by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Pitcher Carlos Soto showed the way in the first game, hitters took the lead in the nightcap as Kansas City Kansas Community College swept a Jayhawk Conference doubleheader at Coffeyville Friday.
Soto went the distance in a 6-3 opening game win; the Blue Devils hammered out 13 hits in a 14-8 slugfest in the second game. The wins boosted KCKCC’s overall record to 37-13 and kept alive hopes of moving up in the conference standings.
Solidly in third place at 22-8 heading into today’s home doubleheader with Coffeyville, the Blue Devils need help to move up higher in the final standings. Johnson County and Cowley share the lead at 21-5 heading into their doubleheader today.
The Blue Devils play at home today at 1 p.m. Today’s doubleheader closes out KCKCC’s conference season but Johnson County and Cowley each have four games remaining next week, JCCC against Coffeyville and Cowley with Neosho County.
Soto took a 5-hitter and 6-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh before a final inning scare. After a Luis Mendoza home run, the Ravens loaded the bases with one out on three consecutive singles before Soto started a home to first game-ending double play.
“We always find ways to make it interesting,” KCKCC coach Matt Goldback said. “Soto was cruising up until then; dominant the whole game.” Soto struck out five, walked one and hit two.
Eduardo Acosta provided the game’s biggest blow, a bases-loaded triple in the second inning set up by a walk and singles by Traice Hartter and Kemper Bednar.
Eric Hinostroza’s run-scoring single made it 4-2 in the fifth and the Blue Devils added a pair of insurance run in the seventh on a two-run single by Jose Sosa following a pair of walks and Hinostroza sacrifice bunt.
KCKCC scored six runs in the first two innings of the second game but still led only 6-5 before four relief pitchers limited the Ravens to six hits and three runs over the final seven innings.
Kevin Santiago homered and singled and Griffin Everitt had three doubles to lead KCKCC’s 13-hit attack. Brady Holder and Acosta each had two hits and Bednar a triple.
The Blue Devils were aided by Coffeyville wildness. Three KCKCC runs scored on wild pitches and five Raven hurlers walked eight and hit one. Five Blue Devils combined to strike out 10 but also gave up five walks, hit three batters and threw four wild pitches.
KCKCC jumped in front 4-0 in the first inning, loading the bases on a hit batsman and two walks. Tyler Henry’s sacrifice fly scored the first run, Everitt doubled in another and Holder singled in two.
Aided by two hit batsman and a walk, Coffeyville made it 3-2 in the bottom of the inning. Santiago’s home run following an Acosta double reopened the lead to 6-3 in the second only to have the Ravens score twice in the bottom of the inning and then tie it with a run in the bottom of the fifth.
The Blue Devils then broke away by scoring in each of the final four innings, breaking the 6-6 deadlock with three runs in the sixth on just two hits, singles by Holder and Sosa sandwiched around two walks and two run-scoring wild pitches.
Another run scored on a wild pitch in a 2-run seventh after a double by Everitt and Bednar’s triple. Two more runs scored in the eighth on singles by Santiago and Hinostroza, Henry’s sacrifice fly and Everitt’s third double and hits by Holder and Acosta and a Santiago fly ball finished the scoring in the ninth.
Zavier Morin got the pitching win, allowing two hits and two runs in 2 2/3 innings, He struck out two and walked one. Jose Amaro and Max Storch finished up with one scoreless inning each. Victor Gotay got the start, allowing five runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings. Hunter Paxton came on in relief of Soto, allowing three hits and one run in two innings and registering three of 10 strikeouts recorded by KCKCC hurlers.