Tiger baseball team lets one slip away in doubleheader split at Coffeyville

After winning the first two games of a four-game series against Coffeyville Thursday in Arkansas City, the No. 12-ranked Cowley College baseball team came back from a disappointing 8-7 loss in the first game of a doubleheader played Saturday in Coffeyville to defeat the Red Ravens 12-6 in the nightcap as the Tigers took three of four games in the series.

Cowley is now 24-5 overall and in second place in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division with a record of 15-3. Coffeyville is now 12-14 overall and 4-8 in conference play.

Leading 7-0 after the first three innings of Saturday's opener, Cowley slowly watched its lead began to slip away. The Red Ravens would score three runs off Tiger starting pitcher Grant Adler in the bottom of the fourth inning and then scratched across a run in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull within 7-4.

The Tigers were within two outs of the victory before Coffeyville scored a run on an error and then tied the game on a two-run double by Quinton Carlberg. After Isaac Stebens relieved Miguel Obeso on the mound, Stebens walked Orlando Gonzalez to load the bases and then allowed a single by Edsael Torres that scored Carlberg with the winning run.

"When you have a 7-0 lead you should win the game," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said.

Adler allowed five hits and three runs in four innings as he earned a no-decision.

Tiger first baseman Michelle Artzberger went 3-for-4 with a run batted in, while Elijah Jackson went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Upset at the loss of game one, Cowley came out with a vengeance in game two. The Tigers got a three-run triple from David Herring in a five-run first inning that chased Red Raven starting pitcher Marshall Cheney from the game.

After Coffeyville had pulled within 5-4 after three innings of play, the Tigers scored three runs in the fourth inning without the benefit of a hit. Cowley took advantage of three walks and a hit batsman to score the three runs.

Janson Reeder would add a solo homer in the fifth inning and Artzberger had a two-run single in a three-run seventh inning that lifted Cowley to the 12-6 win.

"We showed some grit to win the second game," Burroughs said.

Caleb Case, the fifth Tiger pitcher used in game two, tossed three scoreless innings to go along with four strikeouts. Cameron Allen finished off the win by tossing a perfect ninth inning.

"Those two pitched some quality innings for us," Burroughs said.

Boston Dowd, who relieved Tiger starting pitcher Lindon Curley in the bottom of the first inning, allowed three hits and two runs in 2 2/3 innings to pick up the victory.

The Tigers will venture out of conference to play a nine-inning game at Rose State College Tuesday at 2 p.m.

"We will try to keep improving and give some guys an opportunity to get on the mound," Burroughs said.

Score by inning:

Game one                         R H E

Cowley      1 3 3 0 0 0 0 – 7 10 1

Coffeyville 0 0 0 3 0 1 4 - 8 12 0

Game two                                R H E

Cowley      5 0 0 3 1 0 3 0 0 – 12 10 1

Coffeyville 2 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 – 6 10 1