by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Tiffany Killam continued her assault on the Kansas City Kansas Community College home run record, ripping one each day as the Lady Blue Devils fell to 20-15 on the season.
After losing 13-3 and 6-0 decisions to Allen County Tuesday, the Blue Devils bounced back with a 10-2 win over Maple Woods Wednesday before dropping the nightcap 7-6. KCKCC closes out Jayhawk Conference road play this weekend, playing at Coffeyville today and Labette Saturday.
The Blue Devils banged out 18 hits in the 10-2 win over Maple Woods with LaTisha Thomas collecting four in four trips to the plate; Kennedy Rasmussen and winning pitcher Brittany Gustin three each; and Killam and Geena Harris two apiece. All of the hits were singles with the exception of a leadoff double in the first by Thomas which triggered a 5-run first inning.
The first seven hitters in the KCKCC lineup had hits in the first inning. After Thomas’ leadoff double, Mekayla Guerrero, Killam, Morgan Oroke, Harris, Rasmussen and Gustin rapped back-to-back singles before Thomas finished off the rally with her second hit of the evening. The Blue Devils scored two more run in the third on two errors and singles by Kaylynn Stratton and Thomas and finished off the scoring with a 2-run double by Savannah Dungan and Thomas’ RBI single in the fourth. Gutstin went the distance for the win, scattering eight hits and striking out five.
Killam’s 13th home run of the season, a 2-run shot in the first inning, helped stake KCK CC to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap. Thomas added two more singles and a double to her 4-for-4 first game while Morgan Oroke, Gustin and Killam chipped in with two singles each. KCKCC made it 5-2 in the fourth on a single by Gustin, a double by Thomas and a single by Guerrero, the last two with two out. The Blue Devils added another run in the fifth on singles by Oroke, Rasmussen, Gustin and Dungan for a 6-2 leading heading into the top of the seventh.
But with two out and a runner on base, Maple Woods rallied for five runs against two KCKCC pitchers, Killam, who allowed just three hits in 4.1 innings, and Gustin, who gave up three hits. Four of the five runs were unearned as Maple Woods strung together three straight two-out hits after an infield error.
Killam’s 12th home run, a 2-run shot, and a solo round-tripper by Morgan Oroke were the only bright spots in the doubleheader loss to Allen County. Baileigh Rager (13-5) held the Blue Devils to just seven hits including two each by Gustin and Stratton in the opener. She struck out four and was backed by home runs by Emmy McManigal and Ashley Womack.
The back-to-back home runs by Killam and Oroke came in the third inning of the nightcap but by then the Blue Devils were trailing 5-0. Allen then put the game out of reach with eight runs in the fifth. McManigal and Womack again homered for Allen. Guerrero, Oroke and Harris each had two of KCKCC’s eight hits.