by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College resumes Jayhawk Conference baseball play Thursday after letting a 7-3 lead get away Tuesday.
Maple Woods scored five runs in the final three innings for a 9-8 win that left the Blue Devils 12-4 heading into a four-game series with Labette. The first two games will be played at Labette Thursday with the final two at KCKCC Saturday starting at 1 p.m.
Rafael Tormes, the ninth place hitter in Maple Woods lineup, proved to be the biggest thorn in the Blue Devils’ side, belting a leadoff home run in the eighth inning and driving in the winning run with a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth after the Wolves had tied the game on a double, single and wild pitch.
Sophomore Eduardo Acosta led the Blue Devils with a double and two singles and three runs batted in while Tyler Henry and Zayne Morrow had a pair of singles.
KCKCC jumped in front 2-0 in the first on two walks and RBI singles by Henry and Tyler. Maple Woods pulled even on Cale Sackewitz’ 2-run home run in the third and went ahead 3-2 with an unearned run in the fourth.
The Blue Devils re-took the lead with three runs in the fifth. After a walk and Henry’s two-out single, Acosta ripped a 2-run double and scored on Morrow’s hit.
The Blue Devils made it 6-3 in the sixth on singles by Michael Edgar and Everitt Griffin and 7-3 in the seventh on a walk, Acosta’s third hit and a ground ball.
William Simmons pitched the first three innings, allowing five hits and the 2-run homer. Logan Barnard worked the next three, allowing just two hits and one unearned run.
The Wolves followed a one-out error with three hits to score two unearned runs in the seventh off Hunter Cashero. Chase Terrell came on after Tormes’ leadoff homer in the eighth, and took the loss.