Month: March 2016

Red flag warning in effect this afternoon

Gusty southwest winds to 31 mph combined with temperatures in the lower 60s and humidity values as low as 25 percent will create a high fire danger this afternoon across the region, according to the National Weather Service.

A red flag warning has been issued from noon to 6 p.m. today for Wyandotte County and surrounding areas, and outdoor burning is highly discouraged this afternoon, the weather service said.

Today, the high will be near 63 with wind gusts as high as 31 mph, the weather service said.

Tonight, there is a 40 percent chance of rain, mainly after 9 p.m., according to the weather service. Winds may gust as high as 18 mph.

For Thursday, expect skies that are mostly cloudy, then clearing gradually and becoming sunny. The high will be 53, with north northwest wind of 10 to 15 mph gusting to 22 mph, the weather service said.

Thursday night’s low will be 33.

Friday, it will be mostly sunny with a high near 60, the weather service said. Winds may gust as high as 20 mph.

Friday night’s low will be around 40, the weather service said.

Saturday, it will be sunny with a high of 61, and Saturday night, the low will be near 39, according to the weather service.

Saturday night, the low will be around 39, according to the weather service. Sunday’s high will be near 64 with partly sunny skies.

There is a chance for thunderstorms Sunday night through Tuesday, according to the weather service. It remains too early to determine whether severe weather can be expected with this activity.

KCKCC extends win streak to six; Jayhawk play begins Thursday

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Things get real serious for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s streaking baseball team this week.

After a non-conference home contest with William Jewell JV Tuesday at 2 p.m., the Blue Devils open Jayhawk Conference play Thursday at Johnson County, one of the league’s pre-season favorites. Weather permitting, KCKCC will play two games at JCCC Thursday starting a 1 p.m. and then host the Cavaliers in a doubleheader Saturday, also at 1 p.m.

The Blue Devils stretched their current winning streak to six Saturday, sweeping Midland 17-5 and 10-3 to boost their season’s record to 9-2.

Ryan Fisher and Eli Lovell led the 15-hit offense in the 17-5 opener. Fisher drove in four runs with a single, triple and sacrifice fly while Lovell had three singles and three RBI. Travis Stroup added a single and triple while Daulton Smith, Conor Behrens and Easton Fortuna each drove in two runs with a pair of hits.

Trailing 1-0 in the third, KCKCC tied the game on a single by Fortuna, Smith sacrifice and Albert Woodard’s run-scoring ground ball and then added four more runs as Stroup and Fisher sandwiched triples around a Lovell single. The Blue Devils followed the 5-run outburst with a 7-hit, 10-run fourth. Behrens had two hits and drove in two runs in the inning while Fisher had a two-run single, Fortuna a run-scoring double and Smith, Lovell and Fortuna RBI singles. Singles by Stroup and Lovell and Fisher’s sacrifice fly scored the final two runs in the sixth.

Jake Purl got his second win, allowing four hits and two earned runs in five innings. He struck out five and walked none. Alton Walker and Chad Cox finished up, each with one-inning of one-hit relief.

The Blue Devils pounded out another 12 hits in the 10-3 6-inning nightcap win. Stroup had three hits including his second triple of the day; Chad Gray tripled in two runs; and Chase Redick, Ty Bradshaw and Ryne McDonald had two hits apiece.

Tied 1-1, the Blue Devils scored three times in the fourth. Back-to-back singles by Bradshaw, McDonald and Redick scored one run, Stroup tripled in another and scored on a Zach Mahoney single. Although thrown out at the plate on an attempted inside-the-park home run, Gray’s two-run triple made it 6-1 in the fifth and the Blue Devils closed out the win with four runs in the sixth that featured a run-scoring double by Joe Ramos and a two-run Bradshaw single.

Mathew Perez got the win, allowing three hits and three runs while striking out four in five innings before Cameron Bednar was touched for one hit in one inning of relief.

Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.