The Kansas City Kansas Community College baseball team is moving on in the Region VI Playoffs after knocking off No. 11 Dodge City Community College in a best-of-three series sweep. The Blue Devils clinched the series with wins of 12-11 and 8-4, advancing to the next round in Salina, Kan. Freshman third baseman Ian Woita played a key role in the series, going 5-8 at the plate and driving in five runs over the two games.
In Game 2, KCKCC got on the board first in dramatic fashion. With two outs and runners on first and second, a routine ground ball to the Dodge City shortstop appeared to end the inning. However, the umpire ruled the first baseman off the bag, allowing Braden Horn to race home from second. Thinking the inning was over, the Dodge City defense had already started to walk off the field, and the first baseman rolled the ball back to the mound—giving KCKCC an unexpected 1-0 lead.
The Blue Devils capitalized on that momentum in the bottom of the third inning. Marcus Dierks led off with a bloop single over the shortstop's head, followed by a flyout from Frankie Santiago that moved Dierks to second. Freddie Nolen IV then ripped a double down the right-field line to drive in Dierks. With a 3-1 count, Woita laced a line drive into right-center field to score Nolen IV and take second himself. Then, on just the second pitch of his at-bat, Braden Horn launched a two-run homer over the left-field fence, stretching the lead to 5-0.
Dodge City responded with a run in the top of the fifth, but Woita struck again with a two-run blast over the left-field wall, continuing his standout performance. The Conquistadors added two more runs in the top of the eighth, trimming the lead to 7-4.
KCKCC tacked on one final run in the bottom of the eighth when Frankie Santiago was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, bringing in the final run of the game.
On the mound, Caleb Deer delivered a solid outing, throwing 5.1 innings while giving up two runs on four hits and three walks, with four strikeouts across 23 batters. Dylan Blazer came in to close, pitching the final 3.2 innings and allowing two runs on two hits and two walks to record the save.
The Blue Devils will face the winner of the Cloud County vs. Labette series—currently tied 1-1. That deciding game is set for 2 p.m. Friday, May 2. KCKCC will return to action at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13, in Salina.