Tiger baseball team pulls out extra-inning win to split season-opening doubleheader
Opening its season on Thursday in Mt. Pleasant, TX, the No. 16-ranked Cowley College baseball team played a pair of tight contests against Northeast Texas Community College. After dropping a hard-fought 4-3 decision in game one, the Tigers bounced back to defeat the Eagles 4-2 in 13 innings in game two.
In game one, Cowley got a solo home run from sophomore Logan Smith and led 2-0 after four innings of play. However, the Eagles responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to go in front 3-2.
Cowley would get one of the runs back in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game at 3-3.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, Northeast Texas got a one-out double, followed by back-to-back walks to load the bases. With the infield playing in, the Tigers got the ground ball they needed, but third baseman Logan Smith's throw home sailed wide of the plate, allowing the winning run to score.
Sophomore Quinn Groebl had two of Cowley's six hits in the defeat. Riley Lile (0-1), the fourth pitcher used by the Tigers, suffered the loss.
The Eagles also finished with six hits and were led by Kaleb Steiger, who went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored.
Northeast Texas is now 1-2 on the season.
Game two was scoreless into the fifth inning when Drake Fittro doubled, leading off the inning, and came around to score on a single by Logan Rankin.
Quinn Groebl continued to swing a hot bat and belted a solo home run to left field in the top of the sixth inning to increase the Tigers' lead to 2-0.
The Eagles would get on the board with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but were down to their final out before Cam Ryder singled home the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The game would remain tied until the 13th inning, when Jace Patton hit a bloop double down the first base line to score Quinn Groebl with the go-ahead run. The next batter, Josiah Sems, singled home Patton to give Cowley the 4-2 advantage.
Freshman Stetson Etheridge (1-0) would go on to retire the side in order in the bottom of the 13th inning to preserve the Tigers' first victory of the season.
The teams will wrap up the three-game series by playing a final game today at noon in Mt. Pleasant, TX.
Score by inning:
Game one R H E
Cowley 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 – 3 6 2
NE Texas 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 – 4 6 2
Game two R
Cowley 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 – 4
NE Texas 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 – 2