OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The No. 8-ranked Johnson County baseball team split a doubleheader with Allen Community College on Thursday at Iola, Kan., taking the first game 8-2 before dropping the rubber game, 8-0. The Cavaliers now stand 29-5 overall and 13-1 in East Jayhawk Conference play.
Sophomore third baseman Jeremy Rader belted his second and third home runs for the season, walked, scored three runs and drove in four to pace JCCC's offense. Rader is currently batting at .365 clip.
Sophomore center fielder Cooper Combs collected a double and a home runs, scored twice and drove in two, and first baseman Ryan Callahan and right fielder Brayden Luikart each drove in a run.
Left-hander Luc Fladda, last week's KJCCC D-I Pitcher of the Week, picked up his team-leading third complete game victory, allowing just two unearned runs with nine strikeouts. Fladda is 6-0 on the season and his 66 strikeouts lead the conference rank 14th in the NJCAA.
In the second game, the Cavaliers managed nine hits, all singles, and never could get in a rhythm. Combs got on base four times with three singles and a walk. Callahan had two singles and leadoff hitter and shortstop Dylan Hufft collected two hits.
Right-hander Cole Koonce dropped his first game of the season, falling to 7-1 overall.
The Cavaliers will host Allen for the final two games of the series on Saturday, April 1. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.