by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information
Despite an 11-game winning streak ended in a split with Neosho County Saturday, Kansas City Kansas Community College still holds its destiny in its hands.
The Blue Devils have two four-game series remaining in the Jayhawk Conference, both against their biggest challengers in the race for a home playoff berth. Third in the Jayhawk at 14-8, the Blue Devils take on fifth place Allen County (10-10) this coming week and then close the following week against fourth place Coffeyville (13-11). Johnson County (21-3) and Cowley (19-3) lead the league.
Neosho ended KCKCC’s 11-game win streak 7-5 after the Blue Devils rode an 11-run fourth inning to a 12-4 win in the opening game. The split left the Blue Devils 21-13 heading into a non-conference game at Pittsburg State junior varsity Monday at 5 p.m. Allen County comes in Thursday before the four-game set ends Saturday in Iola.
The Blue Devils trailed 3-0 in the fourth inning of the first game when they lashed out eight hits and scored 11 runs. Singles by Raymond Paniagua and Brendyn Bard, Palmer Hutchison’s 2-run triple and a double by Caleb Troutt tied the game and the Blue Devils added seven more runs on singles by Jaylon Johnson, Cole Dawson and Caleb Adams and a 2-run double by Troutt. Paniagua tripled in the final run in the sixth.
Sebastian Velez (2-1) got the win, allowing six hits and three runs in four innings. Chase Terrell gave up one hit and one run in two innings; Steven Santiago finished up allowing two hits and two runs.
Brendyn Bard and Palmer Hutchison had six of the Blue Devils’ seven hits in the 7-5 nightcap. Bard had two doubles and a triple and Hutchison drove in five runs with his 12th home run of the season, two singles and a sacrifice fly.
Tyler Kapraun gave up only one hit, a home run by Ivan Witt, the first four innings only to have Neosho score two runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Kapraun allowed three runs on five hits, striking out four in 5.2 innings before Eli Tormes was touched for five hits and four runs in two innings.
The Blue Devils have added two non-conference games, both against Baker University junior varsity May 3 and 4. KCKCC will be the host of the May 3 game; date and location of the second game is yet to be determined.