Allen Community College’s softball team found some way-too-familiar circumstances over the weekend in a pair of doubleheaders. ALLEN BROKE quickly out of the gate in Friday’s second contest. Gentry singled to lead off the first. She scored on a two-out single by Burnett. Bush singled to lead off the second, where she scored on a one-out Pratt error. DODGE CITY scored in every inning of Saturday’s opener. THE RED Devils rapped out 14 hits in Saturday’s game 2, but stranded eight runners as Dodge City rallied from an early 5-3 deficit.
The Red Devils were done in by a seven-run second inning Friday in their opener of an 8-4 loss to Pratt. In the nightcap, the Beavers rallied for three in the bottom of the sixth for a heart-breaking 4-3 win.
The troubles continued Saturday, as host Dodge City poured on the offense in the opener, a 14-5 win, before eking out a 4-3 win in game 2.
The losses drop Allen to 1-31 on the season as it prepares to hit the road at Ottawa’s junior varsity Wednesday before returning home Friday and Saturday for conference doubleheaders against Cowley and Independence.
Allen took a 2-0 lead over Pratt in Friday’s opener through two innings, courtesy of Jordan Barber’s RBI double in the first and Erika King’s RBI grounder in the second.
Pratt’s Peyton Jones delivered the big blow in the second, a grand slam home run to left to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead. The lead ballooned to 7-2 by the inning’s end.
The Red Devils responded promptly by loading the bases with no outs in the top of the third, but a double play was key in ending the threat with minimal damage.
Shelby Maycumber added an RBI single in the top of the seventh for Allen’s final run.
Emily England took the loss. She gave up 10 hits and five walks in six innings of work. Another Lady Conqs run put the lead at 7-5 before Allen’s final rally of the day.
King and Gentry singled to lead off the sixth. Maycumber pushed them into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, and Barber hit a sac fly to score King, cutting the deficit to 7-6. A ground ball off the bat of Burnett ended the threat.
Luna singled to lead off the seventh. Bush pushed her to second with another sacrifice, but Stephens’ ground ball and Bourgeois’ pop-up could move her only as far as third when the game ended.
Barber went 2-for-4, while Marissa Luna and Bailey Burnett both had doubles. Maycumber, Stormie Bush and Shayla Stephens all singled.
Pratt pushed a run across in the third before Allen took a 3-1 lead. Luna singled with one out and scored on Bush’s single.
Luna gave up two hits to start the pivotal sixth inning before she induced a strikeout and fly ball.
But Pratt rallied for three straight two-out hits to take a 4-3 lead.
The Red Devils put runners on first and second with one out in the top of the seventh before the Beavers’ Emily Wooldridge ended the game with a pop-up and fly ball.
Luna gave up six hits in six innings with one earned run. She walked three and struck out two.
Bush went 3-for-3 while Gentry singled twice. Barber, Burnett and Luna added singles.
The Lady Conqs led 3-0 before Allen broke into the scoring column in the top of the third. King reached on an error and scored on Maycumber’s single.
The lead swelled to 8-1 before the Red Devils erupted for four in the fifth.
Kayla Bourgeois doubled to lead off the frame. King followed with a single before Gentry followed with an RBI single to left. Maycumber reached base when Dodge City committed an error on her sacrifice bunt attempt, allowing another run to score. Barber followed with an RBI grounder. Maycumber stole home to pull the Red Devils to within 8-5.
Dodge City prevented further damage by retiring the final two Allen batters of the frame with the bases loaded.
Dodge City scored three each in the fifth and sixth to end the game.
Luna surrendered 15 hits with four strikeouts. Bush had two singles, Bourgeois chipped in with a double, while Gentry, Maycumber, Burnett, Luna and King all had singles.
Gentry singled and scored on Burnett’s first-inning single to give ACC an early 1-0 lead before Dodge City took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the second.
The Red Devils plated four in the top of the third. Stephens drove in a run with a ground ball before Bourgeois pounded a three-run homer one batter later to give Allen a 5-3 advantage.
Dodge City’s Kaitlyn Amaral cut the deficit to 5-4 with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the third. A hit, walk and error loaded the bases before England got a strikeout and force out.
But a throwing error on the fielder’s choice allowed the tying run to score anyway. Dodge City’s Mackenzie Maes followed with a single to plate the go-ahead run.
England took the loss, giving up 11 hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Gentry went 4-for-4. Luna went 3-for-4, while Burnett and King each singled twice. Bourgeois had a home run. Stephens and Bush both singled.
Red Devil softball team comes up short on road
