by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information
Softball sweeps on the road in the Jayhawk Conference are hard to come by. Almost impossible for Kansas City Kansas Community College at Johnson County – until Friday.
“I think that’s the first time we’ve ever swept Johnson County,” said KCKCC coach Lana Ross after the Blue Devils’ 5-2 and 10-2 wins. “A great week with three wins over ranked teams.”
In actuality, it was KCKCC’s first sweep of the Cavaliers in more than 25 years – since March 7, 1995. JCCC leads the all-time series 110-19.
The sweep of the No. 11 ranked Cavaliers came on the heels of a 4-1 win Tuesday over Crowder, which is ranked No. 16 in NJCAA Division I.
With 11 wins in their last 12 games, the 19th ranked Blue Devils improved to 27-7 overall and 8-4 in the Jayhawk Conference with a chance to move up with three doubleheaders next week. Allen County comes in Tuesday for games at 2-4 p.m.; the Blue Devils go to Fort Scott Thursday; and then on Saturday they entertain league-leading Labette, to whom the Blue Devils lost twice earlier (1-3 p.m.).
Outstanding pitching and timely hitting were key to Friday’s doubleheader sweep. Freshman Breanna Droge gave up seven hits and struck out 11 in the 5-2 win; sophomore Bradi Basler allowed five hits and struck out four in the 5-inning 10-2 nightcap. Each allowed just one walk. “Both pitchers pitched great,” Ross said.
The Blue Devils gave Droge all the runs she needed in the second inning, scoring four times, all with two out. After loading the bases on two walks and a Lindsey Gettle single, Alaina Howe singled in two runs and Savannah Maynard doubled in two more. Howe and Maynard also had singles in the seventh with Howe scoring the fifth run on Basler’s ground ball.
KCKCC scored runs in each of the first four innings of the nightcap, wrapping up the 5-inning win with five runs in the fourth highlighted by Hannah Maurer’s bases-clearing double on a 3-2 pitch with two out. The first two runs in the inning came on a bases-loaded walk and a Basler single.
The Blue Devils took advantage of a faulty JCCC defense for their first five runs. Maynard singled and Devin Purcell walked and both scored on a passed ball in the first.
“Great base-running by Devin to score all the way from second base,” Ross said. Gettle doubled and scored on a passed ball to make it 3-1 in the second and the Blue Devils added two more runs in the third. Purcell singled and scored on a double by Basler, who came home on a wild pitch.
“I could not be prouder,” Ross said. “It takes a lot to go into another park and win two games. If someone had told me we would be 27-7, I would never have thought it.”
The wins tightened up the Jayhawk race. Labette leads at 9-1 followed by JCCC, 10-4; and KCKCC, 8-4. The Cavaliers and Blue Devils will meet again in the final games of the regular season May 8.