TOPEKA — Jaime Jensen spoke of pride Sunday, after her Allen Community College Red Devil softball team was defeated in the Region VI playoffs, 11-2, at the hands of Johnson County Community College.
"Overall with this season, you can't even look at the scoreboard at this point, because we made it here and we did so much that people said we couldn't do this year," Jensen said. "I'm just really proud of them at this point."
Allen Community College fought hard, but in the end couldn't get its bats going in the elimination game that twice was delayed for 30 minutes due to lightning.
"I didn't feel like our hitting was as good as it had been," Jensen said. "I don't know if they were nervous or over-excited, I don't know."
Johnson County jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the second inning and added it with another run in the third.
After the second weather delay, the Red Devils appeared like they might start a rally in the fifth inning.
"They could have easily given up at any point in that game and they didn't," Jensen said. "They just kept fighting."
Still trailing 8-0, Ashley Womack collected the first hit of the game for Allen and Ali Morris bunted her over to second. Third baseman Morgan Wayman got the Red Devils on the board with a double.
"Morgan came through with a big hit," Jensen said.
After Sarah Eckhart was hit by a pitch, Alana Renshaw put together a long at-bat which ended in a walk that scored Delaney Umholtz, who was running for Baileigh Rager.
Johnson County buckled down and got the third out when center fielder Marissa Lilly popped out to right.
Allen was unable to mount another rally against Johnson County however and the Cavaliers added a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
Jensen spoke the example her sophomores have set and looks forward to the freshman taking the baton from them next season.
"This group has a lot of talent with the freshmen," Jensen said. "A lot of them have potential that we haven't even seen yet, but with this season as a whole, not only does this team have great softball players, but we have outstanding individuals in the community, around campus and in the classroom. They are so much more than just softball players.
"Win or lose, they are great people."
JOHNSON COUNTY 5, ALLEN 4
The Red Devils just missed the opportunity to avoid the consolation bracket on Saturday when they fell 5-4 to the Cavaliers.
Allen tried to mount a late rally and scored one in the seventh inning but it wasn't enough as they left the bases loaded to end the game.
Womack was the star at the plate for the Red Devils as she had all four Allen RBIs and went 2-for-4 with a triple and a homer.
The loss put the Red Devils in the consolation bracket and set up an elimination game with Murray State Community College Saturday afternoon.
ALLEN 3, MURRAY STATE 0
Raegan Beckley made sure that her team wasn't going to go home on the first day of the tournament.
The freshman shut down the Murray State offense by only allowing two hits and overcoming what could have been deemed an inconsistent strike zone. (She walked four.)
"I'm proud of Raegan, because that umpire, from where we were standing, was taking all of her movement pitches away. She got a little flustered early on, but came back and trusted her defense and it worked out," Jensen said.
"I felt like the defense won the ball game for us," she said. "If we wouldn't have had that solid defense, that ball game wouldn't have been the same."
A Womack triple drove in a run in the first and Allen added two more insurance runs in the seventh.
Allen ends its season with a 34-21 record.