The Allen Red Devils remain in the middle of the Jayhawk Conference pack after splitting a weekend series with the Fort Scott Greyhounds.
After taking the opener 7-1, the Red Devils fell to Fort Scott (22-7, 4-4) in the finale 18-5, and sat near the bottom of the Jayhawk Conference at 3-9 and 7-16 overall.
“Our pitchers came out and really performed well,” Allen interim co-manager Chase McQuagge said. “They threw first-pitch strikes, which helped us stay ahead in counts on the pitching side. We continue to make sure they keep getting better at throwing first-pitch strikes and getting ahead of batters early. That’s going to be key to our success the rest of the way.”
A scoring burst in the middle innings and near perfect pitching by sophomore Manuel Toro lifted the Red Devils to a 7-1 victory in the opener. Toro pitched a flawless game, tallying six strikeouts. Toro’s perfect game was ruined by a seventh-inning home run by sophomore right fielder Michael Polubinski for the Greyhounds’ only run.
“We’re moving in the right direction. They’re starting to buy into what we’re trying to teach them and get them ready for games,” said Allen interim co-manager Trey Harris, who did not comment on the absence of Allen coach Kirk Doyle during Saturday’s doubleheader.
THE RED Devils had a strong day in the batter’s box with freshman designated hitter Jace Arnold driving in a team-leading three RBIs while hitting 2 of 3. Sophomore catcher Meese Robberse and sophomore center fielder Bjarne Reinhardt each drove in a run while batting 1 of 3. Freshman shortstop Marquee Williams drove in a run while hitting 1 of 4.
“They felt prepared and that showed in game one,” Harris said. “Even in game two, we never gave in. We just tried to find ways to get more and more runs. It just didn’t work out for us, but I love the energy and how we’re playing.”
In game two, Fort Scott hammered Allen with eight runs in the first and six more in the third to run away with the win. With the Greyhounds flirting with a mercy-rule after the third inning, the Red Devils made the game a bit more respectable with runs in the first, third and three runs in the sixth, but by then Fort Scott began pulling starters as they looked ahead to their next conference opponent in Highland (5-22, 2-10).
Freshman first baseman Grayson Roberson had a team-leading two RBIs while hitting 2 of 3. Robberse and freshman Martin Malick each had an RBI with Malick hitting 1 of 3 while Robberse went 0-3 with a sacrifice fly.
Although seemingly stat-padding at the tail end of a blowout, Coach Harris said that was not the case. After all, a single run against a conference opponent may impact whether the Red Devils make the postseason or their seeding at the conference tournament.
“That’s our identity. You never know. Stats count for everything,” Harris said. “Those at-bats you don’t remember or didn’t take seriously add up in the end. Hopefully, when we’re up 18-5 next time, we know those at-bats still count. We need to make sure we know where our feet are, and we’re present in the moment and ready to go.”
