OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – For the first time this season, the 6th-ranked Johnson County Community College baseball team was in danger of losing a conference series after dropping two of the first three games against Fort Scott Community College over the weekend. However, the Cavaliers managed a split after taking the final game 17-6. Johnson County now stands 32-4 overall and are tied for first with Cowley College at 14-2.
Fort Scott assured themselves a split when they took the first game on Saturday, the third of the series, 7-2. Johnson County led 2-0 when the Greyhounds came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning. When the Cavaliers finally got a third out, they trailed 7-2.
Freshman right-hander Trey Ziegenbein suffered his first loss of the season, falling to 7-1 overall.
Sophomore shortstop Chris Esposito had two hits including a solo home run, and sophomore right fielder Anthony Amicangelo and freshman catcher Anthony Slaughter each drove in a run for the Cavaliers.
In the final game of the series, Johnson County held a slim two-run lead at 6-4 entering the top of the sixth inning, but they blew game open plating six runs followed by five more over the final two innings.
Esposito had a big game, ripping a single and a double to drove in five runs. Amicangelo had two hits, including a home run, and drove in two and freshman centerfielder Landen Wood also had two hits with a solo homer. Slaughter got on base five times with a single and four walks. He also scored three times.
Sophomore right-hander Sloan Thomsen improved to 7-0 despite allowing six runs over five innings on the hill. Freshman right-hander Jon Moll closed out the game, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts over the final three innings, picking up his first save of the season.
Johnson County returns to the diamond Tuesday, April 9 to host Metropolitan Community College at 2 p.m., then they travel to Kansas City Kansas Community College for the first two of a four-game series. The final two games are at JCCC on Saturday, April 13 with the first pitch at 1 p.m.