CONCORDIA, Kan. – Limited to just one hit in an 8-2 loss to open the day, the Cloud County Community College baseball team would never trail and manage to end Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play on a high note by hanging on to win a 6-5 decision over Barton Community College and split a home doubleheader at Lee Doyen Field in Concordia, Kansas on Sunday, May 1st.
With one scheduled game left in the 2022 regular season, Cloud County improves to 38-15 overall and a final conference mark of 21-11 while Barton now sits at 36-15 overall and 21-7 in the KJCCC West Division with one conference series remaining.
GAME ONE:
Falling into an early hole, the T-Birds would see two hits and a walk for the Cougars lead to a pair of runs in the top of the first before being able to get one run back with an
Ian Riley hit-by-pitch as the sophomore would move to second on a wild pitch, third on a
Garrett Redden fly out before scoring on another wild pitch. CCCC would not be able to create any more offense in the inning, leaving things at a 2-1 BCCC lead heading into the top of the second.
Each of the next three innings would go scoreless for both Cloud County and Barton as things would remain a one-run deficit for the T-Birds until the top of the fifth when the Cougars would be able to turn a batter reaching on a wild pitch on a third strikeout into more run production with a second wild pitch, stolen base, and sacrifice fly adding to the BCCC lead. The two-run lead for the Cougars would quickly be cut in half once again as a one-out solo home run from
Kolden Howerton would clear the right-center field wall to bring CCCC back within one heading into the sixth.
With the game still within reach, Cloud County would turn to reliever
Rans Sanders to throw the sixth inning where a fielding error would turn into a run for Barton on a sacrifice fly to turn things once again into a two-run game. Unable to turn a hit batter into anything offensively, CCCC would then see things break open for Barton with four hits turning into four runs as a manageable two-run deficit would balloon to a six-run deficit that the T-Birds would be unable to overcome in their final at-bat.
Held to just one hit in the game, Cloud County would strike out eight times and put just four batters on base as two hit pitches and a walk led to two runners left on base. A total of five pitchers would throw for Cloud County as the T-Birds would strike out a total of 11 batters with starter
Jack Mount taking the loss after striking out eight in 4.1 innings and allowing three runs on two hits.
GAME TWO:
After a throwing error would put a base runner on in the top of the first, Cloud County would manage to work out of the inning by facing the minimum as a stolen base attempt would be cut down before a strikeout and fly out to end the inning. With not much going in CCCC's attempt at the bottom of the first, things would stay scoreless until the bottom of the second when a two-out rally would be started by
Williams Camacho-Soto getting hit by a pitch before moving to third on a failed pickoff move with a wild throw reached the fence. The error would not come into play however as Riley would connect on a two-run home run to give the T-Birds their first lead of the afternoon as CCCC would strike for three runs after a
Karson Green infield single,
Griffin Stuewe walk, and
Willie Ponce RBI double.
The T-Birds would push across another single run in the bottom of the third with
Danny Infante hitting a line drive that would just clear the left-field fence to give Cloud County their largest lead of the series before stranding a pair of runners to end the inning. Barton's first hit of the game would come in the first at-bat in the top of the fifth with a solo home run before stranding a pair of their own runners. Two more stranded runners by CCCC would be a missed opportunity to add to the lead before seeing the Cougars get back into the game with two runs on three hits and an error. With the game now at 4-3 and two outs in the top of the sixth, BCCC would hit a potential game-tying single into left field that would see a rocket throw from Howerton allow catcher
Karson Green to cut down the runner.
CCCC's one-run lead would turn into two as Green would begin the inning with a double down the right-field line before a Ponce RBI single to go back up by a score of 5-3. Keeping the Cougars scoreless in the top of the seventh, the two-run Cloud County lead would turn into a three-run lead after a
Brock Wollin leadoff walk and wild pitch would come around to score on a two-out throwing error by BCCC to make it a 6-3 lead. Neither team would be able to push across any runs in the eighth, leaving things at a three-run lead heading into the ninth where the T-Birds would once again turn to Sanders.
A leadoff single from Barton would be followed by a strikeout before a perfectly placed bunt single would bring the game-tying run to the plate. Facing the KJCCC's best hitter in Alex Rodgers, Sanders would induce a fly out into center field that would not allow the runners to advance before seeing the conference's second-best hitter hit a two-RBI double to get CCCC within one. Trying to protect their now one-run lead, Sanders would get a check swing on a 2-2 pitch that would be appealed down to the base umpire that would be called a swing to end the game as Cloud County would manage to get Sanders his fifth save of the year.
Leading all players with three hits in the game, Ponce would drive in two runs with one extra-base hit while Green would go two-for-three and score twice. As a team, Cloud County strand 10 runners to Barton's six, but issue just two walks to the Cougars.
Improving to 4-0 on the year, starting pitcher
Joel Benes would allow three runs on four hits while striking out three before turning things over to starting pitcher/reliever
Conner Woods to get out of a sixth-inning jam. Giordanno Mezzomo would then throw a scoreless seventh and eighth inning before turning things to Sanders who now sits one save away from the Cloud County career-record.
What's Next?
The final regular-season game of the season that is currently scheduled for CCCC will be played on Tuesday, May 3rd with a 1 PM road contest at number 15-nationally ranked Kansas City Kansas Community College. KCKCC moved to 43-7 overall on the year after completing a four-game sweep of Highland this past weekend and currently sits one game back of Cowley College in the KJCCC East Division for the top overall seed. Last season, Cloud County and KCKCC met three times with the T-Birds winning a pair of regular-season games before dropping the third decision of the year in postseason play to the Blue Devils.
