Cloud County Baseball Drops Pair to #12 Johnson County to Open Four-Game Series

Defensive miscues and limited offense for the Cloud County Community College baseball team would lead to a pair of home defeats on Friday, falling to 12th-ranked Johnson County Community College by scores of 15-3 in six innings and 14-4 at Lee Doyen Field to open a four-game series on March 3rd.

Falling for the first time at home this season, CCCC drops to 8-5 overall following the doubleheader defeat while Johnson County improves to 14-2 overall and has won their past 12 games.

GAME ONE:
Five errors in the series opener by Cloud County would lead to numerous additional opportunities for the Cavaliers as a three-run top of the first would be followed by a seven-run inning in the top of the second with eight hits, a walk, and hit batter producing the offense in the inning for JCCC. Of the eight hits in the second, just one for the Cavaliers would go for extra-bases in the form of a two-run home run following a pitching change by CCCC as the T-Birds would trail 10-0 heading into the bottom of the second.

Stringing together back-to-back hits to start the bottom of the second, Cloud County would use a Justin Johnson leadoff double and Kolden Howerton RBI single to push across their first run of the game to start a potential rally that would see Howerton move into scoring position following a balk on Johnson County starting pitcher Luc Fladda. Following a strikeout and fielding error to put runners on first and third with one out, CCCC would get an RBI single from Alex Diaz to plate a second run before ultimately seeing the Cavaliers get a strikeout and groundout to end the inning with the bases loaded.

After holding JCCC scoreless in the top of the third, CCCC would be retired in order in their half of the third before giving up a solo run to Johnson County in the fourth as a pair of one-out walks would lead to an RBI single. Coming through once again for the T-Birds offensively, Diaz would provide more offense for Cloud County in the fourth with a solo home run to match the single run scored by the Cavaliers in the inning to keep the deficit at eight heading to the fifth.

Things would remain an 11-3 contest until the top of the sixth when a leadoff walk and back-to-back bunt singles would load the bases for Johnson County as the Cavaliers would bring home a run on a catcher's interference call before plating two additional runs on a sacrifice fly and wild pitch. With the deficit now sitting at 11, Cloud County would be in a must-score situation to extend the game, putting two runners aboard with an Eric Foufoulas one-out walk and Aidan Malish two-out hit-by-pitch before seeing a strikeout end the game after six innings of play.

Johnson County's 15 runs would come on 14 hits which saw just two hits go for extra bases as the Cavaliers would seemingly find every open spot on the diamond to put balls in play and reach base safely. Cloud County meanwhile would be limited to just six hits and struck out 11 times in the contest, with Diaz driving in two of CCCC's three runs and finishing as the lone T-Bird to record multiple hits. Five total pitchers would be used in the game by Cloud County, as the T-Bird pitching staff would record nine strikeouts but see eight walks prove to be costly in the loss.

GAME TWO:
Facing another early deficit, CCCC would surrender two runs to Johnson County in the top of the first as two walks to begin the game would eventually lead to a pair of runs coming home on a failed pick off attempt and sacrifice fly as the Cavaliers would put three baserunners aboard despite going hitless in the inning. Adding to their lead in the top of the second, Johnson County would use three more walks and two hits to push across three additional runs to put Cloud County into a 5-0 hole after two innings of action as the T-Birds would be held without a hit through their first two opportunities at the plate.

A leadoff single and RBI double would lead to another run for JCCC in the top of the third to continue to build their lead to a 6-0 advantage as things would continue to be all Cavaliers through three innings of game two. The deficit for Cloud County would balloon in the fourth as a two-out rally on a T-Bird fielding error would allow five unearned runs to come across and turn a six-run deficit into an 11-0 hole for CCCC as things once again would get broken open by the Cavaliers.

Making the most of a Johnson County error, Cloud County would push across two runs in the bottom of the fourth with a bunt single by Demitri Shakotko and Danny Infante double to put runners on the corners with no outs. Both runners would then score with two outs in the inning as Malish would hit a ball at the Cavalier third baseman that would not be fielded cleanly which would extend the inning and allow both Shakotko and Infante to score.

Both teams would be held scoreless in the fifth before seeing another two-out rally for Johnson County lead to a pair of runs as three-straight hits along with another CCCC error put the deficit back at 11 for the T-Birds. The game would then remain a 13-2 deficit for Cloud County until the bottom of the seventh when CCCC would find themselves in another must-score situation to extend the contest which would come courtesy of a Logan Scully one-out two-run home run by driving the first pitch he saw over the right-center field fence to get the T-Birds back within nine. Things would remain a 13-4 game until the top of the ninth when one final run would be scored by JCCC with a two-out solo home run to tack on one final run for the Cavaliers as CCCC would be unable to find any offense in the final two innings of action.

Limited again to just six hits, Cloud County would see their offense be able to muster just one free pass in the game while stranding four runners despite having just four fewer at-bats than Johnson County. The Cavaliers meanwhile would pound out 13 hits and draw nine walks to offset seven strikeouts and three defensive errors to cap off a 29-run day. Just one of the seven Cloud County pitchers used in the contest would go longer than an inning, with Blayne Fritcher tossing three innings of work and throwing a team-high three strikeouts in a relief appearance.

What's Next?
Games three and four of the four-game series will see things shift to Overland Park, Kansas, and the JCCC Baseball Stadium for a 1 PM doubleheader to conclude the four-game series between the Cavaliers and T-Birds. The games will serve as the final non-conference games prior to the start of Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference play for Cloud County which is set to begin next week.