Tigers fall in extra innings, take three of four against Labette

With Labette Community College's baseball field too wet to play on, the No. 11-ranked Cowley College baseball team hosted the Cardinals for another two games on Monday. After sweeping a doubleheader against Labette on Sunday, the Tigers blasted Labette 13-3 in Monday's opener before losing the nightcap 6-5 in 10 innings. 

"We had some bright spots, we just did not do enough to win the second game," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said.

Cowley is now 12-5 overall and 3-1 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, while Labette moves to 7-8 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

With Cowley serving as the visitor, sophomore Bryce Madron got things started with a leadoff triple off Labette starting pitcher Adrian Nunez. Janson Reeder, who went 7-for-7 in Sunday's doubleheader, followed with a run-scoring groundout to put the Tigers in front 1-0.

Cowley kept the scoring going as Logan Vaughan hit a ground-rule double and scored on an RBI single by David Herring.

After Labette scratched across a run in the bottom of the first inning, Tiger freshman Cade Stephenson doubled his RBI total on the season by delivering a two-run single in the top of the second. Reeder would tack on a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the inning as Cowley led 5-1. A two-run error by Labette second baseman Mahrlon Torres capped Cowley's five-run second inning.

Cowley continued to pour it on as Madron homered in the fifth inning and was a double shy of hitting for the cycle in the victory as he went 4-for-5 with four runs scored. His home run was his team-leading eighth of the season.

Sophomore Trey DeGarmo made up for some fielding miscues by going 2-for-3 with a triple and three runs scored, while Vaughn doubled twice and drove in a pair of runs.

Chance Cox (1-0) started on the mound for the Tigers and allowed just two hits and two earned runs in four innings pitched. The right hander struck out five and walked one as he picked up his first win of the season. Tanner Vaughn followed Cox on the mound and retired all six batters he faced before Blake Priest finished off the game by tossing a scoreless seventh inning.

"Chance had a nice start for us and the other guys came in and pitched really well," Burroughs said.

In game two, Cowley found themselves trailing 5-0 as starting pitcher J'Briell Easley lasted just two innings on the mound.

Thanks to Tiger relievers Carlton Perkins, Brigden Parker, and Carson Pierce combining for 6 1/3 scoreless innings, Cowley tied the game at 5-5 thanks to a five-run fourth inning. The Tigers benefitted from three walks and an error in the inning before Madron blooped a bases clearing single into left field to tie the game.

The score would remain tied at 5-5 until the bottom of the 10^th inning when Tregan Hyder singled home Matt Woodmansee with the winning run. Tiger reliever Isaac Stebens (1-1) suffered the loss.

Bryan Hulme, the third pitcher used by Labette, earned the win by holding the Tigers scoreless over his 6 1/3 innings pitched.

Madron had three more hits, while freshman second baseman Haden O'Toole went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

Cowley will remain home to open a four-game series against Allen County. The Tigers and Red Devils will play a doubleheader Thursday beginning at 1 p.m. in Arkansas City before playing two games in Iola on Saturday. Allen (8-3), winners of eight games in a row, opened conference play by sweeping a four-game series against Highland.

"We are still trying to figure out our identity as a team," Burroughs said. "We will have to battle and be ready to rise to the challenge."

Score by inning:

Game one                     R H E

Cowley 2 5 1 0 2 0 3 – 13 12 2

Labette 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 – 3 3 1

Game two                             R H E

Cowley 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 5 9 2

Labette 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 – 6 12 1