CONCORDIA - Excitement from an extra-innings walk-off wild pitch leading to a 4-3 win in game one for the Cloud County Community College baseball team would carry over into game two of a Thursday doubleheader against Seward County Community College as the T-Birds would get a complete game, one-hit shutout from sophomore Conner Woods to earn a 3-0 victory to sweep a pair of games at Lee Doyen Field in Concordia on Thursday.
Enjoying the benefits of playing at home yet again, Cloud County improves to 36-11 overall and 19-7 in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference with CCCC sporting a 19-2 record at home this year which includes an 11-1 mark at home in conference play this season. Seward County falls to 12-32 overall with the losses and now sits at 5-17 in the KJCCC having lost two of their past three games in extra-innings.
GAME ONE
Taking advantage of a quick one-two-three top of the first, the T-Birds would look to get on the scoreboard early with back-to-back one-out singles from Brock Wollin and Tom Poole to put a runner in scoring position. After a fielder's choice from Kolden Howerton would put runners on the corners with two outs, Seward County starting pitcher Mason Martinez would work out of the jam with a strikeout to end the inning and strand both CCCC runners.
SCCC would take advantage of a one-out single of their own in the top of the second as a wild pitch and RBI double into the left-center field gap would put the Saints out to a 1-0 lead. After a strikeout and wild pitch would put a runner at third for Seward County, T-Bird starting pitcher Christian Womble would limit the damage to just the one run with a groundout to end the inning.
After being retired in order in the bottom of the second, CCCC would work around a leadoff walk and fielding error in the top of the third to strand a pair of runners for Seward County as the T-Birds would put
runners on the corners with their first two batters of the bottom of the third thanks in part to an Alexander Diaz hit-by-pitch, balk, and Ian Riley single. Riley would then add to his team lead in stolen bases by stealing second before seeing Wollin get hit by a pitch to load the bases. In the next at-bat with Poole up at the plate, a wild pitch would see Cloud County get aggressive and send Diaz home where he would be thrown out at the plate as back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning with two more base runners stranded in scoring position.
With momentum shifting to SCCC in the bottom of the third, the Saints would take advantage in the top of the fourth as a leadoff single, stolen base and a wild pitch would put another base runner at third for an RBI single to make it 2-0. An error following the single would allow another Seward County base runner to take third with a throwing error on a base-hit infield single bringing home a third run to see the T-Birds face their largest deficit of the day. CCCC would manage to get out of the inning over the next two batters as a failed sacrifice bunt attempt would lead to a fielder's choice followed by a fly out to end the inning.
Two more stranded base runners for the T-Birds in the bottom of the fourth would continue the woes for CCCC as Cloud County would be held off the scoreboard yet again despite a runner in scoring position with just one out. A double play would erase a leadoff single for the T-Birds in the fifth and turn yet another inning into a one-two-three inning for CCCC as the recent stretch of play would feature 11 outs recorded over the course of 11 at-bats.
Still struggling to produce offensively, Cloud County would see Danny Infante draw a one-out walk before a Garrett Redden single on the first pitch of his at-bat bring the game-tying run to the plate. A throwing error with Williams Camacho-Soto up at the plate would bring home the first run of the game for the T-Birds with runners at second and third with still one out as CCCC would appear to finally be able to get back into the game. A Joel Benes pinch-hit single through the left side of the infield would then allow Redden to score as Cloud County would elect to send Camacho-Soto around third with a throw from left field getting to the Seward County catcher in time to apply the tag and cut down the game-tying run at the plate. Diaz would attempt to extend the inning in the next at-bat as a bunt attempt would lead to a groundout to end the inning with Cloud County trailing by one after beginning the inning down three.
Following a pair of ground outs to begin the top of the seventh, SCCC would threaten to add an insurance run with a walk and single back up the middle that would end the day of Womble and force Cloud County to turn to their bullpen. Bringing on reliever Rans Sanders, the Grand Island, Nebraska native would induce an inning-ending groundout as the Saints would be unable to add to their lead.
Making a move to the bullpen of their own, Seward County would look to close things out in the bottom of the seventh but be unable to do so as a leadoff error and Wollin single would put the go-ahead runner on base. Intentionally walking Poole to load the bases, Howerton would hit a game-tying sacrifice fly to bring home Riley and tie the game at 3-3 before seeing a fielder's choice and groundout end the inning with the game-winning run at third.
In extra-innings, Sanders would work around a leadoff single from Seward County as a failed sacrifice bunt attempt would lead to a fielder's choice followed by a strikeout and a runner caught stealing to end the top of the eighth. For a second-straight inning, Cloud County would put their leadoff batter on with an error that would be followed by a Tristan Tenorio pinch-hit bunt single to once again put two runners on with no outs. Diaz would then lay down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up 90 feet to second and third as SCCC would elect to intentionally walk Ian Riley and load the bases for a force out at any base as well as a potential inning-ending double play. As luck would have it for the Saints, Wollin would end the inning with a lineout to second that would see Tenorio doubled off at second as things would be sent to a second-straight inning of free baseball.
Putting the go-ahead run aboard yet again in extras, Seward count would see a groundout and strikeout end another potential threat by SCCC as Sanders would work a second-straight clean inning to give Cloud County another chance to try and end things by walk-off. Putting the leadoff batter in Poole on with a hit-by-pitch, Howerton would follow with a fly-out to left field before seeing Infante connect on a pitch that would see the ball end up over the left fielder's head and one-hop the fence for a standup double. Issuing another intentional walk to load the bases in hopes of another inning-ending double play, the T-Birds would not have to worry about the scenario playing out as a wild pitch that would reach the backstop allowed Poole to come home and give CCCC the 4-3 win.
Stranding 11 runners on base, Cloud County would be able to overcome the limited offense with a pair of fantastic pitching outings from Womble (6.2 innings) and Sanders (2.1 innings) that featured seven strikeouts compared to seven hits with Seward County held scoreless over the final five innings of the game. Riley, Wollin, and Redden would lead CCCC offensively with two hits each as only Infante's double in the ninth would go for extra bases.
GAME TWO
Having to play from behind for much of game one, Cloud County would ensure that would not be necessary in game two as two strikeouts as part of a one-two-three inning in the top of the first would set up back-to-back doubles from Wollin and Poole to bring home a run and make it 1-0 T-Birds heading to the second. A fielding error would allow Seward County to put a base runner aboard in the top of the second before seeing a strikeout, pop out, and groundout end the inning as CCCC would add to their lead in the bottom of the second with an RBI groundout from Riley after seeing Ty Wevers hit a one-out double. Another solo run for Cloud County would come in the bottom of the third as Benes would leave no doubt on a home run to left field that would clear the fence 325-feet away with ease to give the T-Birds their 63rd home run of the year to tie a single-season school-record set back in 1989.
The next two-and-a-half innings of play would see all 15 batters retired in order with both starting pitchers settling into a groover that would see eight of the 15 outs recorded come by strikeout with things remaining a 3-0 CCCC lead heading into the bottom of the sixth with the game scheduled for seven innings following the extra-innings affair in game one. One final opportunity for Cloud County to add another insurance run to their three-run lead would see the T-Birds have a leadoff hit batter erased on a caught stealing followed by an Infante one-out single that would wind up stranded following a fly out and groundout.
Still working into the seventh and looking for just the second complete-game shutout of the season by a T-Bird pitcher, Conner Woods would find himself just one out away from a no-hitter following a flyout and his career-high 11th strikeout to put two outs on the board before a base hit back up the middle would end the no-hit bid. The game would come to an end just one batter later as a popup on the infield would be caught by Wollin at third base to end the game and give Cloud County their third win of the year when scoring three or fewer runs.
Throwing a total of 99 pitches, Woods would strike out 11 of the 23 batters faced and induce seven flyouts and three groundouts as the Winfield, Kansas native would face just two batters over the minimum. Held to just six hits would not be an issue for CCCC as Riley, Poole and Benes would all drive in a run in the game while accounting for two of the six hits with six different players all recording a hit each.
What's next?
Cloud County will look to make history on Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Liberal at Brent Gould Field. The T-Birds sit just one conference victory away from attaining 20 wins in the KJCCC for the first time in school history. CCCC joined the KJCCC prior the to 1996-1997 season and has never won more than 18 games in the KJCCC prior to this season.