OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The No. 5-ranked Johnson County baseball team split a two-game series with Metropolitan Friday afternoon. The Cavaliers took the first game 9-7 but fell in the second game 7-6 in 11-innnings.
In the opening game, sophomore first baseman Easton Roe singled in the bottom of the eighth to drove in two runs to give Johnson County a 9-7 lead.
The Cavaliers entered the eighth down a run, but sophomore catcher Miken Miller walked and came around to score before Roe picked up the game winning RBI.
Sophomore third baseman Carter Kelley also had two singles and two runs driven in, and sophomore left fielder Ryker Edwards ripped a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Cavalier deficit to one run.
Freshman center fielder Bo Shinkle hit a sacrifice fly which helped JCCC tie the game at two in the bottom of the second.
Sophomore right-hander Josiah Golden started the game on the bump for the Cavaliers and gave up five hits and two runs over four innings, striking out five batters. Freshman right-hander Keston Holmen logged the next three innings and gave up five runs off five hits with four strikeouts, then freshman right-hander Christian Bobzin threw two innings of scoreless ball, allowing no hits, walks or runs while striking out five of the six batters he faced.
In the second game, Metropolitan infielder Broxton Cole delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Wolves a 7-6 win and split the series.
Johnson Count jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with two runs in the first and one in the second, but Metropolitan plated three in the third to tie the score. They added three more in the sixth for 6-3 lead. The Cavaliers pulled their way back even with two in the eight and one in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.
Sophomore right fielder Drew Veatch, sophomore third baseman Max Towchik, sophomore second baseman Jake McClure and Edwards each collected to hits for the Cavaliers. Veatch, Edwards and Shinkle each drove in a run.
Johnson County used nine pitchers over the 11-game combining for 17 strikeouts. Freshman left-hander Coltin Watkins earned the start and struck out seven over 4.1 innings of work. Freshman right-hander Hudson Byrd and freshman right-hander Luke Fricker each pitched two innings of scoreless relief, and each struck out four of the six batter they faced.
The Cavaliers are scheduled to travel to Pratt, Kansas to take the Pratt Beavers on Thursday, February 21 for doubleheader, then finished the series at JCCC on Saturday, February 22 with a twin bill beginning at 1 p.m.