ENID, Okla. — Kankakee (Ill.) had four fewer hits than Allegany College, but the Cavaliers delivered them when needed to earn a 7-5 win that eliminated the Trojans from the Junior College Division II World Series at David Allen Ballpark Tuesday night.
The Trojans (48-15) scored one run in the bottom of the first, and took the lead again with another in the bottom of the third. Kankakee took its first lead with a two-run fifth inning, and tacked on another pair of runs in the seventh. Two more Cavalier runs in the eighth pushed the score to 7-2.
Allegany would get one run back in the eighth inning before scoring twice in the ninth.
Sam Watkins finished with three hits and a run batted in, and A.J. Czap tripled and was involved three of the Trojans’ four scoring opportunities. Jerry Lloyd added two singles and drove in two runs.
Phil Striggow doubled, singled and knocked in two runs for the Cavs, who will play the winner of Wednesday’s Parkland (Ill.) / Scottsdale (Ariz.) contest at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Kyle Jensen added a two-run double.
Allegany got its run in the first inning when Czap tripled and scored on a single by Watkins.
Czap got the Trojans third started as well by drawing a walk. That walk was followed by one to Watkins and another to Brad Kling that loaded the bases. Lloyd came through with a single to score Czap, but Allegany squandered a chance at a big inning when it left the bases loaded.
“That was our problem,” said Allegany head coach Steve Bazarnic. “We outhit them, but left too many guys on. We had a chance to bust it open in the third, but we didn’t and two innings later we’re behind.”
After falling behind 7-2, Luis Lopez created a run in the eighth when he singled, stole second and scored on a Cody Blickenstaff single.
Allegany wouldn’t go quietly and got something going in the ninth. Czap walked and advanced to third on a Watkins single. A fielder’s choice from Kling scored Czap, and Lloyd singled home Watkins for the second run, making it 7-5.
Lloyd would finish the afternoon stranded on the basepath.
“I hate to see it end the way it did, but I think they showed a lot about the team,” said Bazarnic. “On Monday we were down 8-0 and came back to within two runs. They thought they were going to 10-run us, but we never stopped and showed a lot of character.”
Ryan MacNamara had four strikeouts in two innings of relief and finished with 17 strikeouts in 12 innings during the tournament.
“We had a tremendous year,” Bazarnic said. “It would have been nice to do a little better, but I told the guys that they won two championships and got to play in the World Series.”
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Allegany ousted from World Series
Ninth-inning rally falls short in 7-5 defeat; Trojans finish with 48-win season
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