by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Faced with a nine-day layoff before the start of Region VI playoff action, Kansas City Kansas Community College coach Matt Goldbeck was able to add William Jewell junior varsity to the schedule Thursday to keep Blue Devils sharp while the rest of the Jayhawk Conference finished out regular season play.
Offensively, the added game couldn’t have gone much better – 16 hits including seven for extra bases in yet another game that went right down to the wire.
Three times the Blue Devils had to come from behind, the last time in the bottom of the 10th in a wild 15-14 victory.
The win got the Blue Devils within one win of their third 40-win season in the last four years at 39-14 as they await opening playoff action this coming Thursday, probably against Seward County (26-25) which is currently in sixth place in the Jayhawk West.
A best-of-three series, the second game will be played Friday with a third game if necessary on Saturday.
Sophomore Kemper Bednar had three singles and a double and freshman Tyler Henry doubled twice and singled to pace the Blue Devils’ 16-hit attack while four others had two hits each, Jose Sosa, Griffin Everitt, Brady Holder and Matt Schrick. Kevin Santiago added a double and Eduardo Acosta drove in three runs without a hit.
Trailing 7-2 after three innings, the Blue Devils had to score runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game 13-13 and two in the 10th inning for the 15-14 win.
Extra base hits got the Blue Devils even and then won it. A Griffin Everitt triple and a Tyler Henry double, both with two out, closed the KCKCC deficit to 13-12 in the seventh and the Blue Devils pulled even in the eighth on singles by Bednar and Schrick and a sacrifice fly by Acosta.
The Cardinals re-took the lead on a wild pitch in the top of the 10th before Bednar’s fourth single was followed by a game-tying triple by Brady Holder and Matt Schrick won it with a single.
The rally made a winner out of Max Storch, who struck out six, walked none and allowed just one run and four hits in 3 2/3 innings of relief.
Matt Fred got the start, giving up six earned runs and four hits in two innings. He walked three, struck out two.
Hunter Paxton worked 3 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and four runs, walking one and hitting three before Zavier Morin relieved in a 6-run sixth inning, allowing two hits and two runs.
Jewell took a 5-0 lead in the first two innings. KCKCC got two runs back in the second on a walk, Henry’s first double, Kemper’s bunt single and a Holder sacrifice fly only to have the Cardinals reopen their lead to 7-2 in the third.
KCKCC got four runs back in the fourth on just two hits, a leadoff single by Henry and a run-scoring double by Santiago after three walks.
The Blue Devils went back ahead 11-9 with a 5-run fifth. Loading the bases with one out on a hit batsman, walk and Holder single, Acosta drove in one run with a sacrifice fly, Sosa doubled in two runs and Everitt singled in two more.
The lead was only temporary. The Cardinals scored six times off three Blue Devil hurlers in the sixth and it took the late inning heroics for win No. 39.