by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information
The KJCCC Player of the Week last week, Kansas City Kansas Community College third baseman Palmer Hutchison laid the foundation Thursday for a repeat performance.
Hutchison’s leadoff home run in the top of the eighth inning provided the winning run in a 5-4 opening game win and he added another in a 10-1 sweep of Neosho County in Chanute. The homers were his 10th and 11th of the season and gave him seven in the last eight games.
The sweep extended the Blue Devils’ current winning streak to 10 in a row and a two-game lead over Allen County in the race for the third place and a home playoff berth.
Johnson County (18-2) continues to lead the Jayhawk Conference followed by Cowley (16-3-1), KCKCC (13-7) and Allen County (9-7). The Blue Devils closed out their four-game series with Neosho Saturday in a home doubleheader and are hosts to Maple Woods Monday at 3 p.m.
Hutchison’s tie-breaking home run in the 5-4 win rewarded Parker Weddle’s strong pitching performance. Weddle (4-3) worked seven innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs. He struck out seven and walked three before Hunter Cashero gave up one hit and struck out two for his first save.
The Panthers proved to be the generous hosts. Hutchison’s homer was the only earned run. The Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead in the third without benefit of a hit, scored another on singles by Camden Karlin, Cole Slibowski and Caleb Adams in the fourth; and added two in the fifth on a two-run single by Slibowski following an error and Hutchison’s third hit of the game.
Logan Barnard (3-0) allowed just two hits in six innings in the 10-1 nightcap, walking four and striking out four. Joseph Reyes pitched a scoreless seventh.
The Blue Devils belted three home runs. Cole Dawson had a 2-run shot in the first and Adams and Hutchison each had 2-run blasts in a 4-run second. Adams added a 2-run double in the sixth while Dawson finished with three hits and Camden Karlin, Hutchison and Adams two each.
A COVID freshman from Hays, Hutchison paced the Blue Devils to six wins with five home runs, two with the bases-loaded to earn Player of the Week honors.
Hutchison’s two-out grand slam got the Blue Devils in front 4-0 in the first inning of a 14-4 win at Highland Thursday and then hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning in a game the Blue Devils would win 11-6. He finished with two hits in each game. On Saturday. Hutchison belted two home runs, one a grand slam and drove in seven runs in a 13-3 win over Highland and then homered and singled in a 6-3 nightcap win. Hutchison leads the Blue Devils in home runs with 11 and runs-batted-in with 31 while hitting .307 and has been a defensive standout at third base.