by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information
Back in play after three weeks of pandemic quarantine, Kansas City Kansas Community College finally opened Jayhawk Conference baseball play by taking three of four games from Fort Scott over the weekend.
Rebounding from a tough 2-1 opening loss Friday, the Blue Devils rebounded with a 14-4 nightcap win and followed with an 11-6, 8-3 sweep at Fort Scott Sunday.
The three wins improved the Blue Devils’ record to 6-4 heading into the toughest week of the season. The Blue Devils play at No. 7 ranked Cowley College (15-2) Tuesday and then take on unbeaten and No. 5 ranked Johnson County (23-0) Thursday in Overland Park and at home Saturday.
The Blue Devils got a 3-run home run from Brendyn Bard and four RBI’s from Cole Silbowski in their 11-6 opening game win at Fort Scott Sunday.
Silbowski singled in two runs to put KCKCC in front in the second inning and after Bard blasted a 3-run homer in the third, singled in two more run in a 5-run third inning.
Darius Freeman and Jaylon Johnson also had two hits and Cole Dawson singled in two runs in the fifth.
Only one of six runs given up by Tyler Kapraun was earned. Kapraun (2-0) struck out six, walked three and allowed six hits in 4.2 innings before Hunter Cashero finished up with 2.1 scoreless innings.
The Blue Devils scored six runs in the third to break open the 8-3 nightcap win.
Big blows were a 2-run double by Caleb Adams and a 2-run homer by Bard, his fourth of the season.
Cole Dawson had three of KCKCC’s seven hits including a 2-run home run in the fourth.
Sebastjan Velez got his first pitching win, allowing just two hits and one run in 5.1 innings. He struck out five.
Chase Terrell gave up two hits and two runs in 1.2 innings before Eli Tormes closed out the win with two innings of one-hit relief.
KCKCC scored in six of eight innings in a 14-8 nightcap win on Friday.
Silbowski led an 11-hit attack with three hits and three RBI; Dawson tripled and singled; Bard singled and doubled; and Adams singled twice. Logan Barnard and winner Chase Terrell each gave up three hits in three innings; Tormes allowed two hits in two innings; and Cashero gave up one hit in the ninth.
The Blue Devils’ lone run in their 2-1 loss came on a Palmer Hutchinson home run in the fourth inning after Fort Scott had gone ahead on two walks, a single by Grant Jones and double by Jeff Clark.
Charles Bell got the win, allowing just four hits in six innings. Parker Waddle was the tough luck loser, allowing five hits in seven innings while striking out 11.