April 19, 2006                    

Cowley baseball continues torrid hitting in sweep of Johnson County

Pounding out 33 hits and 25 runs in just 12 innings of play, the Cowley College baseball team swept a doubleheader at Johnson County Tuesday.

The Tigers held off a late-rally by the Cavaliers to win the opener 12-11, and then run-ruled Johnson County 13-3 in the nightcap. The wins come on the heels of the disappointing news that Cowley would have to forfeit its last three victories for using ineligible players.

For Cowley head coach Dave Burroughs, the wins over Johnson County showed the character of his team.

“For what our guys have been through the last couple of days it was extraordinary for us,” Burroughs said. “I am very proud of the guys, they showed what team is all about.”

Cowley has scored 10 or more runs in six consecutive games.

“We have got some of that swagger back at the plate,” Burroughs said.

Cowley built a 12-4 lead in game one and then watched Barton County score seven runs in the sixth inning to make the score 12-11. However, Kyle Thornton struck out two in a scoreless seventh inning as he notched his 13th save of the season.

Blake Mitchell led the Tigers’ 19-hit attack as he went 4-for-5 with a triple and three runs batted in. Pat D’Aoust went 3-for-5 with three RBI’s, and Mitch McCuistion added three hits and four runs scored.

Brad Miller picked up the win to improve to 4-2 on the season despite allowing 11 hits and 10 runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched.

In game two, Cowley used a seven-run third inning to lead 10-1, and cruised to a 13-3 five-inning win. Michael Dabbs led the way by going 3-for-3 with a home run and four runs batted in, while D’Aoust and Miller added three hits a piece. Lance Hoge improved to 4-3 on the season as he struck out eight in five innings of work.

Cowley is now 29-18 overall and 20-12 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, while Johnson County falls to 14-30 overall and 9-21 in the Jayhawk East.

The Tigers will be back in action Thursday when they host a doubleheader against Allen County beginning at 2 p.m.

Score by inning:

Game one                      R H E
Cowley  2 0 1 4 4 1 0 — 12 19 0
Johnson 3 0 0 0 1 7 0 — 11 14 0

Game two                R H E
Cowley  0 3 7 2 1 — 13 14 0
Johnson 0 1 2 0 0 — 3 7 0