by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College softball pitchers gave up just 10 hits in two games Sunday but the Blue Devils still had to settle for a split at Hesston Community College.
Shay Grosstephan scattered six hits in an opening 4-0 shutout while MacKenzie Pinkerton gave up only four in a 4-3 second game loss.
The loss left the Blue Devils 4-2 in Jayhawk Conference play and 18-8 heading into back-to-back doubleheaders with North Central Missouri, Mondy at Trenton and home Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Grosstephan (8-1) led both offensively and defensively in the 4-0 opener. She struck out six, walked one and faced just 27 batters on the mound and belted a 2-run home run.
Devin Purcell singled twice and drove in a run and Kaylee Arnzen’s sacrifice fly brought in another. Scoreless through four innings, the Blue Devils scored two runs in the fifth and two in the seventh.
KCKCC outhit the Larks 10-4 in the second game but couldn’t overcome Hesston’s early 3-1 lead. Pinkerton (5-6) struck out eight and walked two while allowing four runs, one of which was unearned.
Hannah Redick had a double and two singles, Alexis Rymer doubled and singled and Alaina Howe singled twice.
Trailing 3-0 in the fourth, Britney Smith drove in two runs with a single. Hesston added what proved to be the winning run in the fifth. KCKCC’s final run came in the sixth on Howe’s second hit of the game.
At 18-8, KCKCC has more wins than any team in the Jayhawk. Johnson County, Cowley and Labette share the conference lead at 5-1 followed by Highland (6-2), KCKCC (4-2) and Hesston (5-5).