5/7/2008
Story by Tyler Cundith
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OVERLAND PARK, KS -- The Johnson County Community College softball team is champions of the NJCAA Region VI Division II softball for the second straight year. The Lady Cavaliers dominated No. 5 ranked Cowley College in the championship game, 11-3, and advance to the NJCAA D-II National Tournament in Normal, Ill, next week. Last year, JCCC also defeated Cowley to win the region, then went on to place second at nationals, the highest finish in team history.
JCCC, ranked No. 7 in the RINGOR NJCAA Division II Softball Poll, put on a hitting clinic in this championship. As a team, the Lady Cavaliers hit .402, and ripped 105 hits, including 18 doubles and an amazing 17 home runs. The team scored 75 runs in the eight games.
“Anytime you hit 17 home runs and score 75 runs, your going to win,” said head coach Kelly Latendresse.
However, as powerful as JCCC’s bats were, their ride to the champions was not easy. After a record 29-1 win over Brown Mackie in the opening round, JCCC edged Hutchinson with a 3-2 win in the second round, setting up a meeting with conference champion Cowley. The Tigers downed JCCC 5-3 on a solo home run by Breayle Tackett and a grand slam from Kashilia Young, dropping the Lady Cavaliers into the losers bracket.
By falling down to the loser bracket, JCCC would need to win five games, four on Sunday, to claim the title, and that’s exactly what happened. The Lady Cavaliers began their run with a 10-8 win over Allen County Saturday night, followed by an 8-2 victory over Pratt and a 3-2 win over Highland, setting up a rematch with Cowley.
JCCC All-America second baseman Krista Cummings belted two home runs against East Jayhawk Conference MVP Jacey Juden, leading the Lady Cavaliers to an 8-5 win, setting one final game against the Tigers. That game was all JCCC, ending Cowley’s season with an 11-3 loss. Lindsay Bowers provided shot that sealed the victory in the top of the seventh. Leading 9-3, she belted a two-run shot over the center field fence.
“Johnson (County) was hitting everything, it didn’t matter what the pitch was,” Cowley head coach Ed Hargrove said in a Cowley College press release. “They took advantage of every opportunity they got.”
For the tournament, sophomore outfielder Kacee McDonald was the team’s leading hitter, batting .515 (17-for-33) with two doubles, four home runs, 13 runs and 13 RBI. She was also named to the All-Region VI second-team. Sophomore Debbie Schlagel hit 379 (11-for-29) with five doubles, two home runs, nine runs and 12 RBI. Other key producers were freshman Lindsey Tuter (.419, 2 doubles, 1 HR, 7 RBI), sophomore Lindsay Bowers (.345, 2 doubles, 3 HR, 9 RBI), Cummings (.423, 1 double, 3 HR, 7 RBI), freshman Sam Neely (.467, 1 double, 1 HR, 7 RBI), sophomore Kristen Kluge (.370, 3 doubles, 2 HR, 8 RBI) and sophomore Alex Zimmerman (.381, 1 double 4 RBI).
But while JCCC’s power numbers were amazing, the MVP’s of the tournament may have been freshmen pitchers Jamin Landreth and Katie Ford. Both battling nagging injuries, they battled throughout the tournament, and kept JCCC in all of the games.
“They demonstrated amazing character,” said Latendresse. “Jamin had not pitched in back-to-back games all year, and on Sunday, she pitched in all four games. These two flat out competed.”
Landreth logged the most time in the circle, pitching 35.3 innings. She was 5-0 with 22 strikeouts and held her opponents to a .248 average. Ford, an All-Region VI selection, was 2-1 with seven strikeouts in 17.6 innings of work. On the season, Ford leads the staff with 19 victories, followed by Landreth with 11.
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