by Kelly Rogge
Kansas City Kansas Community College opens Region VI softball playoff action on the road Saturday while the Blue Devil baseball team closes out regular season Jayhawk Conference play with a home doubleheader with Fort Scott.
Fifth place will be on the line in the baseball twin bill at 1 p.m. Fort Scott (14-16), by virtue of 11-5 and 8-7 home wins over KCKCC Thursday, could move past the Blue Devils (15-19) into fifth with a sweep. The fifth place finisher will open Region VI playoff action at fourth place Coffeyville (17-17) next weekend while the sixth place finisher will open at Neosho County (21-13).
Meanwhile, the Lady Blue Devils softball team (5-17) will be at Cowley County (31-12) in opening round playoff action Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m. If a third game is necessary, it will be played Sunday at 1 p.m. The Lady Blue Devils are 16-23 overall.
Nick Banman hammered a 3-run home run with one out in the bottom of the eighth Thursday to rally Fort Scott to an 8-7 win in the second game of the doubleheader after KCKCC had gone ahead 7-5 on Travis Stroup’s 2-run triple in the top of the inning. Alex Thrower doubled and singled twice; Tanner Foreschler singled three times; and Sam Baxter singled and doubled in KCKCC’s 13-hit attack.
Fort Scott built leads of 5-0 and 8-1 in the 11-5 opener. Landon Mason had three singles and Thrower a double and single to pace KCKCC’s 9-hit attack. The sweep dropped KCKCC’s overall record to 27-22.
Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.