PARSONS — A pair of late rallies kept Allen Community College’s baseball team on the winning path Thursday.
Allen trailed 3-0 through four innings before scoring twice in the fifth and taking the lead for good in a five-run sixth inning — spurred by a bases-loaded double by Damon Burroughs — to open their doubleheader with Labette, 10-5.
The Red Devils trailed heading into the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 2 before erupting for nine runs in the inning to take home a 19-11 victory.
The sweep lifts Allen to 19-5 on the season. They’re back at Labette for a doubleheader today with ACC’s home baseball diamond still unavailable because of an ongoing turf replacement project.
The Cardinals jumped out in front quickly in the opener on a three-run home run in the bottom of the first.
There, the lead stood until some erratic Labette pitching and fielding allowed the Red Devils to dent the scoreboard.
A walk and error started the frame before Lukas Rich hit an RBI ground ball for the first run. He came around to score on Jacob Satterfield’s bases-loaded walk.
A nearly identical scenario opened the sixth inning. Josh Prinner was hit by a pitch, and Jonah Weisner’s hard ground ball was misplayed for an error to set the stage. A walk to Colton Patterson loaded the bases. Burroughs’s double unloaded the bases to give Allen the lead for good, 5-3.
Alec Roberts followed with a two-run blast to push the lead to 7-3.
Rich then capped the scoring with a three-run blast over the center field fence.
Labette’s attempt at a rally in the bottom of the seventh came up dry after the Cardinals scored twice when a base-runner was picked off second base to end the game.
Alex Belch picked up the victory, tossing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts. He allowed one hit. Levi Bennett earned the save, striking out a batter in his two-thirds of an inning. Jacob Davenport got the start and surrendered three hits in two innings, with five strikeouts. Sale Renfrow struck out two in his 1-plus innings of work.
Allen racked up nine hits. Rich led the way with four RBIs, while Burroughs had a single and double, while driving in three. Roberts went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. Patterson went 2 for 3 with a pair of runs. Weisner had a single, as did Prinner.
BOTH teams had plenty of baserunners throughout Game 2.
Allen jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Weisner, Lucas McCain and Rich all reached base without an out in the first before Burroughs drove in a run with a groundout, Roberts hit an RBI single and Burroughs scored on a wild pitch.
Roberts made it 5-1 in the third on a two-run shot to center.
