Category: KCKCC

Blue Devils face ranked baseball foes after 3-1 Jayhawk start

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Back in play after three weeks of pandemic quarantine, Kansas City Kansas Community College finally opened Jayhawk Conference baseball play by taking three of four games from Fort Scott over the weekend.

Rebounding from a tough 2-1 opening loss Friday, the Blue Devils rebounded with a 14-4 nightcap win and followed with an 11-6, 8-3 sweep at Fort Scott Sunday.

The three wins improved the Blue Devils’ record to 6-4 heading into the toughest week of the season. The Blue Devils play at No. 7 ranked Cowley College (15-2) Tuesday and then take on unbeaten and No. 5 ranked Johnson County (23-0) Thursday in Overland Park and at home Saturday.

The Blue Devils got a 3-run home run from Brendyn Bard and four RBI’s from Cole Silbowski in their 11-6 opening game win at Fort Scott Sunday.

Silbowski singled in two runs to put KCKCC in front in the second inning and after Bard blasted a 3-run homer in the third, singled in two more run in a 5-run third inning.

Darius Freeman and Jaylon Johnson also had two hits and Cole Dawson singled in two runs in the fifth.

Only one of six runs given up by Tyler Kapraun was earned. Kapraun (2-0) struck out six, walked three and allowed six hits in 4.2 innings before Hunter Cashero finished up with 2.1 scoreless innings.

The Blue Devils scored six runs in the third to break open the 8-3 nightcap win.

Big blows were a 2-run double by Caleb Adams and a 2-run homer by Bard, his fourth of the season.

Cole Dawson had three of KCKCC’s seven hits including a 2-run home run in the fourth.

Sebastjan Velez got his first pitching win, allowing just two hits and one run in 5.1 innings. He struck out five.

Chase Terrell gave up two hits and two runs in 1.2 innings before Eli Tormes closed out the win with two innings of one-hit relief.

KCKCC scored in six of eight innings in a 14-8 nightcap win on Friday.

Silbowski led an 11-hit attack with three hits and three RBI; Dawson tripled and singled; Bard singled and doubled; and Adams singled twice. Logan Barnard and winner Chase Terrell each gave up three hits in three innings; Tormes allowed two hits in two innings; and Cashero gave up one hit in the ninth.

The Blue Devils’ lone run in their 2-1 loss came on a Palmer Hutchinson home run in the fourth inning after Fort Scott had gone ahead on two walks, a single by Grant Jones and double by Jeff Clark.

Charles Bell got the win, allowing just four hits in six innings. Parker Waddle was the tough luck loser, allowing five hits in seven innings while striking out 11.

Near-perfect finish lets KCKCC’s Mullen share medalist honors

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Blake Mullen is 2-for-2 in his first full golf season at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

A sophomore from Olathe East, Mullen came from four shots back to tie for medalist honors in the Bethel Spring Invitational Saturday and Sunday. The comeback helped KCKCC vault into second place in the six-team tournament.

The first 18 holes were played at the par 71 Hesston Municipal Golf Park; the final 18 at the par 72 Sand Creek Station in Newton.

Mullen’s first place tie came on the heels of his win in the Evangel Spring Invitational in Springfield, Missouri, March 8-9. The Blue Devils resumed action Monday, playing in a Jayhawk Conference designated tournament at Colbert Hills in Manhattan.

Mullen was in fourth place and four strokes back after an opening 4-over par 75 at Hesston Saturday but roared down the stretch with the tournament’s best round on Sunday, a 2-under 70 at Sand Creek Station. The 70 enabled Mullen to share medalist honors with Bryan Cowan of Fort Hays, who had rounds of 71 and 74.

“The second day Blake played near perfect golf with just one bogey,” KCKCC coach Gary Shrader said. “On Saturday, he had 35 putts in shooting 75 but could have posted a 67 if the makeable putts had gone in.”

Four Blue Devils finished in the Top 12 in medalist play led by freshman Carson Towey of Bishop Carroll, who tied for eighth thanks to a final round 74 after an opening 82.

“Solid rounds for a freshman,” Shrader said. Sophomores Keegan Ellington of Andover Central tied for 10th (79-78-157) and Mark Towey finished 12th (79-79-158),

Freshman Colby Unruh of Overland Park tied for 16th (80-81-161), Jacob Hall of Tonganoxie was alone in 18th (84-78-162); and Dyland Freund of Cheney was 24th (85-82-167).

“We played both Hesston and Sand Creek without practice rounds but were able to keep the ball in play,” Shrader said. “It was also our only dry rounds of play this spring. As a team, we were able to shoot some rounds in the 70s.”

Third after the opening round, the Blue Devils turned in the day’s best round of 301 to climb into second place (313-301-614) behind Fort Hays State (300-305-605). Kansas Wesleyan was third (617) followed by two Kansas Wesleyan teams and Hesston.

Overtime win vaults KCKCC men into Jayhawk lead

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Idled by the pandemic the last three weeks, it seemed only fitting Kansas City Kansas Community College’s men’s basketball team should go overtime in its first game back.

Getting a do-or-die free throw from Caleb Jones with two-tenths of a second remaining to get into overtime, the Blue Devils rode 3-pointers by DeAngelo Bell and Shayon Janloo to a down-to-the-wire 73-70 win Saturday.

The win vaulted the Blue Devils (3-1) into first place in the Jayhawk Conference ahead of Johnson County (5-2), Fort Scott (4-3) and Labette (4-3) with one regular season game remaining. KCKCC finishes at Fort Scott Wednesday while JCCC is at Labette and Highland (2-2) at Hesston (0-7).

The Blue Devils (10-6) were a free throw away from a win – or a loss in the final second of regulation play Saturday. Caleb Jones, who had made two free throws to give KCKCC a 65-64 lead with 14 seconds to play, was fouled with :02 left and the Blue Devils trailing 66-65. His first free throw came up short, the second center cut and overtime.

Labette took a quick 68-66 lead in overtime before Bell and Janloo delivered game-deciding 3-pointers. Bell’s came with 3:15 left for a 69-68 lead and Janloo followed with the haymaker with 39 seconds remaining and a 72-68 lead.

Labette’s Jermond Mosley’s layup made it 72-70 and the Cardinals sent Jones to the foul line with 14 seconds to go. He made the first but Bryson Dennis’ desperation 3-pointer to tie bounced off the back rim.

A 6-7 sophomore from Raytown South playing his final regular season home game, Jones led all scorers with a career high 26 points on 10-of-13 from the field. He also led the Blue Devils in rebounding with 10 with Robert Rhodes adding seven.

Bell totaled 15 points including 3-of-5 treys, Jonloo 11 points and Trey Bates a career high 11 assists and three steals.

The Blue Devils came out blazing, converting 16 of 30 shots for 53.3 percent and a 39-27 halftime only to have the Cardinals drain 5-of-10 3-pointers in out-scoring KCKCC 39-27 the second half.

Taking advantage of a sizeable size advantage, the Cardinals dominated rebounding 42-32 but committed 22 turnovers to 18 for KCKCC.