Offense was hard to come by over the weekend for Allen Community College’s softball team, which tangled with the top two teams in Kansas Jayhawk Conference Friday and Sunday.
On Friday, the Red Devils scored two runs in the first inning against first-place Highland, but couldn’t dent the scoreboard again in 11-2 and 4-0 losses.
Then on Sunday, Allen ventured to second-place Cowley, falling 7-1 and 8-0.
At 7-17 in conference play, the Red Devils find themselves in eighth place with two weeks of the regular season remaining.
“These next games will determine where we fall,” Red Devil head coach Nicole Peters said.
Allen’s opponents will be hard pressed to match the pitching display put forth by Highland and Cowley.
On Friday, Allen’s Haley Gedrose doubled in the first inning of the opener, the Red Devils’ only hit of the afternoon.
She came around to score on an error, before Kinsey Stuewe bunted home a run later in the inning.
But Cowley took control with a five-run third inning.
“We kind of took ourselves out of a couple of innings,” Peters said.
Madelynn Collins gave up nine hits and struck out three. Chloe Rogers pitched an inning, giving up a hit.
Highland’s Taylor Kettle struck out five over five innings to secure the win.
The Scotties’ Salem Liebenthal took the ball from there, and tossed no-hit ball over seven innings, although Allen batters walked four times.
Peters said the Red Devils had the right approach in the nightcap, being patient and working the count. “We played well in the second game. You just can’t win ballgames when you can’t score runs.”
Highland took a 1-0 lead in the first, extended it to 3-0 in the fourth and finished off the scoring with Kerstyn Finch’s solo shot in the fifth.
Rogers pitched a complete game for Allen, allowing six hits with four strikeouts.
