Lady Blue Devils rally in both games for sweep of State Fair

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s women’s softball team stole a page out of the KU basketball playbook Tuesday, coming from behind in both games in a doubleheader sweep of State Fair.

Trailing 1-0, the Blue Devils tied the opener in the sixth inning and won it in the seventh 2-1 on Mikaela Hoffart’s two-out double and then erased a 6-4 deficit with four runs in the bottom of the sixth for an 8-6 win in the second game.

“A really good determined effort to come from behind in both games,” KCKCC coach Kacy Tillery said. “We swung the bats (30 hits in the two games), got strong relief from Cheyenna Owens in both games and didn’t make an error in either game.”

The wins snapped State Fair’s four-game winning streak and boosted the Blue Devils’ record to 6-2 heading into a re-match with State Fair in Sedalia Thursday before jumping into Jayhawk Conference play Tuesday when they league favorite Highland in a twin bill starting at 1 p.m.

Sophomore Megan Sumonja did not allow a hit in the opener until the sixth inning when State Fair scored its only run on a leadoff walk, stolen base, ground ball and a two-out infield single, the Roadrunners’ only hit of the game. The Blue Devils bounced right back to tie it in the bottom of the inning. Candice Jennings started the inning with a double to left and with two out, Katherine Stringer lashed a double to right-center to tie it.

The Blue Devils then won it in the seventh on a one-out walk and Hoffart’s sinking line drive that skipped past the rightfielder and brought pinchrunner McKenzie Hersh home with the game-winner. Four Blue Devils had two hits in the contest, LaTisha Thomas, Hoffart, Jennings and Stringer.

The rally made a winner out of Cheyenna Owens, a freshman from Pleasant Ridge who also got the win in the nightcap. Owens came on in the top of the seventh after Sumonja had given up a walk and hit batsman and on her second pitch, got a ground ball double play started by Jennings at shortstop. Owens then pitched three innings of relief in the second game, allowing three hits, two runs and no walks.

Trailing 6-4 in the nightcap, KCKCC wasted no time in tying the game. After a leadoff single by Taylor Hall, Basehor’s Allison Kasick blasted a game-tying home run to centerfield, The Blue Devils then won it on doubles by Hoffart, Jennings and Stringer.

The Blue Devils pounded out 19 hits in the second game including 11 in the first three innings when they only scored four times while leaving eight runners on base. The first four Blue Devils hitters in the first – Thomas, Hall, Kasick and Hoffart – all singled and Stringer added a fifth but KCKCC managed only two runs.

Hoffart finished with four hits, three singles and a double; Kassick drove in four runs with a home run, single and sacrifice fly; Hannah Bishop singled three times; Sam Sudac and Thomas each singled twice and Jennings and Stringer had RBI doubles.