by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
When it comes to prestige wins, Kansas City Kansas Community College got a big one Tuesday.
Led by the pitching of Shay Grosstephan and the power of Kaylee Arnzen, the Blue Devils dealt Crowder College a 4-3 setback – only the third loss in 51 games for the Roughriders, who came into the game ranked No. 10 in the NJCAA Division I national rankings.
The Blue Devils also led the second game 1-0 early and trailed only 2-1 before the Roughriders (49-3) flexed their muscles, pounding out nine hits off two pitchers in a 12-run fifth inning on their way to a 14-1 win.
The Blue Devils (33-17) now close out regular season play Thursday, playing host to Cowley College with a home playoff berth on the line.
It’s also Sophomore Day with six Blue Devils to be honored between games. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The Blue Devils built a 4-0 lead in the opener and then held on as Grosstephan pitched out of two late inning jams to get the win.
Crowder scored an unearned run in the fourth and two in the sixth on Morgan Montgomery’s ground rule double with the bases loaded. With the tying run on third and lead run on second, Grosstephan struck out Kaylee Bemo to end the inning.
The Roughriders also had the tying run on third in the seventh inning before Grosstephan got cleanup hitter Paxton Wildeman to fly out to Paris Forshey in left field for the final out.
KCKCC managed only five hits against Aspen Younce but four figured in the Blue Devil scoring.
Back-to-back two-out singles by Alaina Howe and Jennica Messer gave the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead in the second inning and Arnzen provided what proved to be the game-winning runs when she followed a single by Devin Purcell with a monster home run to left-center in the third. It was the ninth of the season for the sophomore first baseman.
The Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead in the second game, scoring on a double by Howe and a single by Britney Smith in the second inning of the nightcap. KCKCC managed only one other hit, a single by Brittney Beck.
Crowder took the lead 2-1 in the third on a single, triple and throwing error and then broke the game wide open in the fifth against Mackenzie Pinkerton and reliever Faith Maslak, scoring 12 times on nine hits, three walks and a hit batsman.