Feb. 23, 2004

Tiger baseball team splits second doubleheader

ALTUS, Okla. -- Scoring two runs in the top of the ninth, the No. 9-ranked Cowley County Community College baseball team rallied for a 6-5 win over Western Oklahoma State College in the first of its two games played Saturday in Altus.

Against Western, Cowley watched an early 2-0 lead turn into a 5-3 deficit heading into the top of the eighth inning. The Tigers struck for two runs off Western Oklahoma's Kenny Sword in the top of the first inning, but then scored just one run off Sword over the next six innings.

In the top of the eighth, Cowley sophomore Dwayne White reached base on an error. With two outs in the inning, Colby Overstreet came through with a double that scored White, and cut the Tigers' deficit to 5-4.

After Cowley freshman Travis Kliewer (1-0) pitched his second scoreless inning of relief, the Tigers mounted their ninth inning comeback against Western reliever Ryan Henderson.

Sophomore outfielder Steven Wright drew a leadoff walk to start the rally. After Matt Webb executed a sacrifice bunt, Deik Scram walked to put runners at first and second with one out. Chad Ogden followed with a run-scoring single to tie the game at 5-5, and put runners at first and third with one out. Henderson then threw a wild pitch that allowed Scram to score the go-ahead run.

Cowley reliever Ronnie Phillips made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth as he loaded the bases with nobody out. However, he managed to escape the jam by striking out Western Oklahoma's Larry Johnson, and then getting Matt Machinski to ground into a game ending double play.  

"I thought the guys showed a lot of determination and desire to come back and get the win," Cowley assistant coach Darren Burroughs said.

The save was the first of Phillips career, while the win was Kliewer's first as well.

Hunter Harrigan led Cowley's offensive attack as he went 4-for-4. Ogden also added two of the Tigers' 11 hits in the win.

In the nightcap, Cowley faced a Vernon College (Texas) team that entered the contest with a record of 9-0.

The Tigers broke a 2-2 tie on Clay Blevins' two-run double in the bottom of the fifth inning. However, after throwing a perfect inning of relief in the fifth, freshman Landon West (0-1) was tagged for eight runs, six of them earned, in the bottom of the sixth as Vernon went on to the 10-4 win.

Three pitchers combined to hold Cowley to nine hits in the nightcap. White and Blevins led the Tigers with two hits apiece.

"They had some really good arms," Burroughs said. "Four weeks down the road when we see them again I think we will have a little better showing, and some more consistency."

Josh Wahpepah pitched the first two innings and allowed the Chaparral's other two runs. Wahpepah allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out two as only one of the two runs was earned.

Cowley is now 2-2 on the season. The Tigers will now prepare for Wednesday's nine-inning game at Connors (Okla.) College in Warner, Okla. at 2 p.m. They will then play their home opener Thursday at 2 p.m. against Northern Oklahoma College (Tonkawa).