CHANUTE — A doubleheader sweep Saturday keeps Allen Community College’s baseball team behind the 8-ball in its pursuit of a potential playoff berth.
The Red Devils dropped both games of Saturday’s doubleheader to host Neosho County, 12-2 and 11-1, giving the Panthers a four-game sweep of the weekend series.
The losses keep Allen at six wins in Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division action. Allen (6-22 in conference) remains tied with Labette and one game behind Highland (7-21) for the final playoff spot. The Red Devils are at 12-28 overall.
Only eight conference games remain, starting Thursday with a road doubleheader at Fort Scott. The teams return for two Saturday at Allen.
The Red Devils wrap up conference play with a four-game series starting April 24 at home against Kansas City, Kan.
Neosho’s pitching continued to vex Red Devil batters Saturday in much the same fashion the Panthers did two days earlier.
Neosho’s Casey Quinland allowed the four hits in five innings, including Drew Walden’s solo home run for the Red Devils in the top of the second.
Problem was, Neosho already led 3-0 by then. The Panthers promptly scored four in the next half inning following Walden’s blast.
The lead stood at 12-2 before Levi Ashmore supplied Allen’s final run of the game, a two-out RBI single to score Camdon Myers in the top of the fifth.
Myers had a double and Trey Francis a single for Allen’s only other hits.
Derek Pike took the loss, giving up eight hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out three. Chris McPherson pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing no hits.
The Panthers led 5-0 before Allen scored its only run in the top of the sixth of Saturday’s second game.
Francis and Chase Egelston singled to lead off the inning. Francis wound up stealing home as part of a double steal.
Ashmore and Egelston both singled twice. Francis, Austin Griffin, Myers and Cole Slusser added one single each against Neosho County starter Jake Johnson, who walked none and struck out seven to get the win.
Trever Kreifel took the loss, giving up seven hits and four walks with four strikeouts. Logan Baush gave up five hits and three walks with five strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of relief.
