OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - The No. 12 Johnson County baseball team swept a four-game series with Labette last week, to improve to 16-4 in conference play and into sole possession of first in the Kansas Jayhawk Conference East Division.
The Cavaliers opened wins of 7-2 and 7-3 on Thursday at the JCCC Baseball Complex. The final two games scheduled for Saturday at Labette had to be moved to Sunday at Pittsburg State due to poor field conditions in Parsons. JCCC opened with a 5-1 victory and completed the sweep with a 19-5 pounding of the Cardinals.
In the opening game of the series, outfielder Bo Shinkle went 2-for-4 highlighted by a two-run double in the bottom of the third, along with a sacrifice fly RBI from catcher Miken Miller, to give JCCC a lead they would not relinquish.
The Cavaliers added four more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth on a bases clearing double off the bat of Carter Kelley.
Josiah Golden earned the complete-game victory for JCCC. The sophomore right-hander surrendered four hits and two runs over seven innings, striking out seven batters.
In the second game, the Cavaliers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after Miller doubled in a run and outfielder Jeremy Comer homered to left field, scoring two runs.
Johnson County added a run in the third when Shinkle stole home and two more in the sixth on a two-run single by Max Towchik.
Lead off hitter Jake McClure set the stage for JCCC, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and stolen base.
Right-hander Sam Nototny earned the victory, allowing three runs off four hits with four strikeouts over six innings of work. Kesten Holman was outstanding in relief, hurling three innings of shutout ball, allowing no hits, one walk with six strikeouts to pick up the save.
On Sunday's opener, Comer collected three hits including an RBI double and scored two runs. First baseman Easton Roe had two singles and an RBI. Miller also ripped two singles and scored twice, and DH Boston Bruce recorded an RBI single.
Right-hander Christian Bobzin gave up two hits and zero runs over four innings, striking out four batters. Right-hander Luke Fricker closed out the game, allowing a run, off two hits, with two strikeouts to pick up a save.
In the final game of the series, the Cavaliers had everything working for them. They collected two hits, six for extra bases, 19 runs, 13 walks and a season-high eight stolen bases, two each by McClure, Chris Mancinas and Ashton Hartwig.
Mancinas, McClure, Burce and Roe each collected three hits and McClure and Roe produced three RBI each. Shinkle, Comer Bruce, Mancinas and Hartwig each drove in two runs.
Denton Biller benefited from JCCC offensive explosion. The right-hander earned the win after allowing two runs off three hits with eight strikeouts over five and one-third innings.
Hudson Byrd threw two and two-thirds innings of scoreless relief, striking out four while not allowing a single base runner.
Johnson County (29-10/16-4) open another four-game conference series on Thursday in Chanute against the Neosho County Panthers (17-14/6-10). The series shifts back to Overland Park on Saturday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.