Tiger baseball team takes lead in conference race with wins over Highland

The No. 9-ranked Cowley College baseball team had been chasing Kansas City Kansas Community College in the conference standings for the past month. However, after Kansas City had its 12-game winning streak snapped Thursday at Johnson County and Cowley ran its winning streak to 10 games with a doubleheader sweep at home vs. Highland, the Tigers moved into sole possession of first place in the Jayhawk East.

Cowley defeated the last place Scotties by scores of 4-1 and 11-1 as they improved its record to 35-7 overall and 23-3 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division. Kansas City (37-6) is now 19-3 in conference play.

Facing a Highland team that entered Thursday's game with just one conference win, the Tigers got a strong pitching outing from sophomore Grant Adler in the 4-1 victory of the opener. Adler allowed just four hits and one run in five innings pitched as he improved his record to 8-0 on the season.

Sophomore left fielder Jansen Reeder led Cowley at the plate by going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and a run batted in. Miguel Fulgencio also fared well, pitching two scoreless innings of relief to notch his fourth save of the season.

Saul Peralta took the loss for the Scotties as he allowed 10 hits and four runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched.

In game two, Cowley broke out offensively as the first five batters reached base safely in a four-run first inning. The Tigers would tack on five more runs in the fourth inning en-route to the seven-inning run-rule win.

Tiger leadoff batter Bryce Madron had three hits and scored twice, while Reeder drove in three more runs to increase his team-leading RBI total to 50.

Cowley starting pitcher J'Briell Easley (3-0) was the benefactor of the run support as he tossed four scoreless innings to go along with six strikeouts. Tanner Vaughn followed Easley on the mound and did not allow an earned run in his three innings of relief. Vaughn lowered his ERA to 1.76 in 15 1/3 innings pitched.

Highland starting pitcher Ethan Evert was rocked for 10 hits and nine runs in three innings as the Scotties are now 6-37 on the season.

The teams will conclude their four-game series by playing a doubleheader in Arkansas City Friday beginning at 1 p.m.

Score by inning:

Game one                      R H E 

Highland 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 1 6 2

Cowley    0 1 2 0 1 0 x – 4 10 0

Game two                       R H E

Highland 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 – 1 4 3

Cowley    4 0 0 5 1 0 1 – 11 12 1