Category: Sports

KCKCC jolts Cowley from unbeatens with twin bill sweep

 Blue Devils never trail; two teams collide again at KCKCC Saturday at 1 p.m.

by Alan Hoskins

Kansas City Kansas Community College landed the biggest haymaker of the young Jayhawk Conference baseball season Thursday, knocking Cowley County out of the ranks of the unbeaten with a sweep of the perennial conference power in Arkansas City.

Preston Bailey pitched the Blue Devils to a 6-3 win in the opener and after surrendering a 7-4 lead in the nightcap, KCKCC scored runs in the ninth and 10th innings for a 9-8 win.

“Lucas Norton hit the first pitch of the game for a home run and we never trailed,” said KCKCC coach Steve Burleson. “It was far from perfect but definitely a great effort. It took the push of every one of the 35 guys on our roster.”

“Two big things,” added assistant coach Damian Stambersky, “every time Cowley would score, we’d come right back and score and we did not let our mistakes snowball. We also hit the ball (20 hits) against two of the better pitchers we’ve faced this year.”

The sweep sets up a big return home doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m.

The defending Jayhawk champion and winner of 13 of 19 league championships, Cowley (12-2) fell two games behind Johnson County and Coffeyville, both 14-0, while KCKCC improved to 4-10 in the league and 10-15 overall.

Preston Bailey outdueled Seth Holman, who had not allowed an earned run in 21 innings, in the opener.

A freshman righthander from Savannah, Mo., Bailey gave up seven hits, struck out three and allowed just two earned runs. Leading 1-0 on Norton’s leadoff home run, the Blue Devils made it 3-0 in the third with Christian Arnold singling in the second of two earned runs.

Garrett McKinzie made it 5-1 in the fifth with a solo home run and added a run-scoring triple in the seventh.

Third baseman Daniel LaMunyon ended the game in spectacular fashion, making a diving backhand stop of a shot down the third base line and throwing to second to start a game-ending double play.

Sam Baxter paced a 13-hit attack in the nightcap, droving in four runs with a single, double and home run while McKinzie singled and doubled and Mitch Glessner singled twice.

The assault came against Parker Rigler, who had allowed only one earned run in 15 innings this spring.

Baxter’s home run and Glessner’s two-out run-scoring single gave KCKCC  a 7-3 lead in the seventh inning only to have Cowley score once in the bottom of the inning and three more in the eighth after reliever Hunter Phillips had loaded the bases on walks.

KCKCC regained the lead in the ninth on a leadoff double by McKinzie, who scored when Arnold’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away only to have the Tigers tie it on an error and a double, both with two out.

Fortunately, Cowley returned the favor in the 10th, giving up two walks with two out.

Garrett McKinzie then hit a chopper over the mound that was thrown away and Norton scored what proved to be the winning run when Phillips set down the Tigers in order in the bottom of the 10th.

Geoffrey Birkemeier worked the first seven innings, allowing only one earned run on six hits, two strikeouts and no walks.

Sporting KC and Arts KC join for design challenge and gallery exhibit

Sporting KC and the ArtsKC – Regional Arts Council have announced a joint collaboration to co-host a design challenge for local artists to create artwork which showcases the beautiful game and celebrates soccer in Kansas City.

Up to 20 selected artists will have their pieces on display during a First Friday gallery exhibition at the Three Points Club on May 2 and also at Sporting Park during “Art in the Park” in conjunction with Sporting Kansas City’s home match on May 14.

The gallery exhibition will feature a live DJ and appearances by Sporting Kansas City players with drinks and appetizers available for ticket holders.

All pieces will be available to purchase by the general public and a portion of all ticket and art sale proceeds will benefit the Victory Project and the ArtsKC fund.

KCKCC sweep sets up four-game home series Friday, Saturday

by Alan Hoskins

Kansas City Kansas Community College used some late inning dramatics to complete a doubleheader sweep of North Central College Wednesday.

A 4-1 winner in the opening game, the Lady Blue Devils trailed 6-1 before rallying to tie the game in the fifth inning and then winning in the bottom of the seventh 7-6.

The sweep came on the heels of 7-2 and 4-3 losses to Johnson County Tuesday, leaving the Blue Devils 10-4 overall and 6-4 in the Jayhawk Conference entering a four-game weekend home stand with Pratt Friday at 1 and 3 p.m. and Dodge City Saturday at noon and 2 p.m.

The Blue Devils rode the 3-hit pitching of Pitcher of the Week Leslie Ford to the 4-1 win over North Central. Ford struck out six and walked one and had a shutout until the seventh.

Justice Scales led a 9-hit attack with two doubles and a single while Amanda Holroyd drove in a pair of runs with two doubles.

KCKC jumped in front 1-0 in the first on a hit batsman, double by Scales and Maerra Morisette’s sacrifice fly and added two more in the third on singles by Lacey Santiago and Scales and Holroyd’s two-run double. The final run came on doubles b Emily Walsh and Scales in the fourth.

Tied 6-6 in bottom of the seventh in the nightcap, the Blue Devils won it by loading the bases on a walk to Morisette, a double by Ashley Henington and an infield single by Ford with one out.

Laura Vanderheiden then delivered the game-winner, a sacrifice fly to left with Morisette beating the throw to the plate.

Trailing 6-1, the Blue Devils tied the game with five runs in the fifth highlighted by a base-loaded double by Hanna Barnhart.

Singles by Vanderheiden and Scales sandwiched around a double by Santiago scored one run, Holroyd singled in another and Barnhart drove in three with her bases clearing double to right.

The rally made a winner out of Ford, who gave up a walk and then struck out two of the next three hitters in the top of the seventh in relief of Elizabeth Seimears and Myranda Ybarra.  Johnson County used its sweep to improve to 9-1 in the Jayhawk and 12-3 overall.

Justice Scales gave KCKCC a 2-0 lead in the first with a two-run home run but the Blue Devils managed only two singles the rest of the way.

JCCC cut the deficit to 2-1 on a home run in the fourth and then went ahead to stay on a grand slam home run in the fifth off Ford.

The Cavaliers built a 4-0 lead in the nightcap and then held on as the Blue Devils rallied for three runs in the fifth.

Scales followed a single by Vanderheiden and a walk with a two-run triple and scored on one of Holroyd’s three singles.

Morisette added two hits as the Blue Devils collected nine hits but left eight runners on base. Seimars gave up eight hits in absorbing the loss including fourth in a 3-run third.