Tag: KCKCC baseball

by Alan Hoskins

Kansas City Kansas Community College turned back Independence in a 3-2 opening game thriller Saturday but couldn’t repeat in the nightcap, losing 4-2.

The split left the Blue Devils (12-12) two games back of Independence (14-10) in the race for fifth in the Jayhawk Conference.

KCKCC is right back home Tuesday, playing host to St. Mary JV in a single 9-inning game at 4 p.m., and again Thursday in a doubleheader against Labette starting at 1 p.m.

Winner of 15 of its last 17 games, KCKCC is 20-17 overall.

E.J. Merlo pitched himself out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh to get his third win in Saturday’s 3-2 opener.

A dropped fly ball opened the inning and the Pirates loaded the bases on a single and two-out walk before Merlo struck out Dustin Oliver for the third time, his only strikeouts of the game.

Merlo allowed only five hits, two in the fourth when Indy scored its only runs on a walk, single, error and double.

KCKCC took a 1-0 lead in the third on a leadoff single by Tanner Foerschler, a sacrifice bunt by Zane Mapes and Luke Norton’s run-scoring single and then erased Indy’s 2-1 lead with two runs in the fourth.

After Christian Arnold reached on an error, Eric Hinostroza doubled. Mitch Glessner’s ground ball scored Arnold with the tying run and Daniel LaMunyon singled in Hinostroza for what was the game-winner.

Indy took a 2-0 lead in the third in the nightcap, scoring twice on a double, single and an error that made one of the runs unearned against KCKCC starter Hunter Phillips, and then added two insurance runs in the sixth with two out, scoring on a single, hit batsman, double and bases-loaded walk.

Tyler Raymond launched his first home run of the season in the eighth inning to go along with a double and single.

Garrett McKinzie also had three hits including a run-scoring single in the third following a hit batsman and ground ball. Pirate hurlers combined to retire 13 of the final 14 batters faced.

by Alan Hoskins  

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s winning streak finally came to an end Thursday but not before the Blue Devils had extended it to 14 in a row with an opening 6-5 10-inning win at Independence.

The Pirates, however, rebounded for a 9-2 win in the 7-inning nightcap to set up a pivotal doubleheader at KCKCC Saturday at 2 p.m.

The Blue Devils (11-11) trail Independence (13-9) by two games in the race for fifth in the Jayhawk Conference.

“It would be fun to win 15 in a row but you have to play well to do it,” said KCKCC coach Steve Burleson. “Fortunately, our first game mistakes didn’t extend into extra innings but we played poorly in the second game. If you don’t defend, don’t make pitches and don’t swing the bats in key situations, it’s tough to win and we didn’t.”

Sam Baxter’s third hit of the game, a two-out single in the top of the 10th, lifted the Blue Devils to the 6-5 opening win.

Daniel LaMunyon’s double following a leadoff hit batsman set up the winning run.

The Blue Devils took a 3-0 lead in the second inning and extended it to 5-1 in the fifth. A double by Christian Arnold, single by Eric Hinostroza and Tyler Raymond’s sacrifice fly scored one run and Tanner Foerschler doubled in two more in the second.

A single by Baxter, double by Garrett McKinzie, Arnold’s sacrifice fly and Hinostroza’s second hit added the two runs in the fifth.

A faulty KCKCC defense let Indy tie the game in the fifth. With the bases loaded, two throwing errors enabled Indy to score all four runs.

Indy’s first run also came after a leadoff error, Geoff Birkemeier worked the first 6.1 innings, allowing six innings and no earned runs before Hunter Phillips got the win, allowing three hits and striking out five in 3.1 innings.

The Blue Devils couldn’t overcome a rash of errors in the nightcap as the Pirates took advantage of three miscues to score four of their nine runs in the third and fourth innings.

Ethan Beckett swung the big bat for Indy, rapping out three extra base hits including a two-run home run in a 4-run third and a two-run triple in a 5-run fifth.

Christian Arnold’s belted his team-leading sixth home run of the season in the sixth while Mitch Glessner drove in the other run in the second with one of his three singles.

LaMunyon also had two hits and Luke Norton a double against Indy’s Corey Bayles, who struck out five in an 8-hit effort.

by Alan Hoskins  

Kansas City Kansas Community College’s streaking baseball team made it 13 in a row Tuesday as four Blue Devil pitchers combined on a 6-hitter in a 9-1 win over Maple Woods.

The win improved the Blue Devils’ record to 18-15 heading into a home game Wednesday with Brown Mackie at 2 p.m. before KCKCC returns to Jayhawk Conference play – at Independence Thursday and a home twin bill against Indy on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Lefthander Hunter Phillips (4-4) got the win, allowing three hits and fanning two in four scoreless innings. Derek Watkins gave up a run and two hits in two innings, Jonathan May a hit in two innings and Spencer Nielsen pitched a scoreless ninth.

The Blue Devils scored all the runs they needed in the second. Singles by Zane Mapes and Lucas Jordan and Sam Baxter’s ground ball got one run home and Garrett McKinzie made it 3-0 with a two-run shot to left center, his fourth home run of the season.

KCKCC added its fourth run in the fourth, scoring on leadoff singles by Eric Hinostroza and Mitch Glessner, a sacrifice by Daniel LaMunyon and Mapes’ squeeze bunt.

KCKCC’s final five runs came in the seventh on just two hits, RBI singles by Christian Arnold and Tyler Raymond. Maple Woods hurlers contributed to the uprising with three hit batsmen and a walk.