Saturday’s doubleheader loss at the hands of Cowley County Community College provided the Allen Red Devils a moment of reflection.
With just a few weeks left in the season, following their 23-3, 28-4 loss to Cowley, the Red Devils met along the left field line to discuss what they want the team to be as they wrap up their final few series in the Jayhawk Conference.
“We need better attitudes. They haven’t shown they trust their coaches all the way, even though we have their best interests at heart,” Allen Co-Manager Trey Harris said. “We have to have better attitudes so we can have a better mentality going into every game. We have to do a better job of getting them to understand what we stand for as a team.”
Sophomore pitcher Manuel Toro took the loss in the opener after giving up four earned runs, including three home runs. Freshman Jace Arnold had a team-leading two strikeouts over four innings but also gave up five earned runs.
Sophomore third baseman Logan Martin and freshman second baseman Nicky Moretto tied for the team lead in RBIs with one each as the pair both hit in 2 of 3 attempts. Moretto also had a solid day in the finale, though the outcome was still a loss.
“We need to go about our preparation a little better this week,” Allen’s other Co-Manager Chris McQuagge said. “We have to have a better mindset going week to week. That is something else us coaches have to look at to see what we can do.”
While falling 28-4, the Red Devils did have a few highlights. Moretto closed out the game with a home run while once again hitting in 2 of 3 attempts. Sophomore first baseman Meese Robberse and freshman shortstop Tyson Amankrah also drove in a run each, but after Cowley scored 21 runs in the fourth and fifth innings, those RBIs had little impact on the outcome.
Allen featured seven pitchers in the finale with freshman Brodie Gleason tallying three strikeouts in his 1 1/3 innings on the mound. Sophomore Jarrett Bell took the loss after giving up six earned runs, including two homers while also tallying a pair of strikeouts.
“It’s a lot of learning. Any time you get hit in the mouth, there is always an opportunity to see what you can learn from these situations,” Harris said.
With the loss, the Red Devils fall to 11-24 overall and 7-13 in conference play. While Cowley sits tied with Johnson County Community College for the top spot in the conference, Allen remains in the middle of the pack.
The Red Devils return to the diamond Thursday to host Kansas City Kansas Community College, then head to KCK for a Saturday doubleheader.
First pitches for both doubleheaders are scheduled for 1 and 3 p.m.
