Johnson County sweeps past Allen

Storybook weather, with temperatures in the mid 70s, filled the Allen Community College baseball diamond with rich sunshine all afternoon.
Val McLean couldn’t have been more miserable.
The Red Devil head coach wasn’t in much of a good mood as Allen dropped its fifth and sixth straight games, 14-3 and 12-6, to visiting Johnson County Community College.
“We’re really struggling,” said McLean, who juggled his lineup in both games with the hopes of creating a spark. “We just can’t get anything going.”
The Red Devils were held without a hit in the opener until Trevor Kreifel launched an opposite field homer over the right field fence with two down in the bottom of the sixth.
Johnson starter Conner Miller then struck out the next ACC batter to end the game, via the junior college mercy rule.
Likewise, the Cavaliers’ Aaron Schnurbusch was nearly as dominant in game 2. He allowed only two hits in five shutout innings with 10 strikeouts.
“We ran into two very good pitchers today,” McLean said. “Just like against Cowley (a four-game sweep over the weekend), we came up against four very good pitchers. It’s made it tough on us.”
Kreifel was Allen’s offensive catalyst in both games. He homered again in the second game, a two-run shot, and delivered a run-scoring single.
Problem was, his damage came after Johnson already led 14-2 in the first game and 11-0 in the second.
Big innings in both contests proved Allen’s undoing.
Johnson led 3-0 in the opener before a five-run fourth gave the Cavaliers full control.
Allen cut the gap to 8-2 in the bottom of the fourth, courtesy of two walks and two Johnson errors, but could not muster a hit until Kreifel’s sixth-inning blast.
Chase Cunningham took the loss, surrendering four hits in three innings with four walks. Zachary Maskill, Anthony Miele and Taylor Mah each pitched one inning of relief, giving up a combined nine hits and five walks with two strikeouts.

STARTER Geoffrey Borque cruised through the first two innings before Johnson scored nine in a nightmarish third inning, featuring five hits, two walks, two hit batters, two errors and a wild pitch.
“Take away one horrible inning, and it would’ve been a good game,” McLean said.
The Red Devil bats started to come to life as the second game hit the middle innings.
Following Kreifel’s sixth-inning RBI single, the Red Devils scored a second run on a Cavalier error. Drew Walden’s single cut the gap to 11-3.
Chase Egelston singled to lead off the bottom of the eighth, preceding Kreifel’s homer.
Allen’s final run came in the ninth, courtesy of Trey Francis’ leadoff double, a Camdon Myers grounder and a passed ball.
Allen rapped out 11 hits in the nightcap.
Francis had his single and home run, Egelston went 3-for-5 with a double and Francis and Kyle Foster both had two hits, including doubles. Myers and Walden chipped in with singles.
Borque surrendered five hits in 2 1/3 innings with two walks. Logan Bausch pitched 3 2/3 innings of relief, allowing five hits with four strikeouts. Auston Weldy pitched three innings, allowing two hits and a walk with one strikeout.
Allen begins a four-game series with Coffeyville on Thursday, with a doubleheader at Coffeyville the first day, and a twin bill at home Saturday. Thursday’s doubleheader begins at 3 p.m.; Saturday’s at 1 p.m.