Alan Hoskins, Supervisor of Public Information
Monday, April 23, 2012
College Advancement
Thanks to a four-game sweep of Independence over the weekend, Kansas City Kansas Community College is back in the hunt for an opening round home playoff berth.
The Blue Devils (27-21) started the weekend with 4-0 and 9-3 wins on Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day at Community America Saturday and added 4-2 and 7-3 wins on a blustery Sunday.
In fifth place at 18-14, the Blue Devils trail fourth place Coffeyville (19-13) by just one game entering the final weekend of the season. KCKCC will close out Jayhawk East play with doubleheaders at Labette (10-20) Saturday and Sunday while Coffeyville is host to league-leading Cowley (24-8) in four games. The top four teams in each division will host best of three playoffs May 5-6.
Outstanding pitching carried the Blue Devils to the sweep of Indy as starters Dylin Donley, Sean Bosserman, Mark Spreckles and Jesse Foulk each gave up just one walk and combined to allow a total of 19 hits. “They pitched with good command, a conscious effort to give us a chance to win,” said Coach Steve Burleson.
“Our guys had a plan for the weekend and went right after it. It wasn’t ‘Let’s win four,’ they systemically figured out how many walks they could give up, how many runs they needed, things like that. It was very gratifying to see them set goals and then reach them.”
Dylan Donley (3-3) started the weekend sweep with a sparkling one-hitter in the 4-0 opener. Indy’s only hit came on a leadoff single in the fifth as Donley fanned four. Dean Long and Poncho Amaya each had two hits and Jacob Woods doubled to lead KCKCC.
Dave Richards delivered the big blow in the 9-3 nightcap, a two-run home run to put the Blue Devils in front 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth. Trailing 3-1 entering the fifth, the Blue Devils tied it on singles by Andrew Kreiling and Woods, a bases-loaded wild pitch and Amaya’s sacrifice fly. KCKCC then added four more runs in the sixth on hits by R.J. Barnes, Shaun Williams, Woods, Long and Amaya. Five Blue Devils had two hits each – Kreiling, Woods, Long, Williams and Brandon Witt. The rally made a winner out of Sean Bosserman (2-6), who allowed six hits, struck out eight and pitched four scoreless innings after giving up three runs in the first two innings.
The Blue Devils broke a scoreless tie with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning in Sunday’s opening 4-2 win. After a walk and singles by Woods and Amaya loaded the bases, Brandon Witt’s squeeze bunt scored two runs and a single by Barnes scored a third. KCKCC added an insurance run in the fifth on a hit batsman and singles by Kreiling and Woods to make a winner out of Mark Spreckles (3-3), who went the distance on a four-hitter and striking out three.
Jesse Foulk (4-4) pitched shutout ball for four innings and had a 7-1 lead entering the seventh before Tyler Lankford came on to record the final out in Sunday’s 7-3 nightcap win. The Blue Devils took advantage of a generous Indy pitching staff, taking a 1-0 lead in the first on a hit batsman, two wild pitches and Woods’ run-scoring single and adding three more without a hit in the third with Witt’s squeeze bunt scoring one of the runs. The Blue Devils managed only six hits but four came in a four-run fourth highlighted by Long’s two-run single. Landon Teal, who had two hits, and Williams and Witt had the other hits in the inning.
The Blue Devils will close out non-conference play Wednesday in one nine-inning game at Maple Woods before the closing four-game series at Labette Saturday and Sunday.