Tigers let one get away in series loss to top-ranked Johnson County
In a battle of teams tied for first place in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division standings, the No. 1-ranked Johnson County Cavaliers slipped past the 16th-ranked Cowley College baseball team 10-7 in extra innings of game one before run-ruling the Tigers 13-3 in the second game of a doubleheader played Sunday in Arkansas City.
After winning three of the four games in the series, Johnson County (43-9) now has a two-game lead over Cowley (35-16) and Kansas City for the top spot in the Jayhawk East, as the Cavaliers are 25-3 in the conference and Cowley and KCK are 23-5.
On Sunday, Cowley rallied from an early 5-1 deficit in game one to lead 6-5 following a two-out pinch-hit home run by Ian Luce in the bottom of the sixth inning.
After Cowley's starting pitcher, Luke Singleton lasted just two-plus innings on the mound, Tallen Bagwell came in and helped the Tigers rally by allowing only one run in four innings of relief.
Cowley closer Barrett Morgan (2-1) retired the first two batters in the top of the seventh and, needing only one more out to finish off the victory, allowed a game-tying home run to Johnson County second baseman Jack Mosh.
The Tigers loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh before Johnson County reliever Maddox Burkitt got Keaton Campbell to fly out to right field to end the threat and send the game into extra innings.
Cowley left 13 men on base through the game's first seven innings.
After the first two Cavaliers had hits to open the eighth inning, Johnson County would benefit from an error and four walks as they scored four runs in the inning.
Cowley would get a solo home run from Kade Sheldon in the bottom of the eighth inning but it was not enough as the Tigers fell 10-7.
Cowley seemed to have a hangover from the loss of game one as Johnson County scored six runs in the first inning of game two and chased Tiger starting pitcher Mitchell Johnson (4-1) from the game after facing just five batters.
Leading 7-2, Johnson County put the game away with another six-run inning in the fourth, as they went on to the five-inning run-rule win. The Cavaliers out-hit Cowley 13-5.
Cowley will attempt to put the defeats behind them when they open a four-game series against last-place Highland Community College (16-33), which is 4-22 in the Jayhawk East. The Tigers will host Highland in a doubleheader on Wednesday at 1 p.m. before playing the final two games of the series at Highland on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Score by inning:
Game one R H E
Johnson 0 3 2 0 0 0 1 4 – 10 11 0
Cowley 1 0 4 0 0 1 0 1 – 7 13 2
Game two R H E
Johnson 6 0 1 6 0 – 13 13 0
Cowley 0 0 2 1 0 – 3 5 1