The Allen Red Devils hope to bounce back Monday after falling in both games of Friday’s doubleheader against State Fair Community College.
After their late rally fell short in a 10-8 loss in the opener, the Red Devils fell again 12-2 in the finale, which has Coach Nicole Peters frustrated despite the games essentially being exhibition contests.
“We want to win these games, and we’re competing well. We’re just falling short right now,” Coach Peters said. Freshman pitcher Addie Keys took the loss in the opener while posting a team-leading three strikeouts, but gave up 10 earned runs before freshman reliever Norah Loss came in during the fifth inning. Sophomore first baseman Kalyse Abernathy tied freshman designated hitter Taryn Billings for the team-lead in RBIs with two each, including a home run by Abernathy.
Abernathy wrapped up the game hitting in 3 of 4 at-bats. Freshman outfielder Kara Walker, freshman shortstop Taylor Damme and Billings each had two hits each.
The Red Devils’ bats were not as lucky in the finale. They scored two runs with Billings registering the only RBI of the game. Walker had the hottest bat while hitting in 2 of 3 appearances. Damme and freshman infielder Meaa Allen had one hit each. Freshman Andrea Ruby took the loss with a team-leading three strikeouts while allowing 10 runs and two home runs. Ruby also posted a strikeout.
“We just had a bad outing,” Coach Peters said. “We had a couple of players out sick and with injuries. It’s preseason. We play hard teams in hopes it makes our conference season easier.”
The Red Devils are 4-12 overall. With no Jayhawk Conference game scheduled until March 28 against Fort Scott, Coach Peters hopes for steady improvement from her hitters and her young pitchers.
“We’re fine-tuning a few things. We’ll dial in once conference comes,” Peters said. “We’re trying to find a good rotation and to figure out what works best for the staff we have. We’re just working out a few kinks.”
Allen faced North Central Community College of Trenton, Mo., Monday on a neutral field at Neosho County Community College. The results were not available at press time.
