The Allen Red Devils’ fate is in their own hands after falling to the Fort Scott Greyhounds in both games of Saturday’s doubleheader, 18-8 and 13-9.
With a pair of doubleheaders against Jayhawk Conference foe Highland scheduled for Thursday and Saturday, every game from here on out counts for or against the Red Devils’ seeding in the upcoming regional tournament.
“Our playoff starts right now, and we have to get going and have a sense of urgency,” Allen coach Trey Harris said. “We can’t look
left or right, we have to win each inning every time and go from there. It’s been pressed on them a little bit, but as we get closer it’s going to keep getting ramped up.”
After giving up three runs in the opening frame, sophomore shortstop Martin Malick drove in both of his team-leading two RBIs with a single to close the gap.
A solo home run in the third inning by sophomore second baseman Kaden Went kick-started the Red Devils. Sophomore first baseman Nicky Morretto and freshman shortstop Cash Messinger followed up with a pair of RBI singles, then sophomore outfielder Jaxson Schrueder ended the inning with an RBI grounder to briefly tie the contest.
Fort Scott took the lead in the fourth with a trio of runs, then added six more in the fifth for a nine-run advantage, 15-6.
Freshman starter Andrew Smith tallied a team-leading four strikeouts before exiting before the third inning after allowing six runs on seven hits. Sophomore designated hitter Carson McCormac had a team-leading two hits while scoring a pair of runs.
The Red Devils tried to claw their way back into the nightcap after allowing five runs in the opening frame. They pulled within four runs off a Moretto RBI single and a McCormac sacrifice fly in the third inning. They added another pair of runs in the fifth off an RBI single from sophomore designated hitter Krue Lowe, then Richardson scored on a wild pitch. A Carson homer and a grand slam by sophomore shortstop Jeffrey Almonte pulled Allen without four runs again, but that was as close as the Red Devils would get.
Almonte’s grand slam handed him the team lead in RBIs with four, followed by McCormac with two, then Lowe and Moretto with one each. Lowe, Richardson and McCormac tied for the team lead in hits with two each.
