Stories from Sunday, May 7, 2017

The remarkable turnaround of the Cottey Comets' softball program was on full display Saturday at Vanek Family Field in Nevada, as the Comets hosted the NJCAA Region 16 softball tournament. The fourth-seeded Comets opened play at 10 a.m., stunning the top-seeded St. Louis Community College Lady Archers with a 4-3 extra-inning comeback victory. The triumphant Comets returned to the diamond four hours later, knocking off the third-seeded East Central College Falcons, 3-1 in seven innings...

A dramatic seventh-inning home run off the bat of Cottey freshman Hannah Bridges lifted the Comets to a 9-7 victory over the top-seeded St. Louis Community College Lady Archers in Sunday's NJCAA Division II Region 16 championship game. Cottey's triumph at Vanek Family Field netted the Comets its first regional championship for any sport in the history of the school...