Cottey sweeps Sterling College, concludes season 22-2 overall

The Cottey Comet softball team wrapped a terrific inaugural season in the NAIA with a double-dip sweep of Sterling (Kan.) College on Thursday.

Cottey (22-2) took the opener, 2-0, and then rolled to a 15-5 victory in the nightcap.

Cottey ace Kirsten Wallace spun a seven-inning complete-game shutout in the opener, yielding just three hits, while fanning three. Wallace aided her own cause with a sixth inning solo bast, while Comet freshman outfielder Kasey Hernandez finished 3-for-4 at the dish.

Wallace concluded the season with a pristine 11-1 record, and a microscopic 0.61 earned run average, allowing just six earned runs over 68 1/3 innings.

Wallace also carried Cottey in the nightcap, as her three-run homer punctuated a 5-for-5, four RBI performance. Additionally, third baseman Jen Cruse drove in three runs, and finished 3-for-4 with a pair of stolen bases.

Wallace also picked up the victory in game two, after coming on in relief of starting pitcher Emily Killion.

Killion, however, had a dominant season in the circle, with an 8-0 record, and a 2.97 ERA.

At the dish for Cottey this season, Wallace finished with a .533 batting average, and a team-leading four home runs and 26 RBI.

Prior to Thursday’s contest, Cottey had its 18-game win streak snapped in a doubleheader road-split with Langston (Okla.) University.

Editor’s Note: Cottey is not eligible for postseason play until their second season of competition in the NAIA.