by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
A barrage of 31 hits wasn’t enough Saturday as Kansas City Kansas Community College dropped a home softball doubleheader to Labette.
Trailing 6-1 in the opener, Labette scored 15 runs in the fifth and sixth innings for a 16-8 win and then broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh for a 7-5 win in the nightcap.
The losses dropped KCKCC to 12-14. Scheduled for a doubleheader at Allen County Tuesday, that twin bill has been postponed by wet grounds. The Blue Devils are also scheduled at Haskell in Lawrence Wednesday before they return home to host Hesston Saturday at 2 p.m. and Hutchinson Sunday at noon.
Trailing 4-0 in the fifth inning of the second game, the Blue Devils rallied to tie. Back-to-back singles by Katherine Stringer, Candice Jennings and Sam Sudac cut the deficit to 4-1 in the fifth and the Blue Devils pulled even with three runs in the sixth Loading the bases on a single by Hannah Bishop and two walks, Amy-Grace Wilson singled in one run and Stringer doubled in the tying runs.
However, the tie was short-lived. Jessica Greninger and Alex Brake put Labette back in front 5-4 with leadoff doubles and the Cardinals added two more runs on a pair of singles off starter Shannon Greene and reliever Megan Sumonja.
The Blue Devils finished with 15 hits but left 13 runners on base. Kaylynn Stratton and Stringer each had three hits and Bishop, Jennings and Sudac two each.
Sumonja allowed just three hits over the first four innings in the opener and led 6-1 only to have the first four Cardinals in the fifth hit safely.
That brought Megan Mason to the mound, who was touched by a 3-run home run by Kendall Morisset that capped a 7-hit, 7-run inning. Labette then put the game out of reach with eight runs on six hits off Mason and Cheyenna Owens. The Cardinals finished with 16 hits including nine for extra bases – two home runs, two triples and five doubles.
The Blue Devils also had 16 hits including three each by the top three hitters in the lineup –Stratton, Hannah and Allison Kasick. LaTisha Thomas also had three hits and Jennings two.
KCKCC tied the game in the first on consecutive singles by Stratton, Bishop and Kasick and added four more in the second, three on a bases-loaded triple by Bishop. Singles by Jennings, Sam Sudac and Stratton loaded the bases for Bishop, who then scored on a Kasick single.
Kasick’s single and an infield ground ball boosted the KCKCC lead to 6-1 in the fourth. A Bishop single, walk and Wilson sacrifice fly scored the Blue Devils’ final two runs in the sixth.