KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Allen Community College was able to avoid early trouble in its doubleheader at Kansas City Kansas Wednesday.
But a pair of middle inning rallies kept Allen out of the victory columns in both games of their doubleheader as KCKC emerged with 6-2 and 5-3 victories.
The doubleheader, originally scheduled for Thursday, was moved up 24 hours because of rainy weather.
Kansas City led 1-0 despite leaving two runners on base in the first and the bases loaded in the second of Wednesday’s opener.
That opened the door for Jena Hendrix to tie the score for Allen with a two-out single in the top of the fourth.
The Blue Devils pushed across a run in the bottom of the fourth, but Allen rallied in the next frame. Bethany Gould walked with two outs and moved up to second on a single. Kylar Smith’s single to center brought Gould home to tie the score.
But a leadoff error in the bottom of the fifth spelled doom for Allen. Kansas City broke the tie with a single, and another run came across on a double-play ball. A throwing error allowed a fifth run to score.
Allen put its first two batters on base in the top of the sixth, but could not score.
Allen’s Kaitlyn Miller singled with one out in the seventh, but was caught stealing, a play that grew even more significant when Smith walked later in the inning with two outs.
But a fly ball ended the inning, and the game.
Camrynn Yardley pitched a complete game for Allen, allowing 11 hits over six innings with two strikeouts.
Bailee Campbell had Allen’s only extra-base hit. Miller singled twice, while Hendrix and Smith had singles.
HENDRIX smacked a two-run double in the top of the third inning in the nightcap to push Allen ahead, 2-1. Kansas City rallied with two of its own in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. Hendrix hit a two-out single in the top of the fifth to even the score at 3-3, but the Red Devils left runners on the corners when the rally ended.
The Blue Devils’ Adrianne Smith broke the tie with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to cap the scoring. Kansas City pitcher Hanna Acree took it from there, working around a leadoff double by Allen’s Paxton Meyer in the sixth before retiring the final six ACC batters in order.
Hendrix singled and doubled and drove in three to pace Allen’s offense. Meyer chipped in with a double. Brooklyn Goehring, Campbell, Madisyn Havenstein and Smith each singled.
