The Allen Community College softball accomplished a feat on Saturday that it hasn’t accomplished in the last five seasons.
The Red Devils (32-18) advanced to the second weekend of the NJCAA playoffs. Not only did they advance but they dispatched Cloud County Community College (17-21) in convincing fashion.
“We came out with so much intesity,” Allen star Ashley Womack said.
Allen earned the sweep, winning a pitchers’ duel in game one, 2-1, and then run-ruled the T-Birds in the second game cruising to a 8-0 win in a shortened, five-inning game.
In game one, Allen relied on its sophomores to get the team started off on the right track. Baileigh Rager got the ball for the game one start.
Rager dominated the Cloud lineup, to the tune of allowing just four hits and no walks over her seven-inning complete game. The one run that Rager allowed came on a bloop hit in the fourth inning.
“She came out fired up and ready to go,” Allen coach Jaime Jensen said. “She held it down on the mound for us.”
The Red Devil offense was also sparked by its sophomore leader. Womack stepped into the batter’s box to lead-off the second inning.
T-Bird coach Aaron Acree knew that Womack was fully capable of doing major damage to his team with just one swing of the bat. Acree repeatedly shouted from the Cloud dugout for his pitcher Bayleigh Cope to “keep it low.”
But Cope couldn’t follow through and Womack hit the ball over the left field fence. Just like that Allen was in front, 1-0.
“That set the tone for us,” Jensen said.
The Red Devil offense wasn’t done. Following Womack’s blast, Ali Morris and Rager had back-to-back singles.
Cope retired the next two batters and it looked as if Cloud would escape the inning with only one run allowed. But Allen nine-hitter Sarah Eckart had other plans. Eckart singled to right field to score Morris.
“I get up there and I know I have to do a job,” Eckart said.
Eckart’s two-out RBI proved to be the game-winner. Allen held on for a 2-1 win.
The second game was much more lopsided, but again the Red Devils leaned on strong pitching and on a Womack hit to get the offense rolling.
