Free passes plague Tigers in 16-8 home loss
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Barton Community College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 12 | 0 |
|
Cowley County Community College | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
Seven Cowley College pitchers combined to walk 15 batters in a 16-8 loss to Barton Community College Tuesday in Arkansas City.
Ethan Horton, in just his second appearance following Tommy John surgery, started on the mound for the Tigers and did not allow a run in two innings, and left the game with Cowley leading 3-0.
The Tigers' lead would grow to 6-0 as Cade Baldridge had a two-run double in a three-run third inning. However, things unraveled for Cowley in the fourth inning as three Tiger pitchers combined to walk eight batters in the nine-run uprising by the Cougars.
Barton had only two hits in the fourth inning as the Tigers could not find the strike zone.
"We had a hard time throwing strikes and it is hard to beat anybody when you do that," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said. "When you don't throw strikes, it puts everyone in a lull."
Cowley got a run back in the bottom of the fourth when Alex Conover hit the first of his two home runs in the game, but Barton answered with a run in the fifth and five more in the sixth as they went on to the 16-8 victory.
The Cougars are now 19-6 on the season, while Cowley (16-8) had its five-game winning streak snapped.
Sophomore Drew Duckhorn (0-1), who walked all four batters he faced in the nine-run fourth inning, took the loss for the Tigers.
Kyler Horsman (2-0), the third of nine pitchers used by the Cougars, earned the win despite allowing three runs in his one inning of work.
Cowley out-hit Barton 12-11 as Conover went 4-for-5 with two home runs and three runs batted in. The two home runs by Conover give him a team-leading five-round trippers on the season, while Hunter Alvord added his first home run of the season in the defeat.
Cowley will play a doubleheader at Labette on Thursday at 1 p.m. before hosting the Cardinals in a pair of games on Saturday at 1 p.m.
"We need to bounce back," Burroughs said. "It all starts on the mound."
Score by inning: R H E
Barton 0 0 0 9 1 5 0 1 0 – 16 11 1
Cowley 0 3 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 – 8 12 2