Tigers ride the long ball back to JUCO World Series

Belting five home runs, and hitting a grand slam for the second straight day, the No. 5-ranked Cowley College baseball team blasted the Butler Grizzlies 14-4 in the NJCAA Plains District (Region VI) Championship game played Saturday at Dean Evans Stadium in Salina, KS. The Tigers, the Region VI champions, advance to play May 29-June 4 at the NJCAA Division I JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, CO.

"I am proud of everything this team has accomplished," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said. "This is a great reward for their hard work."

Cowley got a pair of home runs from Janson Reeder, a grand slam by Bryce Madron, and solo homers by Trey DeGarmo and David Herring.

"It was about time we erupted with our bats," Burroughs said.

Sophomore Miguel Obeso started on the mound for Cowley and struck out eight over five innings. Obeso allowed five hits and four runs as he improved his record to 4-2 on the season.

"This tournament was all about our starting pitching giving us a chance to win," Burroughs said.

It didn't take long for the Tigers to get to Butler starting pitcher Zach Chiolis (1-2) as the lefty walked the first three batters of the game and allowed a run-scoring ground out to catcher Gus Freeman as Cowley went in front 1-0. Two batters laters, Elijah Jackson singled home a run before Felix Chenier-Rondeau chased Chiolis from the game with a two-run single to put the Tigers ahead 4-0.

After Butler scored an unearned run in the top of the second, Cowley got the run back in the bottom half of the inning courtesy of Janson Reeder's 11^th homerun of the season. The Tigers would add to their lead in the third inning when Freeman tripled and scored on an errant throw to third, and Trey DeGarmo singled home Chenier-Rondeau to make the score 7-1.

The homer for Reeder tied him for the conference lead with 75 runs batted in.

Speaking of homers, Josh Cameron's 25^th of the season, a two-run shot off Obeso, pulled the Grizzlies within 7-3 in the top of the fourth inning. Later in the inning, Butler's Cash Stone would single home the Grizzlies fourth run of the game.

Reeder would take over the conference lead in RBIs when he belted his 12^th home run of the season, a solo shot off Cade Phelps leading off the bottom of the fourth, to put Cowley up 8-4.

Madron's grand slam off Braden Meek in the bottom of the fifth inning helped blow the game open. The Tigers would add solo homers from DeGarmo and Herring to cap the win.

Freshman Isaac Stebens relieved Obeso and tossed three scoreless innings before Garrett VanDeventer and Cameron Allen finished off the win.

Now, its onto Grand Junction for the 10^th time in program history and a chance for a third World Series title.

"We have got to continue to pitch good and score runs, that has always been the story of our success," Burroughs said.

Score by inning:                  R H E

Butler    0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 – 4 8 2

Cowley  4 1 2 1 4 1 0 1 x – 14 13 1