by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
It’s back to Steineger Field for the rest of the season for Kansas City Kansas Community College’s surging softball team after sweeping a University of Kansas Club team at WyCo Sports Complex Thursday night.
The Lady Blue Devils never trailed KU, winning the 5-inning opener 9-1 and completing the sweep with a 12-3 victory in the second game that ended in the sixth inning.
The Blue Devils have now won 12 of their last 15 games heading into back-to-back Jayhawk and Region VI doubleheaders this week at Steineger Field behind Turner Middle School. Cloud County comes in Tuesday followed by Johnson County Wednesday in a make-up of a doubleheader stopped by rain March 8. Both twin bills start at 2 p.m. With the exception of March 19, all remaining games will be played at Steineger.
Brittany Gustin retired KU’s first 10 hitters in the opener and finished with a one-hitter and four strikeouts. She also helped her own cause with a 3-run home run in the first inning.
KCKCC put the opener out of reach by sending 12 hitters to the plate and scoring eight times in the first. Two Blue Devils had two hits each in the inning. Mekayla Guerrero drove in three runs with a single and triple while leadoff hitter LaTisha Thomas started the inning with a triple and then added a run-scoring double.
Tiffany Killam extended her hitting streak to 12 games in the opener and then had four more hits and three RBI in the nightcap including her ninth home run of the season. Morgan Oroke added a single and double in KCKCC’s12-hit attack.
Elizabeth Seimears got the win, scattering nine hits and walking seven and closed out the win in dramatic fashion, belting a 3-run home run to right following consecutive singles by Killam and Geena Harris and a run-scoring double by Oroke with none out in the sixth.