North Platte – The North Platte Community College Knights softball team will play the Central Community College Lady Raiders April 29-30 for the Region IX Division II championship at the Dowhower Softball Complex.
It is a best of three series, which is a new format for determining the Region IX champion.
The Knights are the number one seed in the tournament with a regular season Region IX Division II record of 10-2, and earned the right to host the championship series. The Lady Raiders, who were 4-8 in Region IX Division II play, hosted Southeast Community College, also 4-8, to see who would face the Knights. After losing to Southeast, the Lady Raiders battled back in the second game to win 3-2, and took the deciding game 12-2.
The Knights are 28-26 overall and have a.408 team batting average, with 40 home runs hit on the season. Individually the Knights are led in hitting by Sarah Beaton at .477 in 172 at bats. Beaton also has nine doubles, three triples, and three home runs with 34 runs batted in. Following Beaton in the team lead for average is Samantha Gill at .475 in 181 at bats. Gill has 12 doubles and eight home runs with 39 runs batted in. Samantha Foster leads the Knights in home runs with 12 and runs batted in with 64. Foster has a .472 batting average in 193 at bats with 20 doubles and 2 triples.
In the ring, Foster has a 3.29 earned run average with 94 strikeouts. Foster has had 29 appearances and an 11-14 record. Erin Renwick also has appeared in 29 games and has a 16-11 record. Renwick has a 3.76 earned run average and has struck out 64 opposing batters.
The Lady Raiders are 16-31 overall and has a team batting average of .351 with 26 home runs.
Danica Schaefer leads the Lady Raiders in hitting with a .427 batting average in 143 at bats. Schaefer also has 16 doubles, two triples, five home runs, and 35 runs batted in. Maddi Kucera has a .403 batting average in 159 at bats. Kucera has nine doubles, five triples, one home run and 29 runs batted in. Katelyn Keene leads the Lady Raiders in home runs with eight, followed by Antonia Rodriguez with six home runs. Rodriguez has 45 runs batted in to lead the Lady Raiders.
Carsen Nelson leads the Lady Raiders in the ring with a 5.46 earned run average. Carson has pitched in 29 games and has an 8-16 record with 78 strikeouts. Keene has a 5.47 earned run average in 24 games. Keene has a 7-7 record with 61 strikeouts.
Game times for the series are: Game one is Saturday, April 29 at 3 pm. Game two follows at 5 pm on Saturday. If game three is necessary, it will be played Sunday, April 30 at 1 pm.
All games will be broadcast on the radio at ESPN 1410 and on the Internet at www.northplattepost.com. They will also be livestreamed at www.npccknights.com.
The winner of this series will represent Region IX in the District G playoff series at the Region 11a champion to secure a bid in the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament in Clinton, Miss. On May 17-20.