The Kansas City Kansas Community College softball team swept the Division I Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen with scores of 2-0 and 5-3. In both games combined, the Blue Devil pitching staff allowed just seven hits, three runs and walked one. KCKCC now holds an overall record of 14-10 on the season.
In the first game, all the runs came in the bottom half, as Sidney Sullivan led off by hitting a ground ball to the third baseman. The Golden Norsemen fumbled the play and threw the ball over the first baseman's head, allowing Sullivan to reach first base. With Sullivan on first, Kloey Dawes hit a ground ball to the shortstop, but the shortstop mishandled the ball, failing to make the force out at second and missing the throw to first. The Golden Norsemen committed two errors in the first two plays of the game. Sydney Becker followed by hitting a ground ball to the shortstop, who successfully got Dawes out at second but allowed Sullivan to advance to third. With runners on the corners, Kinley Boley stepped up and hit a slow roller to the third baseman, who threw Boley out at first, allowing Sullivan to score. With two outs and Becker on second, Ashton Russell came to the plate and hit a triple down the right field line, bringing Becker home to double the Blue Devils' lead. This RBI triple by Russell would be the last play of the successful half-inning for the Blue Devils.
Alyssa Droge went the distance allowing no runs, one hit, one walk and striking out three of the 24 Golden Norsemen batters she faced.
In game two, NEO A&M started off the scoring with three runs in the top of the fifth inning. The Blue Devils would respond with a Sullivan grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead. Kylie Vandervoort added some insurance as she was walked with the bases loaded, scoring Sara Portela from third base to give a two-run cushion.
Hanna Acree threw for five innings letting in three runs, one earned run from four hits. She struck out one of the 21 batters she faced. Kinlei Boley and Alyssa Droge finished the game off allowing just two hits and striking out one batter. Droge would end the game in fashion as she caught a foul ball that was tipped off the Blue Devil catchers, Lilea Prahm, glove to complete the sweep.
The next series for the Blue Devils is March 27 as they take on Highland Community College at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at the KCKCC softball field for the Student Athlete Leadership Teams (SALT) March 'Game of the Month'.