by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
If Kansas City Kansas Community College’s baseball opener is any indication of things to come, Blue Devil fans are in for an exciting season.
Trailing Maple Woods 8-6 in the seventh inning and 10-8 in the eighth, the Blue Devils rallied with four runs in the bottom of the eighth for a 12-10 win in a game ended by darkness at the start of the ninth inning.
The Blue Devils now head out on a six-game spring road trip, playing Richland four times and Eastfield twice starting Friday in Dallas and Fort Worth. They will return home against North Iowa Area for doubleheaders Feb. 25-26.
Drew Holtgrieve and Zach Mahoney provided the big blows in the come-from-behind win over Maple Woods. Alex Phillips opened the eighth inning with a double and after a walk to Brandon Still, Tyler Pittman bunted the two runners to second and third from where Holtgrieve scored both with a double off the rightfield wall. Mahoney then put the Blue Devils ahead with a double to left and added an insurance run on Ty Bradshaw’s squeeze bunt.
A two-out rally had got the Blue Devils even in the seventh, a two-run single by Easton Fortuna after an error, walk and hit batsman loaded the bases. However, Maple Woods went right back in front in the eighth on a two-run home run by Matt Mackey.
Riding Jake Purl’s outstanding mound start, the Blue Devils surged to a 5-0 lead in the first. With two out, Alex Phillips launched a two-run home run to open the scoring. Holtgrieve followed a walk and a bunt single by Tyler Pittman with his first two-run double of the game and then scored on a wild pitch.
Purl pitched the first four innings, allowing just two hits while walking three and striking out six. However, four relief hurlers were tagged for 10 runs (all earned) and nine hits. Luke Ostenson got the win despite giving up Mackey’s go-ahead home run.
Five Blue Devils had two hits – Holtgrieve, Fortuna, Mahoney, Phillips and Josh Schumacher with Holtgrieve driving in four runs and Fortuna, Phillips and Mahoney two each.