No. 4 seed Allen softball opened postseason play with a 6-3 victory over No. 5 Labette in the first round of the NJCAA Division II Tournament on May 6.
Labette struck first in the top of the opening inning with a run on a fielder’s choice, but Allen answered immediately in the bottom half as Kara Walker singled to right field to bring home Ella McCammon and tie the game at 1-1.
The Cardinals regained momentum in the second and third innings, capitalizing on a pair of Allen miscues to take a 3-1 lead.
The Red Devils responded in a big way in the bottom of the fifth inning. Ella McCammon singled to center field to score Hope Sanchez and move Harper Desmarteau into scoring position. Walker then delivered the biggest hit of the game, ripping a double down the line to score both McCammon and Desmarteau, giving Allen a 4-3 advantage heading into the sixth.
Allen added insurance runs in the sixth inning as Sanchez singled through the left side, allowing Olivia Russell to score while Makayla Hirschmann advanced to second. McCammon followed with another RBI single to left center, scoring Hirschmann and extending the lead to 6-3.
The combination of Allen’s offense and pitcher Andrea Ruby sealed the win over the final three innings. Ruby tossed a complete game for the Red Devils, facing 32 batters while throwing 62 strikes across 90 total pitches.
With the victory, ACC advances to the second round to face No. 1 seed Johnson County Community College (34-11, 18-2) on May 7 at 3:00 PM.
All games of the NJCAA Division II Softball Plains District Tournament will be streamed live on the KJCCC Sports Network as pay-per-view events.
