Allen Community College’s baseball team had its hands full over the weekend.
The young Red Devils squad tangled with Kansas City, Kan., which entered their four-game set at 16-3 overall and riding a seven-game winning streak.
The Blue Devils showed why they’re the first place team in the Jayhawk Conference, winning three nailbiters in a row, and then running away in the finale, 11-1, to cap the four-game sweep.
The setbacks drop Allen to 10-11 overall and 4-8 in conference action.
Kansas City set the tone for the weekend Friday, winning the 1-0 nailbiter in game one, scoring the lone run on a two-out single in the bottom of the fifth, after a leadoff walk and sacrifice bunt put a Blue Devil runner on second.
That was the only blemish against Allen starter Sawyer Rolland, who was masterful in his 5 ½ innings of work. He allowed just two hits while striking out eight. Reliever Jacob Shope struck out one and allowed one hit in his 1 ½ innings of scoreless relief.
Problem was, Kansas City’s pitchers were equally as effective, limiting Allen to just three hits as well.
Still, Levi Bennett and Josh Prinner singled to lead off the bottom of the first. A walk to Ayden Blachowicz loaded the bases with nobody out, but KCK starting pitcher Arlen Peters struck out the next two Red Devil batters and ended the threat with a ground out.
The Red Devils then put two runners on in the bottom of the fifth with consecutive two-out walks to Christian Altamirano and Levi Bennett, but Josh Prinner’s line drive smash back up the middle was snared by KCK’s centerfielder for the final out.
Beau Brown singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but pinch runner Roangeraud Fraai was picked off first for the second out. A ground ball off the bat of Kam’ron Mays-Hunt ended the game.
The Blue Devils then scored three in the top of the 10th in a back-and-forth second game Friday.
Allen took a 2-1 lead in the third on a single by Bennett and a double by Prinner before KCK responded promptly with two in the top of the fourth to retake the lead.
Blachowicz evened the score after being hit by a pitch, advancing on an error and scoring on another Blue Devil error.
Kansas City retook the lead with a run in the top of the sixth before a dramatic rally by Allen in the bottom of the seventh evened things once again.
Altamirano singled with nobody on and two out before scoring on Bennett’s triple to make it 4-4.
Sean Gomez Jr. signled with two outs in the eighth, but was thrown out attempting to steal second.
