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Cottey College Comets split first pair at home
NEVADA, Mo. -- The Cottey College Comets split their first two home games at Bushwhacker Field Friday afternoon as they took on the East Central College Falcons.
"The first game, we really got things going," head coach Greg Tietz said. "Just running the bases well, we were able to put up eight runs on the board. So (I'm) real proud of them, real proud of the way we're hitting the ball."
The Comets hit the ball well throughout the entire opening game, putting up three hits in the first two innings. The Comets were able to convert those hits into three second inning runs and jumped out to an early 2-0 lead.
That was the end of the offense for both sides until the fifth inning when the Comets got the spark they had been looking for throughout the game. Cottey was able to put up just one hit in the third inning and none in the fourth, but found the rhythm they were looking for in what would become the game's final inning as they put up six runs on seven hits in the fifth to take the game 8-0 via the run rule.
Cottey's offense struggled through a major portion of the game, but ultimately was able to get the spark they needed in the end. The defense was another strong point for the Comets as they were able to keep East Central off the scoreboard.
"We've been back and forth on that," Tietz said. "Some games we've been on, some games have just been defense big time. We just came around and started hitting the ball real well."
Tara Mitchell came up with a strong performance from the pitching circle in game one, going the distance on 102 pitches with 10 strikeouts, while allowing just two hits with one walk and a hit batter. As a team, the Comets finished out the contest with eight runs on 11 hits and got the benefit of three Falcon errors.
Ashley Wilson, Bianca Schneader, Jasmine Miller and Brianna Blacklock all contributed to the offensive effort, combining for the Comet's eight RBI in the game.
In game two, Megan Steffens took over the pitching duties for the Comets and got off to a bit of a rocky start, allowing two runs on two hits with one walk in the opening frame. From that point on, however, Steffens made a solid recovery and finished out the game without allowing another run and giving up just one more hit.
The Comets' offense never found the spark they used to finish off game one and ultimately dropped the second game by a final score of 2-1.
East Central's Elizabeth McKinney held the Comets to just four hits in the game, allowing the only Cottey run in the sixth. "We were just trying to adjust to a slower pace of the second pitcher (McKinney) and we faced a lot of pop-ups and hitting it right to them," Tietz said. "So we've just got to get on that ball better."
By the time the sixth inning came around, the Comets had finally begun to adjust to that slower pace, but it proved to be too little, too late. Cottey was able to put up one run, but fell just short as East Central took the game by a final score of 2-1 to salvage the split.
The Comets have gotten off to a strong start in the first year of the program, working their way to a record of 9-7 on the year, 3-5 in the spring season. The entire Cottey roster is made up of freshman players, but Tietz said that they have quickly begun to bond and play well as a team, showing a great deal more maturity and stronger play than expected from an all freshman lineup.
"Going in, you know, you always think, 'Where are we going to be at, where are we going to stand when we play somebody else' and the girls have really come together," Tietz said. "They've bonded and their really playing well. There are times when they make freshman mistakes, but other times, they're not playing like freshmen."
The Comets have shown very strong performances thus far and hopes are very high for the remainder of the season. Tietz said that as a team, the Comets are showing continuous improvement and are always ready to play and are "going to compete and be in every game."
"I think that the rest of Region XVI knows that Cottey's here and we're ready to play," he said.