Cottey softball team drops season opener to Southeast CC
Nevada Daily Mail
The Cottey Comets dropped their season opener at home Wednesday afternoon, losing to the Southeast Community College (Neb.) Storm 14-1 in five innings.
The Comets (0-2) also fell in the second game of the scheduled double-header, 9-0.
"We definitely need to get back into the cages," Cottey head coach Shelli Stanley said. "We've been in the gym for a couple of weeks. So that, I think right now is our downfall."
The game was previously slated for March. 1, but due to forecasted inclement weather, the game was moved up.
"I told the players that this was the first game, and that we're not even going to talk about it again, as long as we play like we know how," Stanley said.
The Comets however, were playing short-handed, as starting catcher and clean-up hitter Alyssa Jones was unavailable due to basketball obligations. In addition, outfielder Ciera Wong was also unavailable, as she doubles as the Comets starting point guard. Wong projects to bat near the top of the order upon her return to the lineup.
Jones and Wong have the potential to significantly impact the lineup in a positive way, according to Stanley.
"I think once we get the basketball girls back, we will be ready to roll," she said.
A 2-0 game was broken wide-open in the top of the fourth inning, as the Storm plated eight runs, with most of the damage coming with two outs.
"We start good, we end good, but it's just the big inning in-between," Stanley said.
Leading 2-0 in the top of the fourth, Storm freshman Melissa Foley led off the inning with a line smash to left-center field off of Comets starting pitcher Samantha Batchelder, resulting in a double.
Breanna Johnson followed with a bloop to right-center field, advancing Foley to third. With runners on first and third, southpaw Nicole Zelinski doubled to deep left-center field, scoring Foley and Johnson, as the Storm grabbed a 4-0 advantage.
Alyssa Bauer, out of St. Pius X High School in Kansas City, grounded out sharply to Cottey shortstop Katherine Brockus. The fielders choice advanced Zelinski to third base. Destiny Worthey followed with a second straight groundout to Brockus, scoring Zelinski, as Southeastern went on top 5-0.
With two out and the bases empty, freshman Alexis Graewe's one-hop line-drive off the body of Batchelder, sparked a fresh rally. In addition, Graewe would later steal second base. The flood-gates stayed open when lefty Megan Hartman blasted a Batchelder pitch into the right-center field gap and all the way to the wall for a double, plating Graewe from second base, giving the Storm a 6-0 lead.
The Storm's bats remained hot when third baseman Bailey Foulk stepped to the plate, as she hammered a pitch down the third base line, bringing Hartman around from second, for a 7-1 edge.
Southeastern cleanup hitter Kristin Thomas nearly touched Batchelder for a two-run homer, with the ball sailing into the left-center field netting, high above the wall, and dropping back into play, scoring Foulk, as the Storm lead swelled to 8-0.
The umpiring crew briefly huddled together to discuss whether or not to award Thomas a home run, but concurred it was a double.
Having now batted around in the order, Foley dropped a Batchelder pitch into shallow right field, allowing Thomas to cross the plate, and the Storm to increase their lead to 9-0. Johnson followed with a base knock into right field, as Foley crossed the plate, putting Southeastern up 10-0.
Zelinski flew out to Comets center fielder Taylor Klobnak to end the inning. The Storm added four more runs in the top of the fifth inning, to take a commanding 14-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, leadoff hitter Tara Holland reached base after first baseman Bauer dropped a throw from the shortstop. Following Holland in the order, Brockus grounded into a fielders choice, as Holland was thrown out at second.
With one out, freshman Jaida Brown singled into shallow right field. Brockus, who left on contact, rounded second and beat out the throw from Johnson in right field, sliding under Foulk's tag.
With runners on first and third and one out, left fielder France Cesar flew out softly to the pitcher. After the fly out, Cottey second baseman Kaitlyn Hill drew a walk, loading the bases. Representing Cottey's last chance, Lauren Shepherd drilled a 1-1 offering to deep center field, scoring Brockus, to get Cottey on the board.
Comets sophomore Shirley Arreola-Kern made the final out, as she was caught looking on a Zelinski fastball, ending the Cottey threat.
For Cottey, Klobnak finished 1-for-2, Brockus 1-for-3 with a run scored, and Shepherd 1-for-3 with an RBI. Batchelder fanned four batters in five innings of work, while Zelinski whiffed six Comets.