by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College will get a chance to avenge some pivotal losses when the Blue Devils open NJCAA Region VI playoff action Friday night.
The Blue Devils will open the playoffs at Wichita’s Lawrence-Dumont Stadium Friday at 7 p.m. against Neosho County, a team that defeated KCKCC three straight times in mid-April. A win would most likely send the Blue Devils into semifinal round play against Jayhawk East champion Cowley College, which swept a four-game series from KCKCC at the end of April.
Third in the Jayhawk East at 19-17, Neosho (40-18) reached the super-regional by sweeping Dodge City 9-0 and 8-4 and has won eight of its last 10 games. The Blue Devils, who finished seventh in the league at 17-19, are 33-24 after sweeping Butler 12-11 and 13-10 in El Dorado in the playoff openers.
KCKCC will send righthanded ace Cole Gacke (9-2) to the mound in Friday’s opener. Gacke pitched the Blue Devils to a 7-inning 10-7 win over Neosho County in the opener of their four-game series April 12. Gacke scattered 10 hits and had a 10-3 lead before the Panthers scored four unearned runs in the top of the seventh. Neosho then rebounded for a 10-6 win at KCKCC and won a pair of one-run decisions at Chanute, 6-5 and 9-8.
“We had a chance to win all three of those games,” said KCKCC head coach Matt Goldbeck. With a team batting average of .321, the critical areas of pitching and defense become even more paramount. “Anytime you get good pitching and play good defense, you have a chance to win.”
Errors have been a problem this season with KCKCC committing 97 compared to 89 for opponents. However, opponents are hitting only .238 against Blue Devil hurlers, who have a combined 4.75 earned run average compared to 7.40 for foes.
A sophomore from Liberty North, Gacke will be making his 14th start this season. He has eight complete games, striking out 65 hitters while giving up just 22 walks in 78 innings. His ERA of 4.81 is second among starters.
Orlando Ortiz (3-5) will get the start in game two with Carlos Soto (4-6) and Bret Snider (2-2) to follow depending on far the Blue Devils advance. All three are freshmen. Ortiz has struck out 88 in just 65 innings but he’s also issued 61 walks, both team highs.
Five Blue Devils are hitting .300 or better led by shortstop Kevin Santiago and all three staring outfielders. A freshman, Santiago is hitting .387 and leads the team in extra base hits (34), home runs (11) and runs-batted-in (62). Leftfielder Josh Schumacher is hitting .367 as the leadoff hitter and leads in runs scored (69) and stolen bases (17); rightfielder Corey Combs is third at .354 and second in home runs (7) and RBI (49); and centerfielder Tyler Pittman is batting .341 with 16 stolen bases. All are sophomores as is first baseman Brandon Still, fourth in hitting (.343) with 44 RBI.
Second baseman Brigham Mooney, who is hitting .287 with 43 RBI, and third baseman Kemper Bednar (.242), whose two-run ninth inning home run broke a 10-10 tie at Butler, round out the infield while Adam North (.280) will start behind the plate.
Gavin Gifford, who is hitting .287 with 39 RBI, will be the designated hitter along with relief work on the mound. Julian Rivera (3-2) has been the leader out of the bullpen with 19 appearances while Gifford (1-0) has allowed just three earned runs, eight hits and struck out 15 in just 12 2/3 innings.
In other first round games Friday, Seward County will play Colby at 10 a.m.; Johnson County will face Barton County at 1 p.m.; and Cowley and Hutchinson will clash at 4 p.m. A win would advance KCKCC into a second-round clash with the Cowley-Hutchinson winner Saturday at 7 p.m.; a loss and the Blue Devils would face the Cowley-Hutchinson loser Saturday at 1 p.m.