Tigers find runs hard to come by in split of doubleheader with KCK

Facing a Kansas City squad that had won 12 games in a row entering play on Thursday in Arkansas City, the Cowley College baseball team snapped the 11^th-ranked Blue Devils' win streak with a walk-off 3-2 win in game one before losing the nightcap by a score of 2-1.

Cowley (24-11) is now in third place in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division with a record of 12-2. Kansas City (29-4) is second in the conference with a record of 16-2, while Johnson County is atop the standings with a record of 13-1.

In Thursday's opener, Cowley got an RBI double from catcher Cole Martin and a run-scoring single by shortstop Jadyn McNealy in a two-run fifth inning to lead 2-0.

Tiger freshman Iziah Salinas started on the mound and did not allow a run in his three innings of work but was relieved in the top of the fourth inning after surrendering his fifth walk of the game.

Delton Roberts came on in relief and pitched into the sixth before giving way to Barrett Morgan with Cowley in front 2-0.

Morgan had Kansas City first baseman Frankie Santiago down to his final strike with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning before Santiago belted a game-tying two-run homer, his 10^th of the season.

Morgan bounced back to retire the side in order in the top of the eighth inning and allowed Cowley an opportunity to win in the bottom half of the inning.

Dane Harvey led off the bottom of the eighth with a single off Blue Devil reliever Dalton Smith and was replaced on the base paths by pinch runner Rytoro Tanabe, who advanced to second on a ground out by Keaton Campbell.

Tanabe would score the winning run when Kade Sheldon doubled off the left-centerfield fence to send the Tiger players storming out onto the field in celebration.

"To come back and win the first game was good, but we are disappointed we did not sweep the doubleheader," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said.

Martin, McNealy, and Sheldon each had two hits in the victory.

The Blue Devils would strike first in game two as Brady Patterson hit a two-run double off Cowley starting pitcher Cody Airington in the top of the first inning. Those two runs were enough as the Tigers could manage only four hits off Kansas City starting pitcher Mason Davenport through the game's first six innings.

Blue Devil reliever Caleb Reed relieved Davenport after Ian Luce drew a walk to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning. Luce advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Seth Dandridge but was thrown out attempting to go to third on a ground ball to the shortstop hit by Cade Baldridge. Reed then got McNealy to ground into a force out to end the game as Kansas City salvaged a split of the doubleheader.

Airington allowed four hits and two runs in four innings pitched. He struck out five and walked one before turning the ball over to Cade Perkins, who retired all nine batters he faced to go along with three strikeouts.

Both teams had just four hits in the well-pitched second game.

"Those were two well-pitched games, but we need to do better at taking advantage of our opportunities," Burroughs said.

The teams will wrap up the four-game series by playing a doubleheader in Kansas City on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

"We hope to win three of four in the series, but we need to take it a game at a time and try to win the first one on Saturday before moving on to the finale," Burroughs said.

Score by inning:

Game one                              R H E

Kansas City 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 – 2 6 1

Cowley        0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 – 3 7 1

Game two                           R H E

Kansas City 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 2 4 1

Cowley        0 0 1 0 0 0 0 – 1 4 0