The Kansas City Kansas Community College baseball team played Johnson County Community College four times this past weekend losing three of the four. The first two games were at the KCKCC baseball field as the Cavaliers won 5-3 and 9-3. The Blue Devils then took one game at JCCC as they fell in game one with a final score of 8-7 and won in game two, 5-4. In all four games, KCKCC was leading at some point but let the Cavaliers come back into the game.

In the first game, the Blue Devils got on the board first after scoring one run in the bottom of the first. The Cavaliers answered with three runs in the top of the fourth inning. The Blue Devil leadoff batter, Marcus Dierks, had two of the five hits for KCKCC and scored once. Tanner Pachorek had one hit, one RBI and got walked once. Braden Horn was responsible for the last Blue Devil run as he went 1-2 at the plate. The Cavaliers won with a final score of 5-3.

Bryson Vawter started and went 4.2 innings while letting up four runs, three earned from the four Cavalier hits. He walked three and struck out four of the 23 batters that he faced. Caleb Deer entered the game in the fifth inning and didn't allow a hit in his 1.1 innings of work. Caden Howell was the final pitcher to throw as he let up one hit, which was a home run in the top of the seventh inning to double their lead.

For the second game, the Blue Devils had eight hits as a team and allowed the Cavalier to get 13. The first four batters for KCKCC all recorded a hit and combined for two runs and one RBI. Frankie Santiago had two hits, and they were both doubles. The other RBI in the game came from Cade Parry and Tannen Buss.

Gavin Killion threw for the first five innings while allowing three runs from five hits. He struck out three Cavalier batters and walked on in the 20 batters he faced. There were four other pitchers who entered the game to finish the final four innings as they combined for seven hits, five runs, six walks and five strikeouts.

For the third game, the Blue Devils scored five runs in the third inning and led with a score of 6-1 until the bottom of the sixth inning where JCCC put up seven runs to take the lead 8-6. KCKCC was able to score just one run in the top of the seventh inning, falling with a final score of 8-7.  Santiago continued his hot streak as he had two more doubles while adding three RBIs. Freddie Nolen IV also had two doubles as he went 2-3 from the plate. Sawyer Tolk and Parry had a double and Pachorek brought in one run while he hit 1-4.

Caleb Reed threw for the first 5.1 innings, allowing four runs from five hits. He struck out eight and walked two of the 23 batters he faced. Dylan Blazer recorded the loss as he let in three runs and walked two batters without recording an out.

For the fourth game, JCCC struck first as they put up four runs in the first three innings, gaining an early 4-0 lead. The Cavaliers scoring would end there as the Blue Devils caught fire in the fifth and sixth innings, scoring four runs to tie the game. It was a deadlock until the top of the ninth inning until Marcus Dierks scored from third base as the Cavaliers pitcher threw too wild of a pitch for the catcher to collect. In the bottom of the ninth inning, as KCKCC leads JCCC 5-4, Caleb Deer walked the opening batter.  The first out was recorded as the second batter attempted to bunt the ball but popped it up to the KCKCC third baseman, Cade Parry. On a 0-2 count, the Cavaliers runner on first base tried stealing second base but Blue Devil catcher, Colton Kirkham, delivered an absolute missile to second base, getting the runner out to record out number two. The very next pitch, Deer got the batter to swing at a high fastball to end the game with a strikeout.

Camden Brashear started the game and threw for 3.0 innings allowing four runs from six hits. He walked and struck out one batter each in the 18 batters he faced. Caleb Deer entered the game in the fourth inning and allowed just one hit, two walks and struck out seven batters in his six innings of work.

The next game for the Blue Devils is against the Butler Community College Grizzlies at 3 p.m. April 1 at Butler in El Dorado, Kan.