Cowley has win streak snapped, but still wins three of four against Allen
Allowing only eight runs in a four-game series against Allen Community College, the No. 15-ranked Cowley College baseball team won three of four games against the Red Devils. The Tigers run-ruled Allen 14-4 and 11-0 in a doubleheader played Friday in Arkansas City before splitting a pair of games Saturday in Iola, KS. Allen snapped Cowley's 13-game winning streak with a 4-1 victory in Saturday's first game, but Cowley answered back with a 13-3 win in the series finale.
Cowley is now 26-7 overall and 14-2 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division. The Tigers are tied for first place in the Jayhawk East with Johnson County and are one-game ahead of Kansas City (17-3) in the loss column.
"We showed progress and will take winning three out of four and move on," Cowley head coach Dave Burroughs said.
Allen is now 11-15 overall and 7-13 in the conference.
Cowley scored nine runs in the third inning of game one to win 14-4 in five innings. Cade Stephens belted a grand slam in the nine-run third and drove in five, while Logan Steenstra added a triple and three RBIs in the win.
Cole Larsen (5-1) allowed six hits and three earned runs in five innings to earn the win. The right-hander struck out six and did not walk a batter.
Andrew Roach tossed a complete-game one-hit shutout in Friday's second game to improve his record to 3-2. Roach struck out seven and walked three in seven innings.
Sophomores Parker Dunn and Cody Milligan led the way at the plate. Dunn homered and drove in three, while Milligan went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a stolen base.
The teams traveled to Iola to wrap up the four-game series on Saturday. In Saturday's first game, Allen's Benjamin Beutel cooled off Cowley's bats by tossing a one-hitter in a 4-1 Red Devil win. Beutel struck out eight and walked two in seven innings.
Cowley sophomore Brannon Jordan took the loss as he allowed seven hits and three runs in five innings. Jordan struck out five and walked one as he fell to 3-2 on the season. The loss snapped Cowley's 13-game win streak.
Freshman second baseman Blaze Brothers had Cowley's only hit when he drove in Mac McCroskey with a third inning single.
The Tigers bounced back to defeat Allen 13-3 in the series finale. Dunn homered for the second time in three games and Milligan went 3-for-5 with three RBIs as Cowley out-hit Allen 16-5.
Sophomore Adam White started on the mound for Cowley and allowed one run in 2 1/3 innings pitched as he left the game with an 8-1 lead.
Freshman Miguel Obeso (4-0) came on to pitch in relief of White and allowed only three hits and two runs in 3 2/3 innings pitched. Ethan Swanson followed Obeso on the mound and struck out all three batters he faced in the seventh inning, while Jared Wilson struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 eighth inning.
Sophomore Ryan Westerhoff allowed a walk and a single but did not allow a run in the ninth as he struck out the side. All totaled, Cowley's pitchers combined to strike out 14 Red Devils in the victory.
"Our bullpen was outstanding and Adam set the tone on the mound," Burroughs said.
Cowley's home game against the Tabor College JV on Monday has been postponed. They will now prepare to open a four-game series against Fort Scott Thursday at 2 p.m. in Arkansas City. The Greyhounds are 24-10 overall and 12-8 in the Jayhawk East.
Score by inning:
Game one R H E
Allen 1 0 0 3 0 4 6 0
Cowley 3 2 9 0 x 14 10 2
Game two R H E
Allen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
Cowley 0 4 4 2 0 1 x 11 14 0
Game three R H E
Cowley 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
Allen 0 1 1 0 1 1 x 4 9 0
Game four R H E
Cowley 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 5 13 16 1
Allen 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 5 4