Newly ranked Lady Tiger softball team sweeps winless Fort Scott

Breaking into the national rankings for the first time this season, the No. 19-ranked Cowley College softball team made it 15 wins in its past 16 games after a doubleheader sweep of Fort Scott Tuesday at Ed Hargrove Field. The Lady Tigers run-ruled Fort Scott 11-3 in game one before shutting out the Lady Greyhounds 3-0 in game two.

Cowley is now 20-6 overall and 9-1 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, while Fort Scott remains winless at 0-22 overall and 0-6 in the conference.

Cowley sophomore Paige Hughes hit a two-run double in the second inning and added a two-run single in a five-run third inning that increased the Lady Tigers' lead to 8-0.

After Fort Scott scratched across a run in the fourth inning and two more runs in the top of the fifth, freshman Kayla McClellan hit a two-run double to increase Cowley's lead to 10-3 and then came around to score on an error that capped the five-inning run-rule win.

"I thought we did a great job offensively of challenging their defense," Cowley head coach Jenny Hoyt said.

Hughes went 3-for-3 with a walk, two stolen bases and four runs batted in. Hughes leads the team with 21 stolen bases on the season.

Brooke Mason (10-2) went four innings on the mound and allowed four hits and three runs, while striking out five. Sydni Williams relieved Mason with a pair of runners on base in the top of the fifth inning and walked in an inherited runner and allowed a run scoring single to Chelsi Boydston before getting out of trouble.

In game two, Ashlynn Mercer tossed a complete game two-hit shutout. Mercer struck out four and walked one as she improved her record to 7-2 on the season.

"Ashlynn threw really well," Hoyt said. "She really attacked their hitters and dominated the game."

Cowley managed only four hits in the nightcap, but benefitted from four Lady Greyhound errors.

"I thought we could have executed better and made better adjustments at the plate during that second game," Hoyt said.

Sydni Williams had two of the Lady Tigers' four hits.

Jenni Jennings took the loss for Fort Scott, despite going the distance on the mound, and is now 0-9 on the season.

Cowley will now have some time off before hosting No. 8-ranked Highland Community College in a doubleheader on Thursday, April 8 beginning at 2 p.m. Highland is currently 21-3 overall and 6-0 in the Jayhawk East.

Score by inning:

Game one                  R H E

Fort Scott 0 0 0 1 2 – 3 7 3

Cowley     0 3 5 0 3 – 11 12 0

Game two                        R H E

Fort Scott 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 2 4

Cowley     2 0 1 0 0 0 x – 3 4 0