Tigers split games at Allen, take three of four in series

For the third time in as many series, the Cowley College baseball team won three of four games while facing Allen Community College. After winning a pair of games in Arkansas City on Thursday, the Tigers split a pair of games in Iola on Saturday. Cowley lost Saturday's opener 7-6 before winning the nightcap 7-2.

Cowley is now 14-10 and remains tied with Neosho County for second place in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division with a record of 9-3. Johnson County remains atop the division with a record of 12-0.

In Saturday's first game, the score was tied 4-4 heading into the seventh inning. The Tigers got a two-run single from Cole Martin to lead 6-4. However, Allen would score three runs off Cowley reliever Drew Duckhorn (3-1) in the bottom half of the inning as they came away with a 7-6 walk-off win.

Martin went 2-for-4 with two runs batted in, while Ty Hammack went 3-for-3 with a home run and three runs scored out of the leadoff spot. The rest of the Tiger lineup went a combined 2-of-18.

Danny Satterlee started on the mound for Cowley and allowed six hits and four runs, two of which were earned, in 3 2/3 innings pitched. Cole Abbott followed with 2 1/3 scoreless innings before the Red Devils got to Duckhorn in the bottom of the seventh.

"We let one get away that we shouldn't have," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said.

John James started for Allen and allowed five hits and four runs in five innings before giving way to Jack Neill, who earned the win in relief.

Hammack led off game two with a home run to give Cowley an early lead, but Allen answered back with a run off Cowley starting pitcher Brigden Parker in the bottom of the first inning to tie the game at 1-1. The score would remain tied before the Tigers got a three-run homer from Trayson Miller in the top of the sixth inning. Miller now leads the team with 22 runs batted in on the season.

The Tigers would tack on three more runs in the ninth inning as they went on to the 7-2 win.

After allowing the unearned run in the first inning, Parker (2-0) tossed five scoreless innings as he allowed only three hits while striking out eight in his six innings of work.

"Brigden helped set the table by giving us a really good start on the mound," Burroughs said. "It was good to see the guys come back and win the second game."

Carlton Perkins pitched the final three innings while surrendering only two hits and one run.

Hammack added three more hits and is now batting .379 on the season.

Allen's Nic Besecker allowed six hits and three runs in 5 1/3 innings as he was saddled with the loss. The Red Devils (14-13) are now 6-6 in the conference.

Cowley will play at Cloud County (15-13) Tuesday at 2 p.m.

"We will get a couple more guys some work on the mound and keep trying to get better as a club," Burroughs said.

Score by inning:

Game one                   R H E

Cowley 0 0 2 1 1 0 2 – 6 7 1

Allen    0 1 1 2 0 0 3 – 7 10 1

Game two                          R H E

Cowley 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 – 7 10 1

Allen    1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 – 2 5 0