May 21, 2004

Tigers can't dig out of early hole, lose Region VI opener 10-7

WICHITA — With the ace of its staff, Josh Wahpepah, allowing Garden City to score 10 runs in the first three innings of Thursday’s opening game of the Region VI Tournament at Wichita’s Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, the Cowley County Community College baseball team dug itself a hole it could not get out of as it suffered a 10-7 defeat.

Garden City took advantage of Wahpepah’s wildness as the sophomore walked seven and hit one batter in his four innings on the mound. The Broncbusters scored four runs on four hits in the top of the first inning, and used four walks and three hits to score six more runs in the third. Two of the Broncbusters’ runs came on wild pitches by Wahpepah, who had a scoreless inning streak of 30 innings entering the game.

Wahpepah had allowed just four doubles in 85 innings this season, but surrendered an RBI double to Luke Gorsett and a two-run double by Brendan Murphy in the top of the first, and then gave up a two-run double to Curtis Smith in the third inning to make the score 10-2.

Cowley had pulled within 4-2 after a two-run homer by Hunter Harrigan with two outs in the bottom of the second. However, the Broncbusters answered back with their six-run third inning.

Tiger second baseman Chad Ogden doubled leading off the bottom of the fourth and came around to score on a one-out single by Deik Scram. After Kellen Linville was hit by a pitch and Clay Blevins popped out, freshman first baseman Brian Freeman came through with a single that scored Scram and cut Cowley’s deficit to 10-4.

Cowley freshman Travis Kliewer relieved Wahpepah on the mound to start the fifth inning and went on to throw five scoreless and hitless innings of relief.

“He was outstanding,” Cowley assistant coach Darren Burroughs said. “He threw his breaking ball over and got ahead in the count. He gave us a chance to get back in the game.”

Cowley scratched across one more run off Garden City starting pitcher Matt Quint in the eighth inning as Blevins followed up a two-out double by Linville with an RBI single up the middle.

Trailing 10-5, Cowley tried to rally in its final at-bat. With Quint being relieved on the mound by Broncbuster closer Kamron Washington to start the bottom of the ninth, Matt Webb drew a one-out walk and Hunter Harrigan followed with a double to right field to put runners at second and third.

Ogden came through with his third hit of the game as he doubled just inside the third base line, scoring Webb and Harrigan and cutting the Broncbusters’ lead to 10-7. After Washington walked Daryl Graham to bring the tying run to the plate, Garden City brought in Justin Wilson to pitch.

Wilson, who leads the team in wins and innings pitched, faced Scram with runners at first and second and one out. Scram, who had a pair of singles in the game, smacked a one-hopper to Garden City shortstop Ryan Urzendowski, who flipped the ball to second baseman Gino Leblanc, who then fired to first to complete the double play and send the Tigers into the loser’s bracket of the tournament.

Cowley out-hit Garden City 12-7, but never seemed to get the clutch hit when it needed it.

“It seems like we’re snake bit,” Burroughs said. “Every time we had a chance for a big inning, we hit the ball right at somebody. The great thing is we only have to win one on Friday and then we can regroup and try to win two on Saturday. I have seen a lot of crazy things happen on the last day of the tournament. We have got to continue to fight.”

Cowley will face Barton County, who lost to Pratt 7-2 Thursday, today at 2 p.m. The Tigers won two of three meetings between the teams in the regular season, but most recently lost to the Cougars 15-7 May 5 in Great Bend.

“We think we’re a better club than when we got beat at their place,” Burroughs said. “It’s going to take a well-pitched game and take us swinging the bats well.”

The winner of the Cowley vs. Barton County contest will play the loser of the Seward County vs. Johnson County matchup Saturday at 2 p.m. Seward, the West’s top seed, defeated Allen County 7-4 in its opening game, while Johnson County defeated Colby 9-5.

If Cowley wins the rest of its games at the tournament, the schedule would set up like this: The Tigers would play Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Cowley would then play Sunday at noon and 3 p.m. A Cowley loss and it is eliminated from the tournament.

Cowley’s games at the Region VI Tournament can be heard on KSOK 95.9 FM.

2B— Linville, H. Harrigan, Ogden (2), Smith, Gorsett, Murphy. HR— H. Harrigan. SB— Smith, Brundridge.