This weekend Allen Community College displayed the grit and toughness that gives coach Clint Stoy the confidence that his team can go far this season.
“Our guys aren’t going to quit,” Stoy said. “We don’t have a guy in our dugout who is ever going to quit. I already got rid of all the quitters.”
Allen did not play their best baseball in four games against Neosho County Community College and were out-scored 20-36 in the home-and-home series, but at the end of the weekend, they finished with a split against their southern rival and maintained a strong season record at 26-7 by making the winning plays down the stretch.
Game one in Iola on Saturday was an excellent example of Allen finding a way to get a victory.
Sophomore starting pitcher Jesse Kutzke kept the Red Devils in the game with seven one-hit innings, but because of a squeeze-play in the fourth inning that scored two Panther runs, Allen and Neosho County were tied at two going into the bottom of the seventh inning.
“He gave us a chance to win the game and only gave up one hit against a very good offensive ball club so you have to respect what he did and how he competed,” Stoy said.
That is when sophomore right fielder Robby Enriquez stepped up though and came through with a walk-off, two-out RBI double to score Andy Dougan — a freshman from Wellsville — to win the game 3-2.
“I had a feeling it was going to happen before it did,” Stoy said of Enriquez’s game winner. “You give that guy a chance to win a game and I like my odds.”
Game two was tougher on Allen’s pitching.
The Panthers pounced on the Red Devils early with the first 12 runs of the game and although a big seven-run sixth inning tightened the game back up, the Red Devils wound up on the short end of a 12-7 final score.
SOFTBALL
CHANUTE — The recent struggles for the Red Devil softball team continued on Sunday against Neosho County.
The Panthers were able to hold the Red Devils to just two hits in a 7-1 victory in game one.
Game two looked more promising when the Red Devils scored three runs in the second inning to grab a 3-0 lead, but the Panthers quickly struck back.
Neosho County scored the final 11 runs of the game to take a 11-3 victory.
The Red Devils’ record falls to 10-21 this season as they have lost 15 of their last 17 games.
