by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College’s Blue Devils went deep Saturday, launching a half-dozen home runs in a sweep at Highland that thrust the Blue Devils right into the thick of the 2017 Jayhawk Conference baseball race.
Brandon Green had three home runs and drove in six runs in a 7-3 opening game win; Alex Phillips belted a pair and drove in four in an 11-1 nightcap cruise that locked the Blue Devils into a 3-way tie for third place just two games out of first in position to determine their own destiny. With four weeks left, 12 of the 16 remaining games are against three of the four top contenders.
The Blue Devils (13-7) start with a home doubleheader with second place Allen County (14-6) Thursday at 1 p.m. Then it’s league-leading Fort Scott (14-6), sixth place Neosho County (11-9) and third place Johnson County (13-7) the closing three weeks. KCKCC has already finished play against the other third place team, Cowley College.
The Blue Devils also continued to get great pitching at Highland Saturday. Shae Stephens allowed just two hits in five innings in the 7-3 opening win and Corey Cowan gave up only three in six innings of the nightcap win. On Friday, Chad Cox and Jake Purl had combined to give up just seven hits as the two teams divided a doubleheader.
A freshman from Liberty, Green provided Stephens all the support he needed in the 7-3 opener, blasting a 3-run home run in the first, a 2-run shot in the third and a solo round-tripper lead off the sixth inning. The trio of homers were Green’s first of the year.
A walk, Tyler Pittman’s single and a run-scoring ground ball by Phillips gave the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead before Green belted the first of his three homers. Pittman and Chase Redick each had a pair of hits as they combined with Green for all seven KCKCC hits.
Stephens (4-1) struck out seven in five innings but also walked seven including three in the second and two in the fourth. Two of the walks ended up in runs delivered by two-out singles by Mitchell Austin. Cole Gacke worked the last two innings, striking out three while giving up a run on two hits and an outfield error.
The Blue Devils scored in every inning but the third in the 11-1 nightcap highlighted by Phillips’ sixth and seventh home runs of the season and one by Josh Schumacher. Five Blue Devils had two hits in the game, Albert Woodard, Easton Fortuna, Green, Schumacher and Phillips.