Cottey remains winless

Thursday, April 12, 2012

By Jason Peake

Daily Mail Sports Editor

NEVADA -- The effort is there.

But the results are not.

Cottey College's softball team remained winless on the season after dropping both games of a doubleheader to Allen County Community College on Wednesday at Bushwhacker Field.

The Red Devils beat the Comets 17-1 in the opener and then took game two 9-0.

"The first game they hit us really hard," Cottey Coach Shelli Stanley said. "Rachel (Kennedy) left some balls up. And we just couldn't get the bats going to answer back."

Cottey scored its only run of the game in the first inning against Allen County's Keelyn Bonar. Kelly Spong hit an RBI single, scoring Reanna Henderson.

Allen County scored twice in the first and four times in the second against Kennedy to go up 5-1.

A two-run homer from Taylor Easum gave the Devils a 7-1 lead in the third. Next, Allen County added three more runs on four-straight hits and a ground out. Maecy Charleston then hit a two-run blast over the fence in left for a 12-1 cushion before Kennedy and the Comets got out of the third inning.

Allen County added a run on two hits and a walk in the fourth for a 13-1 lead.

Cottey got going a bit in the bottom half.

Spong singled and Liz Bromley reached on a fielder's choice, with Spong out at second. Next, Gabriela Torres singled and Cottey had two on.

But Stevie Van Horn and Hallie Comer were both retired to end the threat.

Allen County scored four more runs in the fifth on five hits and an error. Kayla Van Viet hit a solo homer in the frame and the Devils were up at 17-1.

Cottey went down in order in the bottom half and the game ended due to the run-rule. A Nevada grad, Kennedy took the loss on the mound.

In game two, the Comets did not have a hit. Cottey's only base runner of the game was Van Horn, who drew a walk in the fifth.

Allen County's Alex Hill earned the no-hitter and struck out 11 in five innings.

The visitors scored once in the first, twice in the second, and then added five runs in the third for an 8-0 lead. Allen County's final run came in the fifth.

The lone highlight for Cottey came in the first when the Comets turned a double play.

Coach Stanley said Van Horn gave a solid effort on the mound.

"She didn't pitch badly," Stanley said of Van Horn. "I keep telling them we're going to get hit. We just have to answer back. We didn't do that."

Allen County improves to 25-21. With the two losses, Cottey is now 0-10.

Stanley said she's preaching to her team to continue to work hard.

"I think we're there defensively," Stanley said. "We've come a long way defensively since we played these guys earlier this season."

Stanley admitted her team is struggling offensively.

"We're chasing a lot of bad pitches," Stanley said. "We get up there ready to not strike out rather than to get in there and hit. There's still a lot of work to do in the cages."

The Comets are at Mineral Area CC on Friday.

The team's next home date is Thursday, April 19 against Kansas City, Kansas at 2 p.m.

Last week

Cottey dropped a doubleheader at Kansas City, Kansas last Thursday.

KCK won game one 8-0 and then took game two 13-1 in five innings.

Wednesday's results

GAME ONE

Allen Co. 17, Cottey 1

AC 237 14 -- 17 20 0

CO 100 00 -- 1 3 2

WP: Bonar. LP: Kennedy.

GAME TWO

Allen Co. 9, Cottey 0

AC 125 01 -- 9 13 0

CO 000 00 -- 0 1 4

WP: Hill. LP: Van Horn.

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