by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
The old axiom that good softball pitching beats good hitting never rang more true than in Kansas City Kansas Community College’s doubleheader loss to Jayhawk Conference leader Cowley College Sunday.
Two Cowley hurlers held the Lady Blue Devils to just seven hits in 5-1 and 9-1 conference wins. The sweep kept the Lady Tigers (20-11) unbeaten in Jayhawk play at 8-0 while KCKCC fell to 10-10 overall and 1-5 in conference play.
The Blue Devils go back on the road to Cloud County Tuesday and Ottawa JV Wednesday before returning home Saturday to host Labette in a twin bill starting at 2 p.m.
“Two bad innings really did us in,” KCKCC coach Kacy Tillery said. Cowley scored all of its runs in the fourth inning of the 5-1 opener and six runs in the third inning of the second game.
KCKCC sophomore Megan Sumonja retired the first 10 hitters in the opener only to have the next six Tigers reach base in a 5-run fourth inning that included a 3-run double and an RBI triple and double. The Tigers finished with nine hits while Sumonja struck out five, walked two.
Allison Kasick doubled and Amy Grace-Wilson, Mikaela Hoffart and Katherine Stringer singled for the Blue Devil hits. KCKCC’s lone run came after 12 Blue Devils had been retired in a row on a walk, a single by Hoffart and Grace-Wilson’s sacrifice fly.
The Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead into the third inning of the nightcap only to have the Tigers explode for 14 hits over the next three innings against three KCKCC hurlers.
Kaylynn Stratton, who had two of KCKCC’s three hits, led off the first inning with a single, stole second and scored on Wilson’s two-out single.
Carley Strawn got the win for Cowley, striking out four, walking one and retiring 10 of the last 12 hitters she faced.