OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The No. 12-ranked Johnson County Community College baseball team swept their second conference series of the season, this time against the Highland Community College Scotties. The Cavaliers won the first two games at home, 9-6 and 14-6, then completed the sweep taking both games at Highland on Friday, 3-2 and 15-2.
Johnson County hit .382 over the four games, with 20 extra base hits. The Cavaliers pitching staff held the Scottie hitters to a .200 average.
With the four-game sweep, Johnson County improved to 24-2 on the season and 8-0 in the conference, and extended their win streak to 16 straight games, three shy of the school record. They are also off to their best start in team history.
Of the four games, the craziest was the fourth game. The game was tied 1-1 when the Cavaliers came to the plate in the top of the sixth. When Highland finally managed to get three outs, Johnson County had scored 14 times to blow the game wide open.
Sophomore All-American first baseman Malik Williams led off the inning with a solo home run, and later belted a three-run shot. Freshman DH Vince Donato had a solo homer and a single and scored twice. Sophomore outfielder Jacob Owens had a single and a double and drove in three in the inning. Freshman outfielder Landon Wood had two singles, scored twice and drove in two runs, and sophomore outfielder Anthony Amicangelo had a single and a double and drove in two.
Amicangello had a huge series against the Scotties. He hit .611 (11-of-18) with four doubles, a triple, two home runs, six runs scored and 12 driven in to help JCCC to five wins, including a conference sweep over Highland. Amicangelo currently leads the NJCAA with a .621 batting average. The next closest is .524.
Freshman outfielder Landon Wood hit .588 (10-for-17) with three doubles, eight runs scored and two driven in the series.
Freshman infielder Garrett Wood was also solid, particularly in the first two games at JCCC. He .462 (6-for-13) with three doubles, a triple, six runs and six RBI, including a four RBI effort in game two.
On the hill, sophomore Zachary Ebert and freshman Trey Ziegenbein each improved to 6-0 on the season. Ebert was the game winner in the first game, and Ziegenbein in the third. Both pitcher registered 10 strikeouts in their outing. Sophomore Sloan Thomsen improved to 5-0 and was the recipient of the 14-run sixth inning outburst by the Cavaliers, and sophomore Dylan Bierman was the game two winner, improving his record to 4-1 on the season.
Freshman reliever Paul Rector picked up his third save of the year, pitching two hitless innings in the Cavaliers 3-2 win in game three of the series.