Pounding out 11 hits — three were home runs — and having a stellar pitching performance by Matt Stalcup, Allen County Community College’s Red Devils ran to an 11-1 win at home Thursday. It appeared the Red Devils were on a roll.
But visiting Neosho County Community College’s Panthers turned the tables on the Red Devils in game two. The two teams were even 11-12 in Jayhawk Eastern Division play after the first game result.
Allen County has had trouble winning doubleheaders this year in Jayhawk East action. More often than not, the Red Devils end up splitting the two games.
Jake Kleine checked the ACCC bats to just five hits in the second game. Kleine went the five innings and struck out two for the Panthers in an 11-1 victory.
Now the Red Devils are 11-13 in conference play and 17-17 overall. They sit in fifth behind Neosho County (12-12, 22-18) with Independence, Labette and Fort Scott right on their heels.
Allen County wiped out the Panthers’ 1-0 lead with a three-run home run by Ryan Fike in the second inning of the first game. Bryce Williams had been hit by a pitch and Bretton Ater singled before Fike parked a pitch over the right field fence.
In the third, Allen County plated eight runs. It all started with one out on a double by Michael Schell. Williams delivered a two-run home run to center field.
Michael Samuels, Ater, Brumley, Fike and Conner McCrite had singles to bring in three more runs. On the first pitch he saw from Dillon Yeaman, Brad Alberts cranked out a three-run home run over the left field fence.
Stalcup worked four innings for the win. He allowed one run on two hits, one walk and one hit batter. He struck out seven batters. Aaron Burke pitched one inning in relief, walking one and striking out one.
Fike had a home run and a single while McCrite and Ater each had two singles. Schell doubled and Alberts and Williams each had a home run. Brayden Brumley and Samuel had a single apiece.
Allen County opened the second game by scoring a run in the first, much like Neosho County did in the first contest.
With two gone, McCrite singled followed by base hits from Alberts and Marcus Peavler. It was all the Red Devils got in the game.
Neosho County went up 2-1 in the third. The Panthers used eight hits and an ACCC error to score nine runs.
Alberts had two singles in the game. The other hit of the game was a double by Miles Sanderson.
Kyle Grana, Devin Hess, Mark Thompson and Ben Pearson pitched for Allen County. Neosho County had 12 hits in the game.
Allen County goes to Kansas City Saturday for two games. Independence comes to Iola Tuesday for a Jayhawk East doubleheader.
Red Devils, Panthers call it even
