Tiger baseball team completes sweep of Highland

On Saturday, the No. 3-ranked Cowley College baseball team rallied for a 6-5 win in the first game of a doubleheader at Highland before finishing off the four-game sweep of the Scotties with a 17-0 run-rule in the finale.

In Saturday's opener, Cowley got home runs from Logan Groh and Carter Freeland to lead Highland 4-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning. However, the Scotties scored five runs on six hits off Tiger starting pitcher Tallen Bagwell in the bottom of the second to go in front 5-4.

Bagwell would settle down to last six innings on the mound and keep the score at 5-4.

Down to its final three outs, Cade Baldridge flied out to open the top of the seventh inning before Kade Sheldon walked. After a Weston Thomas single advanced Sheldon to second, Kaleb Wellshear replaced Highland starter Gavin Stowell on the mound.

Sheldon and Thomas advanced a base following a wild pitch by Wellshear, and Dax McCaskill's groundout scored Sheldon with the tying run. One batter later, Dawson Williams singled home Thomas with the go-ahead run.

Barrett Morgan (5-0) came on in relief of Bagwell in the seventh and retired the side to go along with two strikeouts as Cowley held on for the 6-5 win.

Bagwell struck out nine while allowing 10 hits and five runs in six innings.

Along with the home run, Groh also doubled as he went 2-for-3 with a run batted in.

In game two, Dax McCaskill continued to mash at the plate by going 4-for-4 with two home runs and six runs batted in. McCaskill is now batting .374 with 13 home runs and 51 runs batted in.

Freshman centerfielder Drake Fittro added his second home run, and Cade Baldridge went 3-for-3 with a double and four runs batted in out of the leadoff spot, and Cowley cruised to the 17-0 win.

Seven of Cowley's 17 hits in game two went for extra bases. Logan Smith and Quinn Groebl drove in three runs apiece as Cowley out-scored Highland 50-13 in the sweep of the series.

Keegan Robertson (4-1) went the first six innings before Luke Schimmels pitched a scoreless seventh. The duo allowed only four hits, while combining to strike out eight and walk none.

Cowley will play at Seminole State (OK) on Tuesday at 2 p.m. The Trojans are 29-15 on the season.

Score by inning:

Game one                       R H E

Cowley    1 3 0 0 0 0 2 – 6 7 1

Highland 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 – 5 10 2

Game two                       R H E

Cowley    4 3 5 3 0 2 0 – 17 17 0

Highland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0 4 0