by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
The winningest team in the Jayhawk Conference put two more victories in the season’s record book Tuesday.
With 8-7 and 4-1 wins over Park University junior varsity in Parkville, Kansas City Kansas Community College boosted its season’s record to 27-13.
No other team in the conference has more than 20 wins on the season. At 8-4 in the conference, KCKCC is tied for third with Highland. Johnson County is first at 11-1 with Labette second at 9-3.
The Blue Devils are right back in action Thursday, as hosts of Coffeyville at 2 and 4 p.m. in the next-to-last home conference doubleheader and then go to first place Johnson County Saturday
Trailing 7-6 in the top of the seventh inning of the opener, the Blue Devils tied the game on doubles by Alexis Rymer and Alaina Howe and then went ahead to stay on a Jennica Messer single, her third hit of the day and third run batted in. Howe also had three hits and Rymer two.
Rymer put the Blue Devils ahead 2-0 in the first on a two-run triple following a walk and a single by Shay Grosstephan and they added two more runs in the second on hits by Howe and Messer.
Mackenzie Pinkerton got the pitching win, retiring the side in order in the bottom of the seventh after KCKCC had taken its 8-7 lead.
Pinkerton (11-7) allowed three runs and seven hits after coming on in relief of Grosstephan with one out in a 4-run Park third inning. Pinkerton struck out four and walked two while Grosstephan gave up four runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings.
Faith Maslak (6-2) pitched a nifty 4-hitter in the 4-1 second game win, scattering seven hits while striking out one and walking one. The lone run came in the fourth inning on a two-out double.
The Blue Devils took a 2-0 lead in the first on singles by Devin Purcell, Grosstephan and Rymer and added a pair of runs in the fifth aided by three walks and a passed ball. Purcell had two hits while Rymer drove in two runs.