OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The No. 12-ranked Johnson County baseball team took 3-of-4 games in a home-and-home series with Cloud County over the weekend. JCCC won the first two at Cloud County by the scores of 15-3 and 14-4, then split the two games at home, winning the first one 7-1 followed by a 7-5 loss, which snapped the Cavaliers 13-game winning streak. 

In the opening game, jumped out to an 11-0 lead after two innings, scoring three in the first and eight in the second. They added one more in the fourth and three more in the sixth. 

Shortstop Dylan Hufft went 5-for-5, all singles, scored three times and drove in three runs. Catcher Shea McGahan had a single and walk and drove in three. First baseman Ryan Callahan collected a single and triple, scored twice and drove in two and designated hitter Jason Lazo belted a two-run home run. 

Left-hander Luc Fladda improved to 3-0 on the season allowed three runs off six hits and nine strikeouts over six innings.

In the second game, left fielder Nicholas Sall was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Third baseman Jeremy Rader hit a solo shot and Hufft, right fielder Brayden Luikart, Callahan, designated hitter Dagen Brewer, catcher Kyle Hepburn and shortstop Jordan Black each drove in one run. 

Right-hander Cole Koonce upped his season mark to 4-0 allowing two unearned runs off three hits and four strikeouts over four innings.  JCCC used four other pitchers to close out the game. 

In the opener at JCCC, Lazo hit a two-run homer, Luikart ripped a two-run double and Hufft, Rader and second baseman Easton Elliot each drove in a run.

Left-hander Ty Blecha allowed a run, a walk, four hits with three strikeouts over 4.1 innings to get the victory and improve to 3-1 overall.  Right-hander John Champers was perfect the final 2.2 innings to pick up his first save of the season 

In the final game, Cloud jumped out to a 4-0 lead but JCCC plated five in the bottom of the fifth to take one run advantage, but Cloud added a run in the seventh to tie and took the lead for good with two in the ninth. 

Luikart went 3-for-4 with two RBI and shortstop Jordan Black had a two-run double.  Center fielder Rhett Hendricks and Rader also collected three singles each. 

Johnson County will open the 2023 conference season on Thursday, March 9 when they host Fort Scott in a double header beginning at 1 p.m.