Celebrating in the rain didn’t faze Allen County Community College’s Red Devils Sunday. They had survived a hard-fought three-game series with Hesston College’s Larks to gain a spot in the NJCAA Region VI, Division II District E tournament.
As in the two games Saturday, the Red Devils played catch up with the Larks. They got the job done for a 5-4 victory as the rain came down stronger.
“I just kept going back,” said Callie Umholtz, ACCC sophomore center fielder, on catching a long fly ball off the bat of Kenzie Jones to end the game.
“This is awesome for the team. After last year, losing at home and not getting to the regional tournament. We’re excited about going on.”
Allen County (40-17) takes on Highland (35-11) in the first round of the District E tournament Saturday at Hummer Park in Topeka. Cowley County (38-15) plays Pratt (34-18) in the other first-round games, May 7-8.
It is a double-elimination tournament. The winner advances to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Normal, Ill., May 19-21.
Umholtz made two catches in a 1-2-3 seventh inning for the Larks in Sunday’s game. She also had the game-winning hit.
Allen County had taken a 3-0 lead on a three-run home run over the right field fence by sophomore catcher Kylie Taylor. That was in the second inning.
But Hesston used four hits and an Allen County error to score four runs in the third. Kelci Owens, sophomore shortstop, drew a walk and stole second base in ACCC’s fourth inning. Sophomore right fielder Denise Swanson doubled to drive in the tying run.
At 4-4 in the fifth, sophomore third baseman Jenna Sigg, who was 3-for-3, singled with one out. Umholtz ripped a double to the left center field fence for the go-ahead RBI.
Hesston didn’t fold. The Larks loaded the bases in the top of the sixth with one out. Emily Wagner-Davis flied out to Umholtz, who made a quick throw to the infield to keep the Larks’ Mo Atkinson at third base.
Erika Shrock, the Larks’ power-hitting shortstop, was at the plate. On a 3-2 pitch, sophomore Lenzie Boring struck Shrock out to end the threat and the inning.
“That was big but Kylie (Taylor) knew what to call for me to throw,” Boring said of the strike-out pitch. “She had confidence in it and I threw it.”
Boring was the winning pitcher in both of ACCC’s wins in the best-of-three series. On Saturday, she limited the Larks to four hits in a 2-1 win in the opener.
On Sunday, Boring gave up nine hits and walked two and hit a batter. Boring hit Hesston’s Chandelle Dacosin in the fifth inning. Dacosin, who played third base and pitched for the Larks, jumped to avoid the pitch but injured her ankle.
Dacosin wasn’t able to continue to play in Sunday’s game. She was the winning pitcher in Saturday’s second game which Hesston won 7-6.
In Sunday’s victory, Sigg had three singles while Umholtz and Swanson each had a single and a double. Taylor hit the home run. Erin Schwant and Boring each had a single.
“Since the region has gone to the playoff series format, we’ve been fortunate to host all three years,” said Ed Wilkerson, ACCC head coach. “We had a walk-off home run to put us in the regional tournament the first year.
“Last year we came up short. This year we were able to win and all of the games have been close ones throughout the three years.”
In 2009, the Red Devils beat Cloud County at home in two games and went 1-2 in the tournament.
“For this group to get the opportunity to play for it all is great. We have a lot of sophomores on the team,” Wilkerson said.
“For us to come back in the second game like the girls did helped us have some momentum in today’s game. Our bench and our fans really helped us today with great support.”
On Saturday, Hesston produced a run in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. The Red Devils gained the lead in the fourth inning.
With two gone, Sigg singled then swiped second base. Umholtz drilled a triple to the fence and scored on an RBI single by Boring.
Boring and the Red Devils allowed just one base runner to Hesston the next three innings for the 2-1 win. The other hit in the game for ACCC was a single by Taylor.
Samantha Brouwer put the Larks in front quickly in the second game. She hit a home run to lead off the game. Hesston was up 5-0 on the Red Devils against freshman pitcher Alex Hill.
Shrock hammered a two-run home run in the sixth to put the Larks up 7-0. The Red Devils got one run in the sixth with two gone, Boring singled and scored on a double by Owens.
In the seventh, the Red Devils made the game very close. Kelsey Walters led off with a single and with one out, Hill worked a walk. Then came a base hit by sigg with two gone and a three-run double by Umholtz.
Boring singled and Owens drove in two runs on a triple. But the Red Devils could not get Owens to the plate to tie the game losing by one run.
“Coach tells us to keep hitting through the game. We started to do that yesterday in the second game but came up short,” Sigg said. “Today, we kept hitting through the game and got the win.”
Boring and Umholtz agreed that Saturday’s ending, even though the Red Devils lost, helped the team in Sunday’s win.
In that Saturday loss, Owens was 3-for-4 with a single, a double and a triple. Sigg and Boring had two singles each. Umholtz doubled while Hill and Walters each had a single.
Red Devil wins no Larks – ACCC softball team beats Hesston advancing in Region VI playoffs
