Johnson County Community College
Press Release

College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Associate Vice President, Marketing Communications, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122

3/2/09
Story by Tyler Cundith

Cavaliers roughed up in Texas

OVERLAND PARK, KS -- The Cavaliers traveled south to Texas last weekend for a showdown with three high quality programs from the Lone Star State, and came away with a 1-3 record.

The Cavaliers trip got off to a solid start. JCCC, undefeated at 6-0, faced a tough Northeast Texas squad who boasted a 13-5 record.  The Cavaliers had timely hitting from sophomore John Lenherr. He was 3-for-4 on the day, including a clutch bases loaded double that cleared the bases. That was all All-American lefthander Brandon Droge would need to up his record to 3-0.

Droge pitched 6 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and three earned runs.

Blake Gosch, Gil Rehwinkel and Nick Holtgrieve each chipped in with scoreless appearances to the lead.

The following day, JCCC lost for the first time in 2009, falling 7-6 to Northeast Texas. Giving up four runs, with four walks and three errors was too much to overcome for the Cavaliers. JCCC out hit Northeast Texas, 12 to six, but JCCC's mistakes proved costly.

Lenherr, Mike Sartin, Sam Stucky, and Davis Morgan each collected two hits, while Tanner Funk, Josh Piper, Nate Thomas and Brian McCulloch each had one apiece. Scott Brady and Ben Runyon came in and shut the door to give the Cavaliers a chance in the seventh, but their rally fell short. JCCC scored three runs in the seventh, and had bases loaded with two outs before a strikeout ended the game.

Later that afternoon, JCCC faced Temple College, one of the top teams in the country. The Cavaliers caught Temple just days after producing 14 home runs in a double header sweep. Their hot hitting continued, as they handed the Cavaliers a 13-2 setback.

JCCC capped its trip with a 10-8 loss to Paris Junior College. Poor pitching and defense led the Cavaliers third straight loss, and dropped the nation's No 9 program to 7-3 on the season.

JCCC out hit Paris, but JCCC could overcome early inning walks and errors. In the first inning, the Cavaliers up four runs on the board, but Paris drew four walks and hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the inning. Paris took the lead late in the game after two errors led to four unearned runs in the sixth and seventh innings.

Funk led the team at the plate, going 3-for-5, while Lenherr and Stucky each had two hits.