Tigers split a pair of games at No. 1-ranked Johnson County
Beginning a huge, four-game series against top-ranked Johnson County, the 16th-ranked Cowley College baseball team split the series' first two games played Wednesday in Overland Park, KS. After losing the first game by a score of 7-4, the Tigers won the nightcap 10-5.
"We felt if we had played a little better, we had a chance to win the first game as well," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said.
Cowley (35-14) and Johnson County (41-9) remain tied for first place in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division with records of 23-3.
In Wednesday's opener, Tiger starting pitcher Iziah Salinas had a rough first inning as he hit the first batter he faced, walked the second, and then committed a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt that allowed Johnson County to score the game's first run. The Cavaliers would add a two-run single by Miken Miller to lead 3-0 after one inning of play.
Cowley answered back with a run in the top of the second, and Salinas would settle in on the mound and give the Tigers four innings as he left with his team trailing 3-1.
With one out in the top of the fifth inning, Cowley would string together three straight hits, the last of which being a two-run double by sophomore shortstop Jadyn McNealy, which tied the game at 3-3. McNealy would be stranded at second.
Delton Roberts followed Salinas on the mound and allowed a lead-off single to Jack Mosh, who would come around to score the go-ahead run thanks to a passed ball and a wild pitch. Back-to-back hits by the Cavaliers would tack on a fifth run and chase Roberts from the game.
Johnson County would plate a third run in the inning before an error by Tiger reliever Ethan Horton put the Cavaliers in front by a score of 7-3.
The Tigers' Alex Conover walked leading off the sixth inning, advanced to third on a double by Seth Dandridge, and came around to score Cowley's fourth run on a sacrifice fly by Dawson Williams.
McNealy drew a one-out walk off Johnson County reliever John Chambers in the top of the seventh inning and advanced to third on a two-out single by Keaton Campbell. With the tying run at the plate, Conover gave the pitch a ride, but the ball was caught on the warning track to end the game.
Cowley pitchers combined to hit four batters. The Tigers were led at the plate by Cade Baldridge, Keaton Campbell, and Seth Dandridge's two hits apiece.
In game two, freshman Cody Airington gave the Tigers a solid start on the mound, allowing only four hits and three runs in six innings pitched.
Despite Airington's effort, he left the game with the Tigers trailing 3-1.
"Cody really nailed it down the last four innings he pitched," Burroughs said.
However, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Tiger freshman Dane Harvey belted a three-run homer to give Cowley its first lead of the day at 4-3.
Cowley would chase Johnson County starting pitcher Brandon Stone in a five-run eighth inning that increased the Tigers' lead to 9-4.
Cade Baldridge had a two-run single in the five-run eighth and added an RBI single in the ninth as he and Harvey drove in four runs apiece.
"Cade and Dane put together some good at-bats," Burroughs said.
Sophomore Cade Perkins pitched the final three innings for the Tigers as they came away with the split of the two games.
The teams will conclude its four-game series when Cowley hosts Johnson County in a doubleheader on Sunday at 1 p.m.
"This is a big doubleheader for both teams," Burroughs said. "We hope to perform well."
Score by inning:
Game one R H E
Cowley 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 – 4 9 2
Johnson 3 0 0 0 4 0 x – 7 7 0
Game two R H E
Cowley 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 5 1 – 10 14 0
Johnson 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 – 5 9 0