The Allen Community College Red Devils hope to break a five-game slump Thursday when they host Jayhawk Conference rival Highland for a doubleheader.
Over the weekend, the Red Devils hosted Hutchinson and fell in both games of the doubleheader 18-3 and 11-2 with former Iola High School standout Jarrett Herrmann playing a bit of a hometown hero for Hutchinson with a homer in the finale.
“I got to start, and I had so many memories here,” Herrmann said. “I remember winning the regional game here, and all of the excitement. It is always a a blast coming back here.”
An eight-run second and third inning made all the difference in the opener for the Blue Dragons to cruise to victory.
A fourth inning RBI by freshman outfielder Gavin Richardson was Allen’s offensive production in the opener. Richardson hit a respectable 2 of 2 while freshman pitcher Grayson Roberson hit 1 of 3 while also picking up a strikeout on the mound while relieving starter Manuel Toro, who tallied two strikeouts over two innings of work.
Allen Community College second baseman Cooper Bates gets on base with this hit in the late innings of Saturday’s doubleheader in Iola.
“It was the right timing. We needed to get hit in the mouth, so we have a better understanding of paying attention to detail,” Allen co-manager Trey Harris said. “We got to understand what good looks like. Until now, we thought we were good. We thought we were doing the little things, but now we know we need to increase the focus. We need to up the ante to compete with the top end of teams.”
The Red Devils fared better in the finale, holding Hutchinson to one run by the end of the fourth inning. As the Red Devils struggled in the batter’s box, the Blue Dragons found their footing with a pair of runs in the fifth and sixth for a bit of breathing room before uncorking an eight-run eighth inning to seal the victory.
“It’s all about trying to get a little bit better every day,” Allen co-manager Chase McQuagge said. “We’re taking it one day at a time, one step at a time.”
Freshman first baseman Jace Arnold had a strong day with a team-leading two RBIs while hitting 1 of 3 while freshman shortstop Cooper Bates hit a respectable 2 of 4 with a pair of runs. On the mound, freshman Lincoln Upham took the loss after tallying a pair of strikeouts over seven innings of work while sophomore Brodie Gleason also tallied a pair of strikeouts while coming on in relief.
With the losses, the Red Devils fall to 3-9 in conference play and 7-20 overall. They host the Highland Scots (3-13, 7-26) Thursday. Meanwhile, Hutchinson (28-8, 7-5) is third in the Western Jayhawk Conference standings.
“We’re good. We’re talented. Everybody on the team can come out and perform at a high level,” Herrmann said. “It brings out the competitive juices every day and I try to get better every single day. Everybody on this team is a brother and loves each other. It’s been a blast so far.”
