NORTH PLATTE – The McCook Community College softball team picked up a pair of wins Wednesday over North Platte in two distinctly different ways. Freshman Angel Valdez (West Jordan, Utah) tossed a complete game three-hitter in Game 1 to give MCC a 3-1 win and a seventh-inning grand slam off the bat of Hannah Jensen helped secure a 15-10 win in Game 2.

The wins put MCC in the driver’s seat in the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference standings with a 5-1 mark (all on the road) and will play each of the three conference teams twice more at home. The win also puts MCC at 22-22 on the season.

This weekend the Lady Indians will travel to Sterling, Colo. for a doubleheader with Northeastern Junior College Saturday at 1 p.m. (MT) and to Scottsbluff Sunday to play Western Nebraska in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. (MT).

The Lady Indians will be home for the final 10 games of the season with a doubleheader Tuesday against Otero Junior College (11 a.m.), Wednesday against Central Community College (1 p.m.), and Friday against Trinidad State Junior College (11 a.m.).

You can stay up to date with all MCC Indian Athletics including live-streaming games, news, photo galleries, schedules and more at MCC Indians Athletics web page at:

https://mccindians.com/index.aspx?tab=softball&path=softball

NCCAC Standings                        

                        W-L     (Overall)

McCook         5-1      22-22

Southeast      5-3      11-13

Central CC    3-3        8-18

North Platte   1-7      11-21

REMAINING NCCAC CONFENCE GAMES

April 24: Central Community College at MCC, 1 p.m., 3 p.m.

April 29: Southeast Community College at MCC 1 p.m., 3 p.m.

April 30: North Platte at McCook, 1 p.m., 3 p.m.

GAME 1 – McCook CC 3, North Platte CC 1: Down 2-1 in the third inning, the Lady Indians scored two runs which would be all the runs they needed to back the three-hit pitching of Angel Valdez.

Emily Charchuk (Victoria, British Columba) led off the MCC third with a single to right. Sophomore Sieara Price (Greeley, Colo.) delivered a two-out RBI-single followed by a Taylor Ford (McCook) RBI-single.

In the sixth inning MCC manufactured a run with a hit batter, a passed ball and a North Platte error.

The Lady Indians were held to four hits in the game including a double from Jerusha Miner (Gunnison Valley, Utah) and the three singles in the two-run third by Charchuk, Price and Ford.

GAME 2: – McCook CC 3, North Platte CC 1: The Indians scored three runs in the first inning, five in the second and another in the third inning to lead 9-0 but had to hold on to outlast North Platte.

A couple North Platte errors and a Taylor Ford sacrifice fly helped the Lady Indians get off to a 3-0 start. Kassidy Powers lifted a three-run homer to centerfield in the second inning to give MCC a 6-0 lead. The Lady Indians extended the lead with RBI singles from Jerusha Miner and Sarah Willier to put McCook up 8-0. Powers drove home a run in the third with a sacrifice fly.

North Platte chipped away with a pair of runs in the third and two more in the fifth inning to close within 9-4. MCC got one of those runs back in the sixth but the Knights came up with six runs in the sixth inning to tie the game at 10-10.

Emily Charchuk broke up the tie in the top of the seventh with a bases-loaded walk and the next batter, Hannah Jensen (Aurora, Colo.), powered a grand-slam home run to center to give the Lady Indians the final margin of victory.

Freshman Sarah Willier (Ponoka, Alberta) started in the circle for MCC and went 4.2 innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs. Sophomore Kayla Harrison (Richmond, British Columbia) pitched two-thirds of an inning and gave up three hits and four earned runs. Freshman Etta Van Burgsteden (Kinistino, Saskatchwan) came on to pitch the final 1.2 innings and picked up the win, allowing one hit, a walk, a strikeout and one unearned run.

MCC outhit NPCC 12-10. Miner and Jade Hollands (Effington, Kan.) each had three hits, and Powers two.

The North Platte Community College softball team dropped a pair of games at home against Southeast Community College Tuesday. In the first game of the day, Southeast broke up a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning with six runs on the way to a 7-1-win. The Storm broke a 2-2 tie the fourth inning of Game 2 with an unearned run and went on to win 4-3.

“We fought hard and never gave up,” said North Platte Community College Coach Janelle Higgins.

The Knights got a couple complete-game performances from pitchers Emily Marsden (Papillion) and Ashylnn Krueger (Littleton, Colo.).  At the plate, Hallei Morales (North Platte) had four hits on the day including a home run.

North Platte committed 10 errors on the afternoon while Southeast had two.

“Our defense was on point today for 13 innings, the top of the seventh of Game One, we got caught on our heels,” Higgins said.

The Storm improve to 11-13 on the season and 5-3 in the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference and also take the lead in the Region IX Division 2 standings at 5-1.

North Platte is 11-19 on the season, 1-5 in the NCCAC and 1-5 in Region IX.

“Overall we just have to play our game, once we get our offense and defense on the same page on the same day we will be moving and shaking,” Higgins said.

The Knights will be back in action Wednesday for a home doubleheader against McCook Community College. Those games are set for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. The Knights will round out region play April 23 when they host Central Community College for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.

“It’s all about the end of the season and we are getting better every day,” Higgins said. “I’m proud of our athletes and know we can win we just have to believe in ourselves.”

Check out North Platte Knights home softball games broadcast on 98.1 FM / 1410 AM or on the Internet at www.northplattepost.com.

GAME 1 – Southeast CC 7, North Platte CC 1: The Storm scored a third-inning run but North Platte got that run back in the bottom of the fourth inning when Hallei Morales (North Platte) launched a solo home run to centerfield to tie the game at 1-1.

Starting pitcher Emily Marsden (Papillion) held the Storm to one run through the top of the seventh when Kelsey Markey hit a three-run home run to give the Storm a 5-1 lead.

Marsden finished the game giving up nine hits over seven innings, and four earned runs. She walked two and struck out seven Storm hitters.

Despite the fact the Knights are the fifth best hitting team in the nation (with a .403 batting average) North Platte was held to five hits in the game. Morales led the way with two.

“Our hitting struggled a little bit, we played atoms balls — hit the ball right at em,” Higgins said.

Southeast played errorless ball in the field, North Platte was charged with six miscues in the game.

GAME 2 – Southeast CC 4, North Platte CC 3: Trailing 1-0 in the second inning, the Knights got on the scoreboard with an Ashylnn Krueger solo home run.

Southeast’s Kelsey Markey hit her second home run of the day in the Southeast third to put the Storm up 2-1 but Willow Chitty (North Platte) tied it up with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the third inning.

The Storm were able to score the eventual game-winner in the fourth on a pair of North Platte errors, and a two-out single. Southeast went up 4-2 with a fifth-inning homer.

Kayleigh Bucio (Rialto, Calif.) doubled to lead off the North Platte fifth inning and later scored on an RBI single from Hallei Morales to make it a 4-3 game. The Knights put two runners on base with one out, but left them stranded and then went out in order in both the sixth and seventh innings.

North Platte out-hit the Knights 10-6 with two hit games from Bucio, Morales, Emily Marsden and Ashylnn Krueger.

NCCAC Standings                         Region IX Standings

                        W-L     (Overall)

McCook         3-1      20-22                          NA

Southeast      5-3      11-13                          5-1

Central           3-3      8-18                           2-2

North Platte   1-5      11-19                          1-5

REMAINING NCCAC CONFENCE GAMES

Wednesday: MCC at North Platte, 5 p.m., 7 p.m.

April 23: Central Community College at North Platte, 3 p.m., 5 p.m.

April 30: North Platte at McCook, 4 p.m., 6 p.m.

REMAINING REGION IX GAMES

Friday: Central Community College at Southeast, 2 p.m., 4 p.m.

April 23: Central Community College at North Platte, 3 p.m., 5 p.m.

The Nebraska vs. Colorado State spring volleyball match will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the McCook Community College Graff Events Center, 401 E. M St., in McCook. Tickets for the event are sold out.

Both the southeast and southwest entry doors will open at 11:30 a.m. Seating is general admission only. Attendees must have a ticket to enter and no one, other than event staff, will be allowed in early.

Ticket lines will begin on the north end of both the east and west side of the Graff Events Center.  Parking will be available on the east and north sides of the building, but parking on the west side will be prohibited.

Tailgating will be allowed in the parking lot prior to the game, however, no alcohol or tobacco will be allowed on site. Restrooms will be available at the city park.

In order to promote fairness and equal opportunity to all ticketholders, saving seats for large parties will not be allowed and will be monitored by event staff.

The UNL 150th Anniversary Traveling Exhibit will be on display in the Auxiliary Gym for the duration of the event.

There will also be an autograph session in the Auxiliary Gym immediately following the game.

On Wednesday evening, Head Coach Scott Frost announced the rosters for Saturday’s Red-White Spring Game at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be carried live on BTN. Fans can also listen to the game on the Husker Sports Network, including radio stations across the state, Huskers.com, the Official Husker App and on the TuneIn App or at TuneIn.com

Roster cards will be available on Saturday at concessions stands throughout Memorial Stadium for $1.

Players Unavailable for the Spring Game
Anthony Banderas (51) – ILB
Bradley Bunner (39) – DB
Braxton Clark (15) – DB
Nick Henrich (42) – ILB
Chris Hickman (87) – TE
Will Honas (3) – ILB
Cam’ron Jones (29) – DB
Wan’Dale Robinson (1) – WR
Collin Shefke (56) – OL
CJ Smith (26) – DB
JD Spielman (10) – WR
Jack Stoll (86) – TE
Caleb Tannor (1) – OLB
Maurice Washington (28) – RB
Tate Wildeman (92) – DL

The North Platte Community College softball team gave up 26 runs on Tuesday but found a way to score 29 runs, and swept Northwest Kansas Technical College 11-9, 18-17.

“It was a great day for ball, the weather was perfect and we came out with two wins, we couldn’t ask for anything more,” said North Platte Coach Janelle Higgins.

Hallei Morales (North Platte) went four-for-four with a pair of home runs and six RBIs to help fuel the Knight offense in the first game. In the second game Willow Chitty (North Platte) and Kayleigh Bucio (Rialto, Calif.) were a perfect nine-for-nine at the plate combined, scoring 10 times and driving in 10 to lead the 20-hit Knight attack.

“Hitting is contagious and once it gets going the atmosphere gets hyped and good things happen, Higgins said. “It’s great when we have athletes — who have been struggling in some aspect of the game — respond with a great at bat or great day on the mound or in the field.”

North Platte improves to 11-17 on the season and will be in action Saturday at home against Central Community College in games at 1 and 3 p.m. and on Sunday against Southeast Community College in games at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

“Every day we are able to get games in we get stronger as a unit and we will only continue to get stronger as the season progresses,” Higgins said.

Game 1 – North Platte CC 11, Northwest Kansas Tech 9: Willow Chitty broke up a 7-7 game in the fifth inning with a go-ahead home run to propel the Knights to the win.

“We started out a little slow and tight in Game One but ended up hitting the ball well and our defense held strong to come out on top,” Higgins said.

Hallei Morales homered twice, doubled and singled in four at bats to help fuel the Knight offense. She doubled in the first, homered in the third, homered in the fourth, and singled in the fifth.

Emily Marsden (Papillion) was in the circle for Knights. She surrendered nine runs on 11 hits over seven innings.

“Our athletes showed a ton of grit today, they never stopped and never gave up. From the top of our order to the bottom to the dugout everyone was in sync,” Higgins said.

Kayleigh Bucio (Rialto, Calif.) had a four bagger in the fourth inning. Mikayla Gibson (West Valley, Utah) had a three-hit game. North Platte also got multi-hit games from Chitty, Bucio, and Alea Binkly (Council Bluffs, Iowa).

Game 2 – North Platte CC 18, Northwest Kansas Tech 17: With the game tied at 15-15 in the sixth inning, Kayleigh Bucio delivered a two-run triple (one of four hits she had in the game) to put North Platte in the lead for good.

The Knights had built a 13-7 lead in the fifth inning but Northwest Kansas Tech scored eight times in the sixth to take a 15- 13 lead.

Ashylnn Krueger (Littleton, Colo.) was credited with the victory for Knights. She went five innings, allowing ten runs on ten hits, striking out four and walking none. Hailey Wilkins (Tyler, Texas) threw two innings in relief out of the bullpen to earn the save for Knights.

Bucio went yard in the second inning. She tripled and singled twice scoring five runs in the game along with seven RBIs. Chitty went five-for-five, scoring five runs and driving in three. The Knights also got three-hit games from Emily Marsden and Maddie Liddell (Glenwood, Iowa).

The North Platte Area Sports Commission brings the 2019 Major League Baseball Jr. Home Run Derby to North Platte on Saturday, April 27th at the American Legion/North Platte First Nationals Baseball Field. This fun and exciting youth competition is a free way for talented youngsters to showcase their hitting abilities, with the opportunity of competing at the National Finals during MLB® All-Star Week™.

Boys and girls are divided into two age divisions: 12U and 14U, and will have the chance to advance through three levels of competition. The Local Champions from both age divisions will advance to the Regional Level, and Regional Champions will advance to the National Finals, which will take place during the 2019 MLB® All-Star Week™ in Cleveland, Ohio.

All participants must bring a copy of their birth certificate and have their parent or guardian fill out a registration/waiver form prior to the start of the competition. To pre-register or for more information, go to PlayNorthPlatte.com, or contact the local coordinator, Samantha Geisler at 308-221-6865. This is a FREE event for both participants and spectators.

North Platte Area Sports Commission strives to bring in bigger tournaments and more events for our youth! For more information on the North Platte Area Sports Commission go to PlayNorthPlatte.com! The North Platte Area Sports Commission is a division of the North Platte/Lincoln County Visitors Bureau.

Mid-Plains Community College resumed the 2018-19 rodeo season with two second place finishes over the weekend – despite running into some hard luck.

The MPCC Rodeo Team competed at the South Dakota State University Jackrabbit Stampede in Brookings, S.D. Friday and Saturday.

Bull rider Koby Jacobson, of Haiku, Hawaii, finished second as did his team roping teammates, Caden Kinderknecht, of Almena, Kan., and Trenton Solida, of Phillipsburg, Kan.

“Koby has been trying real hard on both ends of the arena,” said Garrett Nokes, MPCC Rodeo Team timed event coach. “He’s really been working at being a major part of the team, and that finish put him to where, he’s still third in the standings, but it’s a very strong third.”

Nokes said Jacobson hasn’t officially punched his ticket for the College National Finals Rodeo, however, he is in a position that will be difficult for his competitors to beat.

“I’m happy for him and real proud,” Nokes said. “Koby’s close to accomplishing a goal he set for himself, and he has a chance to qualify for nationals in the steer wrestling, too, if things go right these next few rodeos.”

Nokes is also impressed with Kinderknecht’s work ethic and how far he has come in the past six months.

“There’s no end to what Caden can accomplish,” Nokes said. “As for Trenton, he’s had a lot of success recently. He’s placed in the top six in the last three rodeos, and just keeps plugging along and doing great things for us.”

In the other events, Seth Pearson, of Valentine, placed fifth in the tie-down roping for MPCC. J.D. Draper, of Oakley, Kan., was sixth in the steer wrestling.

Overall, MPCC ended up fifth in the men’s team standings. It was sixth in the women’s team standings.

The team suffered a setback Saturday when a bronc flipped over on Landon Sivertson, of Ree Heights, S.D., causing him to sustain injuries that will temporarily take him out of competitions.

“Landon has contributed really well to the rodeo team as a freshman,” Nokes said. “We’re really going to miss having him compete with us this weekend, and depending on what the doctors say, possibly the rest of the season. He’s a good kid and about as hardworking of a kid as I’ve ever coached. I’m sure going to miss him, but there’s no way that he won’t be back in the fall. He’s too driven.”

The Jackrabbit Stampede was the first rodeo of spring for the Great Plains Region. MPCC will compete in three more rodeos through the first week of May. The next one will be Friday and Saturday at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D.