by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information
Coach Matt Goldbeck went deep into his pitching staff and bench in Kansas City Kansas Community College’s 9-4 and 5-4 sweep of Baker University junior varsity Monday.
With the final four games of the Jayhawk Conference regular season coming up Thursday and Saturday and a 9-inning game at Baker Tuesday, Goldback used seven pitchers and two totally different lineups with no pitcher throwing more than three innings in the 7-inning contests.
The wins lifted the Blue Devils’ record to 26-15 with conference games at Coffeyville Thursday and home Saturday to close out the season.
Home runs by Caleb Adams and Palmer Hutchison powered the Blue Devils to their 9-4 opening win. Adams followed a single by Cole Slibowski and a double by Hutchison with a 3-run homer to start the first inning and Hutchison made it 5-0 in the second with a 2-run shot following Beau Grable’s single.
The Blue Devils pounded out 14 hits including three by Adams and Hutchison and two each by Slibowski, Brendyn Bard and Grable. KCKCC scored its final four runs in the fourth on a double by Grable, consecutive singles by Slibowski, Hutchison and Adams and a 2-run double by Bard.
Tre Simmons got the win, allowing two hits in two innings, Alan Mercado worked two innings, allowing three runs on three hits before Steven Santiago finished up, giving up one run and three hits in two innings.
Four Blue Devils had two hits in the 5-4 nightcap. Samuel Juarez singled and doubled and Cole Dawson, Caleb Brown and Ivan Ortiz each singled twice in a 10-hit outburst.
Tied 1-1 after scoring an unearned run in the first, the Blue Devils scored three times in the third. Singles by Asnaldo Caicedo and Dawson and a sacrifice fly by Caleb Troutt scored one run and Caleb Brown doubled in two more.
Juarez’ double, the Blue Devils’ only extra base hit, and Troutt’s single made it 5-1 in the fifth before Baker scored three runs in the sixth.
Logan Barnard pitched the first two innings, allowing one hit. Jonah Dobson got the win, allowing one run on four hits in three innings. Brock Stewart was touched for three runs and two hits before Hunter Cashero got the last five outs.