3-1.
Doane tied the game at 3-3 with two runs in the top of the third inning.
Two runs in the bottom of the third put Cloud County on top to stay, 5-3.
Marcotte and Hogrefe scored on a double by Wells.
Cloud County added one run in the fourth inning.
A two-run single by Burks in the fifth inning gave the T-Birds an 8-3 cushion.
Erin Hammel scored on a double by Wells in the sixth inning to make it 9-3.
Brynn Riley pitched the first four innings to get the win. She allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits, struck out one and walked one.
Delaney Miller worked three scoreless innings. She gave up just one hit, struck out four and walked three.
The T-Birds scored nine runs on 13 hits.
Wells was 3-for-3 with three runs batted in and two runs scored.
Burks had two hits and drove in three runs.
Hogrefe had three hits in three at bats.
Chisolm was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Cloud County is scheduled to host a doubleheader against the Bethany College junior varsity on March 3.