No. 19-ranked Tiger baseball team knocks off Dodge City 8-5
The third-seeded Cowley College (42-16) baseball team rallied from a 4-1 deficit to defeat the sixth-seeded Dodge City Conquistadors (38-22) by a score of 8-5 Wednesday morning in the Plains District/Region VI Tournament held at Wichita State University's Eck Stadium.
The Tigers advance to play Thursday at 4 p.m. against the winner of the second-seed Hutchinson Blue Dragons vs. the 10th-seed Barton Community College Cougars.
Cowley got on the board first when Alex Conover hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning. The homer by Conover was his team-leading 13th of the season.
After Dodge City scored a run off Tiger starting pitcher Cody Airington in the top of the fourth inning, the score would remain tied until Dodge City's Nick Gray hit a three-run homer off Tiger reliever Cade Perkins in the top of the sixth inning.
However, Cowley answered with four runs in the bottom of the sixth as three Dodge City pitchers combined to walk five batters in the inning as the Tigers went in front 5-4.
Tallen Bagwell relieved Perkins on the mound and was one out away from getting through the eighth inning before Dodge City's Max Towchik singled home Gray with the tying run.
Barrett Morgan followed Bagwell on the mound and kept the game tied at 5-5 by getting Peter Tassler to ground out to third.
Once again, Cowley had an answer. This time, Cade Baldridge led off the bottom of the eighth inning with a triple and scored the go-ahead run when Jadyn McNealy followed with an RBI single.
The Tigers would tack on two more insurance runs to lead 8-5.
Morgan worked around a leadoff single in the top of the ninth inning to earn the win, improving his record to 3-1 on the season.
Conover, Baldridge, and Dane Harvey had two hits apiece to lead the Tigers.
Airington allowed only one run on five hits in five innings pitched. He also struck out five and walked none.
Score by inning: R H E
Dodge 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 – 5 10 0
Cowley 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 2 – 8 10 0