The Allen Red Devils tried out a few new faces in a few different areas while defeating the Ottawa University Braves Developmental Team 21-11 Wednesday at Alumni Park.
Eight players registered an RBI while four pitchers took the mound as Allen coach Trey Harris played mad scientist with the lineup.
Coach Harris’s most successful experiment was moving freshman catcher Carson McCormac to designated hitter.
McCormac posted the first of his team-leading six RBIs with an opening-frame home run. He stung Ottawa multiple times through the eighth inning while hitting in 5 of 6 at-bats. Allen continued adding to its lead after sophomore outfielder Jose Zorilla added a run with an RBI double, then later scored on a passed ball.
“Early on, some guys had seemed to have an off day, like they weren’t taking it seriously,” Coach Harris said. “The final score being what it is, they figured it out in the end. We scored a lot of runs and worked on a glove drop, which was nice. We executed.”
The Braves rallied to take the lead in the top of the fourth, but that lead was only momentary after Allen posted runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Sophomore reliever Jordan Harrison strikes out a batter while picking up a win Wednesday.
Red-shirt freshman outfielder Jaxon Schrueder got the Red Devils rolling with an RBI double, then sophomore third baseman Jeffrey Almonte drove in Schrueder, giving the Red Devils a 6-5 lead.
Allen continued pouring on the runs with RBI singles from red-shirt freshman first baseman Parker Bundy and Zorilla, then an RBI double from McCormac.
Allen maintained its nine-run cushion into the eighth inning, where freshman catcher Shane Smith scored on a passed ball, ending the game early with a 21-11 mercy rule.
With the win, the Red Devils improved their record to 12-15 overall. McCormac finished the contest with a team-leading five hits. Zorilla tied Bundy second in hits and RBIs with success in 3 of 5 at-bats and four runs driven in. Bundy was successful in 3 of 5 at-bats with three RBIs while Almonte hit in 2 of 4 at-bats with an RBI. Freshman shortstop Cash Messinger and Schrueder had two RBIs each.
On the mound, red-shirt freshman reliever Jordan Harrison picked up the win after coming on in relief in the second inning. Harrison posted four strikeouts over four innings while allowing five hits and five runs. Red-shirt freshman Nicholas Weatherford tallied a strikeout while closing the game in the eighth inning.
Jeffrey Almonte, Allen sophomore third baseman, rings up a rare 5-2-3 double-play Wednesdy against Ottawa at Alumni Park.
ALLEN returns to the diamond on the road against Pratt Community College for a Thursday doubleheader, then hosts Pratt for another doubleheader Saturday. With No. 1 ranked Jayhawk Conference foe Johnson County Community College hosting Allen Thursday, Coach Harris said the Red Devils will need all the momentum they can get before taking on the conference’s top team.
“Parker Bundy had three hits today, which is nice going into a weekend where we have to get a lot better a lot quicker,” Harris said. “It’s nice to see fresh faces out there and guys who want to go do it. We’re looking forward to it, and then having a bye week to do some things.”
First pitch for Thursday’s game is at 1 p.m. with a 3 p.m. first pitch for the finale.
