by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College pitchers gave up only six hits in two games Friday but still had to settle for a split in an opening doubleheader that kicked off the Blue Devils’ annual spring break trip in Dallas, Texas.
After allowing just four singles in a 4-2 opening loss to Richland Community College, KCKCC’s Bret Snider and Gunner Vestal combined on a two-hitter in a 6-0 second game win. The two teams will play again Saturday and then the Blue Devils will take on Eastfield Sunday before returning next Saturday and Sunday for home twin bills against Northeast Nebraska.
Snider gave up just one hit, a two-out single in the third, while striking out three and walking three in five innings of the 6-0 win. Vestal worked the final two innings, giving up a leadoff single in the sixth and then getting four of the last six outs on strikes.
Eight Blue Devils had hits in a 10-hit attack including a home run and single by Brandon Still and two singles by Brigham Mooney.
The Blue Devils scored the only run they needed in the first, Tyler Pittman walked with two out and scored all the way from first on Rorey Combs’ single.
KCKCC scored three more times in the second. Consecutive singles by Kevin Santiago, Still and Jared Goodfellow ignited the rally and Mooney capped it with a run-scoring bunt single.
KCKCC added single runs in the fourth on back-to-back singles by Josh Schumacher, Mooney and Pittman and in the fifth on Still’s first collegiate home run to right-center.
The Blue Devils were limited to just two hits and three base-runners the first six innings in the opener before scoring twice in the seventh on singles by Combs and Remington Kelly and a two-out two-run single by Adam North. Mooney and James Bradley singled for the only other hits.
Richland scored its first run without a hit in the third on two walks and a sacrifice fly and then added three runs in the fourth on a single, hit batsman, balk, two errors and another single.
Victor Gotay took the loss, allowing the four hits, walking five and striking out three before Allan Brown came on to get the final four outs.