Lady Tiger softball team has a promising season come to an end
Less than two weeks ago, the No. 18-ranked Cowley College softball team was riding a 16-game winning streak and was 14-0 in the Jayhawk Conference. However, the Lady Tigers lost seven of its final 10 games and were eliminated from the Region VI Tournament with a 6-2 loss to fourth-seeded Kansas City Kansas Community College on Thursday in Topeka, KS.
Cowley (41-16) has had back-to-back 40-plus win seasons, yet the Lady Tigers have not made it to the NJCAA Division II National Championships since placing fifth in the 2018 season.
"We need to find a way to make it back to the national tourney," Cowley head coach Jenny Hoyt said. "I don't think we executed the way we needed to this weekend to finish on top."
On Thursday, Cowley starting pitcher Mikah Vann allowed a solo home run to Adrianna Smith in the top of the second inning as Cowley trailed 1-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. After a run-scoring single by Kansas City's McKenna Lester, Savannah Short hit a grand slam home run to increase the Lady Devils' lead to 6-0.
Cowley got two of the runs back on a two-run homer by Shayne Roberts in the top of the sixth inning, but that was all the offense the Lady Tigers could muster as Kansas City starting pitcher Alyssa Droge (16-13) struck out 12 in a complete-game victory.
Vann allowed nine hits and six runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched as she finished the season with a record of 21-7.
Roberts and third baseman Lyric Perry both had five hits in the team's three games at the Region Tournament.
"Lyric Perry and Shayne Roberts really stepped it up defensively and offensively for the team," Hoyt said. "It always hurts when you end the season not where you wanted to finish, but the growth we had from this team was incredible."
Along with Perry (.331 average, 10 home runs, 43 RBI) and Roberts (.348 average, eight home runs, 50 RBI), Cowley will say goodbye to sophomores Emily Louderback (.347 average, 18 home runs, 66 RBI), Andrea Kaffure (six home runs, 29 RBI), Karleigh Bell (.331 average, eight home runs, 45 RBI), and Kaitlynn Anderson (10 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched).
"I am proud of the two years the sophomores had at Cowley," Hoyt said. "A lot of those players improved tremendously as athletes on and off the field. I can't wait to watch how their story continues to play out."
Both of Cowley's starting pitchers this season were freshmen, with Jaiden Swanson (18-9) joining Vann on the mound. The duo combined to strike out 270 batters in 315 2/3 innings.
Jamie Molina (.365 average, eight home runs, 63 RBI), Kanon Goji (.396 average, 31 RBI, and 15 stolen bases), Harper Hancock (.346 average, two home runs, 24 RBI), Paige Scanlin (.331 average, three home runs, 30 RBI), and Raelynn Sandlin (.302 average, three home runs, 20 RBI) also gained a ton of experience as freshmen on the team.
Hoyt hopes these freshmen can be building blocks to help the team make it to nationals in the 2025 season.
"It's an incredible experience and atmosphere to not only play in the national tournament but to coach in as well," Hoyt said. "Building next year's group to want that experience and fight for that until the end is what's going to be key."
Score by inning: R H E
Cowley 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 – 2 5 0
KCK 0 1 0 0 5 0 x – 6 9 0