OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Johnson County baseball team took a four-game series from North Iowa Area over the weekend, and in the process, head coach Eric Hornet notched his 100th win as the Cavaliers skipper. Horner entered the series with 97 career wins.
Johnson County opened the series with a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon, 5-4 and 16-4. In the first game on Sunday, the third in the series, the Cavaliers won 12-2 in seven innings, to get Horner his milestone victory. JCCC completed with sweep with a 13-4 win in the final game of the series.
In the opener, catcher Shea McGahan ripped a walk-off single scoring leftfielder Cooper Combs for the one-run victory. McGahan also had a RBI double earlier in the game, and Combs had an RBI single and scored twice.
First baseman Ryan Callahan collected two RBI in the first. Leadoff hitter and shortstop
Dylan Hufft had a double, a triple and scored a run and right fielder Brayden Luikart had a single, a triple and came across to score twice.
In the second game, the Cavaliers top three in the order provided the majority of damage. Hufft, Luikart and Combs combined for seven hits, eight runs and seven RBI. Hufft had a monster game, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, four runs and an RBI. Luikart was 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI and Combs was 2-for-5 with two runs and three driven in.
At the bottom of the order, third baseman Jordan Black and second baseman Easton Elliot sparked the offense as well. Black had two hits, a run and two RBI and Elliot went 3-for-3 with two runs and two driven in.
Right-hander Cole Koonce improved to 3-0 allowing four runs, three earned, with five strikeouts over 4.2 innings of work.
In the third game of the series, third baseman Jeremy Rader got the Cavaliers on the board with an RBI single in the second, and then Combs upped JCCC's lead to 3-0 with a two-run shot over the left field wall in the bottom of the fifth. His homer was the first in the series with the Trojans.
In the top of the sixth, NIACC cut the deficit into JCCC's lead with a run, but in the bottom of the inning, the Cavaliers sent 15 batters to the plate and scored nine runs off four hits and an error.
Rader drew a bases loaded walk with no outs sending McGahan home for his second RBI, making 4-1 Cavaliers.
After a force at home, outfielder Rhett Hendricks made it 5-1 scoring on a wild pitch, then Johnson County busted the game open after a two-run double by shortstop Dylan Hufft to make it 7-1. He then stole second and scored on an overthrow to third base.
Luikart followed with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice fly by Combs and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Callahan.
McGahan singled for the second time in the inning, Blake Martin hit high pop up between in shallow right field that found a hole, sending Luikart home for a 10-1 advantage. Hendricks then earned his third walk of the game, to load the bases for a second time.
JCCC upped its lead to 12-1 on a two-run error by the Trojans first baseman on a high pop up by Rader.
Cavaliers right-hander Christian Johnson closed out the game in the top of the seventh, allowing a solo home run with two strikeouts.
Left-hander Ty Blecha improved to 2-1 allowing just two hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over five innings pitched.
In the final game of the series, Combs, Callahan and catcher Kyle Hepburn drove in nine of the Cavaliers 13 runs. Combs was 4-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and three RBI. Callahan went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Hepburn ripped two doubles and drove in three runs. Black also had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a run and RBI.
Right-hander Gabe Nutter got the start and allowed two runs off five hits with seven strikeouts over the first four innings, but did not get the decision. Right-hander Drew Norris picked up the victory, his first of the season, while pitching in relief.
Johnson County will play a home-and-home four-game series with West Jayhawk Conference Cloud County. The Thunderbirds will host the first two games on Tuesday, March 2 and the Cavalier return the favor on Saturday, March 4. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.