Tigers belt nine home runs in doubleheader sweep of Neosho County

Cowley, winners of 16 of its past 18 games, is now 25-14 overall and 15-3 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division. Neosho has dropped 12 games in a row, falling to 15-23 and 6-12 in the conference.

In game one, Cowley trailed 4-0 after a grand slam by Neosho's Lars Koester in the top of the third inning. The Tigers rallied to tie the game at 6-6 and went ahead with three runs in the fifth inning.

The Panthers would pull within 9-8 with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning before Cowley answered with a run-scoring single from Easton Green and an RBI double by Drake Fittro, who went 4-for-5 with two doubles and a home run to go along with two runs scored and two runs batted in. Green added three hits and three runs batted in.

Keaton Humphrey started for the Tigers, allowing five hits and five runs in four innings pitched. Hudsen Periman (1-0) came on to pitch and was charged with three runs in one inning of relief before Riley Lile finished with two scoreless innings to go along with four strikeouts to preserve the 11-8 win.

Carter Liezert (1-3), the second of three pitchers used by the Panthers, took the loss after being charged with three runs in 2/3 of an inning pitched.

Trailing 6-5 in game two, Cowley got back-to-back home runs from Josiah Sems and Fittro and a three-run homer from Jace Patton in a six-run sixth inning. Logan Smith's second home run of the doubleheader, this one a grand slam, put a cap on the 17-6, seven-inning run-rule of game two. Smith leads the Tigers with 13 home runs and 49 runs batted in.

Fittro homered twice and doubled in game two. In his last seven games, Fittro is 17-for-31 with five home runs and 12 runs batted in. For the season, he is batting .421 with 12 home runs and 45 runs batted in.

Patton went 2-for-4 with a home run and five runs batted in as Cowley hit five home runs in game two.

Freshman shortstop Josiah Sems and right fielder Easton Green also had big days at the plate, homering in both games.

Keegan Robertson (3-1) pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing seven hits and five earned runs, while striking out six and walking two. Jack Hamm pitched the final 1 2/3 to finish off the win.

The Panthers' Cayden Neuharth (4-3) allowed 10 hits and eight runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched before Korbin Cloud was tagged for seven runs in one inning of relief.

The teams will wrap up the four-game series with a doubleheader in Chanute on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Score by inning:

Game one                    R H E

Neosho 0 0 4 0 2 2 0 – 8 10 2

Cowley 0 0 2 4 3 2 x – 11 14 0

Game two                    R H E

Neosho 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 – 6 9 3

Cowley  3 1 0 1 0 6 6 – 17 14 0