Indian Hills slips past Tiger baseball team 8-7

In the first game of a four-game series being played at Tiger Baseball Field in Arkansas City, the No. 6-ranked Cowley College baseball team was tripped up by Indian Hills Community College 8-7.

Cowley out-hit the Warriors 10-8, but six Tiger pitchers combined to allow eight walks and served up a pair of home runs.

"Early in the season we try to put guys in some uncomfortable situations to see how they react," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said. "Ultimately, we just did not make enough plays."

Freshman Chance Cox started on the mound for Cowley and allowed only two hits and one run in 3 1/3 innings pitched. Cox left with the Tigers in front by a score of 2-0 and a runner at first base with one out in the top of the fourth inning.

Sophomore Carson Pierce came on in relief of Cox and got Thomas Emerich to ground out before surrendering a two-run, game-tying, homer by Ricardo Van Grieken.

Cowley would go back in front by a score of 4-2 in the bottom half of the fourth inning as Trey DeGarmo singled and came around to score the go-ahead run after a pair of errors. Three batters later, sophomore Janson Reeder doubled home Bryce Madron with the Tigers' fourth run.

Indian Hills would score two runs on only one hit in the top of the fifth inning as they again tied the game at 4-4.

The score would remain that way until the top of the seventh inning when the Warriors scored four runs with two outs. Sophomore Jordan Brewer (0-1), who tossed a scoreless sixth inning, retired the first two batters in the seventh inning before being relieved by freshman Blake Priest after surrendering back-to-back walks.

Unfortunately, Jackson Romero rudely greeted Priest by cracking a go-ahead three-run homer. Indian Hills would add a run-scoring double by Emerich later in the inning as they went ahead by a score of 8-4.

A two-run homer by Tiger sophomore David Herring in the bottom of the seventh inning cut Cowley's deficit in half.

Cowley continued to battle and scratched across a run in the bottom of the ninth inning. With the score 8-7, the Tigers had a runner at first and two outs when Indian Hills' reliever Sam Hart got Tiger first baseman Jack Hill to ground out to end the game.

The contest was the first of the season for the Warriors, while the Tigers are now 6-3.

Douglas Rojas went the first four innings on the mound for Indian Hills and was tagged for eight hits and four runs. However, three Warriors' relievers combined to allow only two hits over the final five innings of play.

Cowley's first four batters in the lineup had two hits apiece and combined to drive in five runs. Herring and Reeder now share team-high honors with eight runs batted in, while Madron has four home runs and seven RBI through the first nine games.

The teams will play a doubleheader Friday beginning at 1 p.m. and will then wrap up the four-game series with a single-game Saturday at 1 p.m.

"We will try to keep getting better each day," Burroughs said.

Score by inning:                        R H E

Indian Hills 0 0 0 2 2 0 4 0 0 – 8 8 4

Cowley        2 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 – 7 10 0