The PTA is holding its annual Carnival tonight. This will be held inside the high school because of pending weather.
Tonight:
Piper High School – track at DeSoto
Piper High School – Student Council Blood Drive (during the day at Piper High School)
PTA – carnival at Piper High School
– From Doug Key, Piper High School activities director
KCKCC shortstop Albert Woodard puts the tag on Neosho’s Nate Crossman after Crossman was picked off first by pitcher Dustin Eby in the Blue Devils’ 8-1 opening game loss. Second baseman Easton Fortuna, who was 6-for-6 including four hits in an 11-1 nightcap win, backs up the play. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)
by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
Stung by an 8-1 opening game loss Thursday, Kansas City Kansas Community College rebounded with an 11-1 thumping of No. 1 ranked Neosho County.
The split dropped the Blue Devils into a three-way tie for second place in the Jayhawk East with Johnson County and Allen County, all 23-11. JCCC swept Fort Scott 3-2 and 8-1 Thursday while Cowley was defeating Allen County 8-1 and 13-3. Fort Scott and JCCC will close out their conference play today while KCKCC will be at Neosho and Allen at Cowley on Saturday.
Sophomore Brandon Reid provided the pitching and Travis Stroup the power in the Blue Devils’ 11-1 win. Facing the No. 1 team in the NJCAA Division I rankings that had pounded out 14 hits in the 8-1 opener, Reid had a no-hitter through five innings and finished with a 2-hitter while walking three and striking out two. Reid set the Panthers down in order in four of the seven innings. Neosho’s only run came on a single by Chad Thomas and a double by Brylie Ward in the sixth inning.
Stroup drove in five runs with four straight hits including a 3-run home run in the first inning that gave Reid all the working room he needed. Second baseman Easton Fortuna also had four hits, Chase Redick doubled and singled twice, Eli Lovell doubled and singled and Ryan Fisher delivered a big bases-loaded double that put the game out of reach.
Redick led off the game with a single and after an error, Stroup hit his 11th home run of the season off the foul pole in rightfield for a 3-0 lead and the Blue Devils added four more runs in the second. After singles by Fortuna, Conor Behrens and Stroup scored one run, Fisher cleared the bases with a ringing double to left-center.
The Blue Devils added an eighth run in the fourth on a single by Stroup and double by Lovell; two more in the fifth on a single by Fortuna, a double by Redick and a single by Stroup; and then spread the margin to 10 runs on singles by Albert Woodard and Fortuna.
Fortuna, who was 6-for-6 for the day, had two hits and drove in the Blue Devils’ only run with a second inning double in the 8-1 opener. Stroup also had a perfect 5-for-5 day with a single in his only time at bat as righthander Mason Knopp stopped the Blue Devils on just five hits. Neosho took the lead 4-1 in the third on five hits off starter Dustin Eby and added three runs in the fifth as the first four hitters had hits against Eby and reliever Cameron Bednar.
Festival to feature musician Casi Joy
by Mary Rupert
Edwardsville Days, a two-day event, will kick off at 5 p.m. tonight, and will feature musician Casi Joy, a country pop artist from Nashville, in concert tonight around 9 p.m.
Regina Utter, executive director of the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Chamber of Commerce, said she believes this concert will be the highlight of Edwardsville Days, scheduled April 29 and 30. The events are free and open to the public.
Events will take place at Edwardsville City Park, at 1200 Blake St., she said. People can take K-32 to 9th Street in Edwardsville. There will be signs directing them to the city park, or they can just follow the smell of the barbecue, Utter added.
Joy, tonight’s featured performer, was named one of the top 20 up-and-coming artists from Nashville, Tenn., Utter said. Originally from Smithville on the Missouri side of the Kansas City region, Joy will perform in an outdoor concert, rain or shine, Utter said.
Those attending are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, she said. Festival organizers are hoping for good weather, but in the event of a storm there is a nearby shelter.
Local and regional musicians will play in the hours leading up to the 9 p.m. concert, she said. The Unholstered Outlaws and County Road Crossers are scheduled to start the performances around 7 p.m.
The family festival has free activities for youth, including bounce houses geared toward kids under 12, she said. There will also be food vendors and craft vendors at the event.
A beer garden is scheduled to be open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday.
The mayor’s prayer breakfast, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club, is scheduled in conjunction with Edwardsville Days, and will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at Edwardsville Elementary School. Tickets are $10 for the breakfast.
On Saturday, there will be mouse races at 11:15 a.m. benefitting Edwardsville Elementary School, and a parade that starts at 10 a.m., she said.
Also scheduled for Saturday afternoon is the Edwardsville Idol competition, modeled after the American Idol program, where anyone can sing karaoke-style, she said.
A sanctioned barbecue contest will conclude the Saturday activities, Utter said. Teams will compete and awards will be given at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Utter said there were a lot of volunteers working on Edwardsville Days, an annual event. It was formerly called Autumnfest and held in the fall, but about four years ago was moved to the spring. It is the 28th annual Edwardsville festival.
Funding for the annual festival comes from Edwardsville city, and the event host is the Bonner Springs-Edwardsville Chamber of Commerce.
