It was a case of close, but no cigar, over the weekend for Allen Community College’s baseball team. COFFEYVILLE TOOK a 6-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth before Allen scored a run on Foster’s RBI grounder in the fifth.
The Red Devils had late shots to knock off Coffeyville but could not find the key hits in 6-3 and 6-4 losses.
The defeats keep the Red Devils winless in Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division Action and 5-16 overall.
“We’re still battling,” head coach Val McLean said. “We fought hard today, but they’ve got some good pitchers.”
The Red Devils were a few inches away from a potential game-tying hit from Kyle Foster, after Allen had already scored a run and had the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth, and Allen trailing 6-3.
His drive to the warning track turned into a sacrifice fly after Red Raven left fielder Taylor Davis chased it down for the out. Coffeyville closer Carlos Aldana then ended the game with a pair of strikeouts, the second one on a called third strike to ring up Allen’s Jacob Waters.
The loss spoiled a dandy pitching effort by Allen’s Trever Kreifel, who kept Coffeyville off the scoreboard into the top of the sixth. He walked and hit a batter to lead off the inning, then received a visit to the mound by the ACC coaching staff when he fell behind Coffeyville’s Jacob Spring on a 2-0 count.
Spring launched Kreifel’s next pitch over the left field wall for a three-run blast to erase ACC’s 2-0 lead.
The Ravens scored once more in the seventh on an ACC fielding error, and two more in the eighth on a sacrifice fly and another Allen error to take a 6-2 lead.
Until the ninth inning rally, Allen’s only runs came when Camdon Myers was hit by a pitch and Levi Ashmore walked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second. But that rally was cut short when Coffeyville starter Sean Laughlin recorded all three outs of the inning on called third strikes — all with the bases loaded.
Trailing, 6-2, Cole Slusser walked, Sean Maruo singled and Ashmore reached on an error to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth. Trey Francis singled to drive in Slusser, setting up Foster’s critical sac fly.
Kreifel took the loss, despite giving up only four hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out four. Logan Baush gave up three hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief with a strikeout. Chase Cunningham pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk.
Chase Egelston had two of ACC’s six hits, both singles. Waters had a double, while Francis, Austin Griffin and Maruo had singles.
Drew Walden cut the gap even closer with his two-run homer to center field with one out in the bottom of the sixth. The rally continued when Slusser was hit by a pitch and Ashmore struck a single.
But Raven reliever Nick Jones ended the rally with a ground ball. Aldana pitched a one-two-three ninth to end the game.
Derek Pike went the distance on the mound for the Red Devils. He gave up nine hits and five walks in his 114-pitch effort. He struck out six.
Coffeyville pitchers limited Allen to six hits. In addition to Walden’s blast, Ashmore singled twice, Foster had a double and Francis and Maruo had singles.
“Both of our guys pitched well,” McLean said. “We’ve had the good fortune of playing the three undefeated teams to start conference play. We’ll keep working at getting some wins.”
Ravens hold off Allen to cap sweep
