HUMBOLDT — A pair of late rallies spoiled Allen Community College’s return to the softball diamond Saturday.
Visiting Labette Community College — sparked by Humboldt native Winter Snyder — scored in extra innings to edge Allen, 9-8, in the opener.
The Cardinals then erupted for nine runs over the final three innings to erase a 5-2 ACC lead and win, 11-5, despite Iola product Kelsey Morrison’s grand slam home run.
The losses come in the Red Devils’ first games in three weeks. Allen hadn’t played since March 20 because of COVID-19 protocols.
The doubleheader was held at the Humboldt Sports Complex because of an ongoing turf replacement project at the ACC campus.
It marked a fitting return for Labette’s Snyder, whose senior year at HHS was wiped away because of the pandemic.
Despite battling a broken thumb suffered earlier in the week, Snyder blasted a solo home run in the top of the third inning, a moon shot that was all the more impressive considering the prevailing west winds coming straight in out of left field.
Snyder then pushed Labette’s lead to 8-3 in the top of the fourth with an RBI single.
Nevertheless, Allen didn’t go down without a fight.
After spotting Labette a 6-0 lead in the first inning, the Red Devils plated three in the bottom of the third, including an RBI single by Reanna Blinzler.
The Red Devils closed the gap to 8-5 with a two-out rally in the fourth when Arisbei Black walked with the bases loaded, and then Alayna Brown darted home from third on a wild pitch. But the Red Devils left the bases loaded in that frame.
Allen then knotted the score with another two-out rally in the sixth. Andrea Wilson, who pitched masterfully in relief of starter Cynae Wiley, aided the cause with a two-run double. She came around to score on Hailee Lundine’s single.
Neither team could score in the seventh inning, but Labette took advantage of a leadoff error in the eighth. A stolen base and single that followed gave the Cardinals the lead for good.
The unearned run was the only blemish against Wilson, who allowed three hits in four innings, with a pair of strikeouts. Wiley allowed nine hits in four innings with two strikeouts.
Wilson’s double paced the Red Devil attack. Brown, Aubrey Willis, Lundine, Kelsey Morrison and Blinzler all had singles.
LABETTE jumped in front, 2-0, to start Game 2 before Willis scored on a ground out. But Brown was tagged out at home earlier in the inning, preventing further damage.
