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Two-out grand slam rallies KCKCC to dramatic 7-5 win

Blue Devils need sweep at Allen today for home playoff berth

by Alan Hoskins

One of the most dramatic blows in Kansas City Kansas Community College baseball history has put the Blue Devils in position to open the Region VI playoffs at home.
Just one strike away from a 5-3 loss to Allen County Saturday, freshman Daniel LaMunyon delivered the ultimate in blows – a grand slam home run on a 1-2 pitch that lifted the Blue Devils to a 7-5 win in the bottom of the ninth.
Coupled with a 9-1 win in the 7-inning opener, the Blue Devils (33-18) can earn a home playoff berth against Seward (29-26) Saturday with a sweep of a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Allen County today. Anything less and the Blue Devils will have to make a 5-hour trip to play Colby (28-22). A double elimination playoff, two games will be played Saturday with a third if necessary on Sunday.
“My first walk off hit,” said LaMunyon, a third baseman from Blue Valley who took advantage of a strong wind blowing to left. “I hit it pretty high and hoped the win would help and it did quite a bit. When I was rounding second, I saw my third base coach (Matt Goldbeck) jumping up and down which was pretty cool and then I got mobbed at home plate.” The home run, which came on a curve ball, was LaMunyon’s fifth of the season and gave him 34 RBI for the season, third best on the team
“It was a really cool moment for the kids,” said KCKCC head coach Steve Burleson, who lost sight of LaMunyon’s game-winning blast. “I couldn’t see the flight of the ball because of the dugout roof and thought it was a fly ball to the leftfielder. All of a sudden all the kids started yelling and then I saw the ball nestle in the hill about 325 feet from home plate.”
Zane Mapes started the winning rally by drawing a leadoff walk. One out later, Tyler Raymond was hit by a pitch and Garrett McKinzie singled to load the bases. Christian Arnold, who had homered in the first game, flied out for the second out before LaMunyon’s game-winner. The blast made a winner out of reliever Derek Watkins (4-0), who gave up only a walk in three hitless innings.
KCKCC jumped in front 2-1 in the second on singles by LaMunyon, Alex Thrower and Mapes and made it 3-1 in the fourth on a pair of Allen errors. Hunter Phillips (8-5) limited the Red Devils to just three hits and an unearned run over the first five innings only to have Allen score four times with two out in the sixth on four hits and three walks.
Geoff Birkemeier (6-4) turned in his ninth complete game of the season in the 9-1 opener, allowing just five hits, striking out three and walking none. The Blue Devils backed him with nine hits including two each by Arnold, LaMunyon and Mapes.
KCKCC scored three times in the first on just one hit, a run-scoring single by Mitch Glessner and sacrifice flies by McKinzie and Arnold; added three more in the second on hits by Mapes, Arnold and LaMunyon and a pair of walks; and then put the game out of reach on Arnold’s team high 10th home run of the season following a double by Luke Norton and a single by Raymond.

Parents urged to clean out old medications at home on April 26

Every parent wants to think his child is perfect, but some youth struggle with drug abuse, sometimes unknown to their parents, said Andrica Wilcoxen, Kansas City Kansas Community College prevention coordinator.

That’s why she’s trying to reach parents who are ages 30 to 40 years old with the message to clean out old medications in their cabinets and take them to Prescription Drug Takeback Day dropoff points.

The eighth annual Prescription Drug Takeback Day is Saturday, April 26, at locations throughout Kansas City, Kan., and the state of Kansas.

Wilcoxen said if a parent never looks into the cabinet to inventory leftover medications, it allows youths to go in there, and take one pill at a time. Some of this old medication could end up at a party at a friend’s house, where youth may be taking unknown drugs, she said.

“These kids are dying because of it,” Wilcoxen said.

Since the KCKCC prevention program got involved with Prescription Drug Takeback Day, participation has increased greatly, she said.

Senior citizens are really good about participating in the program, and now it’s the younger families that she would like to reach with the message that their kids are at risk, she said.

The Prescription Drug Takeback Day has the cooperation of area and state law enforcement, and also has several local sponsors.

In the Kansas Senate, Sen. David Haley of Kansas City, Kan., has sponsored a resolution supporting Prescription Drug Takeback Day, recognizing the misuse and abuse of prescription drugs and urging residents to participate in Prescription Drug Takeback Day.

Dropoff sites are open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 26 for safe disposal of unused or expired medications. There is no charge and no questions are asked.

Locations of the dropoff sites in Wyandotte County:

DeGoler Pharmacy, four locations, 5701 State Ave., 21 N. 12th St. and 2040 Hutton Road, Kansas City, Kan.; and 202 Oak St., Bonner Springs.
Price Chopper, 501 Commercial Drive, Bonner Springs.
Hen House, 8120 Parallel Parkway, Kansas City, Kan.
Walgreens, 2850 State Ave., and 7739 State Ave., Kansas City, Kan.
Bond Pharmacy, 3017 Strong Ave., Kansas City, Kan.
CVS Pharmacy, 4645 Shawnee, and 4300 Rainbow Blvd., Kansas City, Kan.

KCKCC’s Vocal Jazz Ensemble performs in New York City

by Kelly Rogge

“The Standard” Vocal Jazz Ensemble from Kansas City Kansas Community College recently returned from a trip to New York where they performed in the New York City Jazz Festival.

The group was selected by audition to perform in the festival, sponsored by Manhattan Concert Productions, April 11 to 13. The ensemble had two performances:

· “The Standard” performed in a concert session with other high school and college vocal jazz ensembles from six states (Colorado, New York, North Carolina, Kansas, California and Indiana). The performance was in The Appel Room at Jazz At The Lincoln Center, and the KCKCC group was the only ensemble to receive a standing ovation at the first concert session.

· The second performance was also at Lincoln Center in the Rose Theater (where Wynton Marilis plays). All of the vocal jazz ensembles combined to make a 100 person mass jazz choir that performed for more than 1,000 patrons. Student Laquita English, an Audio Engineering major, auditioned and performed a solo with the mass choir on an arrangement of Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

During the weekend, KCKCC students were in rehearsals for more than eight hours, visited venues such as the Rockefeller Center and the Juilliard School of Music and attended clinics by nationally known vocal jazz educators including Steve Zegree (Indiana University), Ly Wilder (Indiana University) and Duane Davis (Western Michigan University).
Students on the KCKCC “The Standard” Vocal Jazz Ensemble Roster are Lauren Irving, soprano 1, Wyandotte High School; Allison Her, soprano 1, Washington High School; Stormy Rhone, soprano 2, Sumner Academy; Shelby Stephenson, alto 1, Turner High School; Andrea Rodriguez, alto 1, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School; Morgan Tinsley, alto 2, Bonner Springs High School; Natalie Bennett, alto 2/tenor, Maranatha Academy; Laquita English, tenor, Wyandotte High School; Deandre Clark, tenor, Washington High School and Andrew Roberson, bass, Schlagle High School.

Rhythm Section members include Joyce Steeby, piano and KCKCC adjunct music faculty; Jamie Anderson, guitar, Shawnee Mission North High School; Trey Green, bass, Shawnee Mission North High School; Rex Hancock, drums, Tonganoxie High School and John Stafford II, director and KCKCC assistant professor of choral music.

For more information on the vocal jazz program at KCKCC, contact John Stafford at [email protected] or call 913-288-7137.