Cottey Viewpoint, Summer 09

Softball Comets Conclude First Season

Theresa Wilson sends one down the left field line against Ft. Scott.

The Cottey College Comets’ first softball season showed real promise. In the limited fall season, the Comets went 6-2 and looked as though they might be a contender. In the spring, the Comets had a record of 8-14, as the team’s inexperience occasionally hurt them. In the postseason, the Comets went 1-2 in the Region XVI tournament.

The weather gave the Comets more trouble than other teams this spring. Four doubleheaders were rained out and, because of the wet spring, were unable to be rescheduled. In fact, one of the rescheduled doubleheaders was rained out. Games scheduled for April 2, 5, and 9 were rained out giving the Comets an extended stretch where they played no games, and couldn’t even practice on the field due to the wet conditions.

Despite having all freshmen who had never played together as a team and fighting an incredibly wet spring, the Comets put together an admirable first season. One certainly they should be able to build upon next year.

The Region XVI postseason tournament was a microcosm of the spring season with convincing wins and losses and close calls. In the opening round, the Comets defeated St. Louis Community

College-Florissant Valley 9-2. In the second round, top-seeded Mineral Area College handled Cottey 2-11. In the losers’ bracket, the Comets had a narrow defeat at the hands of East Central College 7-8.

Tara Mitchell took the hill in the 8 a.m. opening game and went the distance striking out three and scattering five hits. Mitchell helped her own cause with three hits and drove in four runs with a single, double, and home run. Amanda Sebree was four for four at the plate with two singles, two doubles, and two RBIs.

At noon, the Comets faced the top-seeded team and discovered that you can’t make mistakes against a good team. “We made four errors in that game and it cost us,” said Comets head coach Greg Tietz.

Megan Steffens pitched a complete game for Cottey against Mineral Area, striking out five and allowing nine hits. On offense, Jasmine Miller had two hits and an RBI and Ashley Wilson had two stolen bases. Of note was Theresa Wilson’s steal of home to score the Comets’ second run.

Megan Steffens sends a pitch home.

At 4 p.m. the Comets took the field for the third time that day. Despite that, the Comets almost pulled off the upset. Mitchell again took the mound and went the distance striking out nine and only allowing eight hits. The Cottey defense was solid behind Mitchell, making only a single error the entire game.

Kelsey Henson had two singles and a double, driving in three of the Comets’ runs. Ashley Wilson and Steffens each added a pair of hits as well. What really showed the Comets’ aggressiveness were the two players who each had three stolen bases. Ashley Wilson and Brianna Blacklock led the larceny in a back-and-forth game.

“We were very close to winning that game as we had the lead and fought back each inning to retake the lead several times,” said Tietz. “It was a tough game to end the season on.” The Comets ended their first season with a record of 15-18 including the postseason tournament.

Top-Seeded Basketball
Comets Fall in TournamentSoftball

Top-Seeded Basketball
Comets Fall in Tournament

Maybe it was an omen of the 76-85 overtime loss that was to come, but when the bus transporting the Cottey College Comets to the Region XVI postseason tournament broke down in Liberty on the way to Trenton, Missouri, it put the team in a pinch. Head coach Dave Ketterman had to rent a pair of vans, and by the time the team reached North Central Missouri College, it was only 30 minutes before tip off in the semifinal match between Cottey and Penn Valley.

Not that bus troubles can excuse the Comets’ cold start, they were after all the top seed in the region, but Penn Valley was more than ready for Cottey when they took the floor. The Lady Scouts scored the first six points of the evening and jumped out to an early 10-2 lead as the Comets committed a number of turnovers, throwing the ball out of bounds on several of their early possessions.

Cottey twice pulled within a basket of Penn Valley in the first half, only to see the fourth-ranked Lady Scouts rebuild their advantage. Twice the Comets faced a 10-point deficit in the first half.
The Comets, however, were not about to give up without a fight. They did not earn the region’s top record by rolling over when games got tough. Cottey clawed back and managed to pull within six points at the break 29-35.

After the break, the Comets did a much better job of controlling the ball and not making careless turnovers. That had as much positive impact as the Comets improved shooting. Jessica Roberts began to heat up outside and passes in to Brittany Smith and Amanda Sanders began finding their marks. At about the 13-minute mark, the Comets took their first lead of the night at 45-43, and momentum seemed to have moved over to Cottey’s bench for the first time all night.

Penn Valley was not about to relinquish the lead, however. The Lady Scouts’ guard, Ashley Booker, who had been averaging around 10 points per game, was in the zone and totaled 33 points on the night. In the second half, she hit three of her game-high six treys to keep Cottey from pulling away. In the final six minutes, there were five lead changes and three ties.

Cottey had its chance in regulation. Sanders hit a trey with just over two minutes to play giving the Comets a four-point lead at 66-62. The Comets could have closed out a close win. Instead, the Lady Scouts defensive pressure kept Cottey from getting a good look at an open basket. Alex Noble was stripped of the ball and Penn Valley scored at the 1:47 mark to pull within two at 66-64. Sanders missed a shot at 1:13. The Lady Scouts got the ball, worked their offense, and missed the shot. However, they grabbed the rebound and got the tying basket with 51 seconds on the clock. Tied at 66, the Comets took one final shot with five seconds left, but it would not fall and the teams went into overtime.

Penn Valley quickly scored the first five points and looked as though they would run away with the OT. Credit Roberts who hit a pair of key free throws to tie the game at 74 and a clutch basket to tie it again at 76. Unfortunately, it would be the last basket Cottey would score while the Lady Scouts found an additional nine points in the final minutes. Booker hit two treys and a field goal in overtime along with four free throws to seal the upset win.

Leading scorer for the Comets was Roberts with 24 points. Close behind was Smith with 23 points, and Sanders added 13 points. Leading rebounder for Cottey was Kindal Huett with nine boards. Diamond Hurst added seven assists and Roberts had four blocked shots.

After the game, it was announced that Roberts and Smith were named to the All-Region First Team, and Sanders and Noble were named to the All-Region Second Team.

The Comets finished the season with an overall record of 15-6 on the year.

Cottey Runners: On the Road and On the Web

Are you a runner? Check out the Cottey College Runners page on Facebook. This group is open to everyone, but is especially for any past, present, or future Cottey runners. The Cottey campus has had a vibrant running community for several years. It has been an informal group of both competitive and recreational runners who get together to train and occasionally compete in area races. In fact, two of this year’s graduates, Amy Sue Guinn and Kate Valerio, have been offered scholarships to run cross-country at their transfer institutions.

Cottey alumnae, students, and prospective students who are runners are encouraged to join the Facebook group and post photos, course routes in and around Nevada, and race PRs. Most important, this group exists to share the love of running with other members and to encourage participation in a lifetime sport.