May 8, 2006                    

Tiger baseball has season come to an abrupt end

Hoping to make an extended run in the Region VI Tournament played at Wichita’s Lawrence Dumont Stadium, the Cowley College baseball team had its season come to an abrupt end with a pair of losses on Sunday.

After having the opening day of the tournament washed out on Saturday, the Tigers were forced to play two games on Sunday. Cowley opened against Butler at 9 a.m. and lost 5-4, and then played No. 7-ranked Hutchinson at 10 p.m. and lost 8-3.

Against Butler, Cowley never led but twice rallied to tie the game. With the score tied 2-2 after six innings of play, the Grizzles scored three runs off Tiger reliever Kendall Cogan in the top of the seventh to lead 5-2.

Cowley cut is deficit to 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI double by Jason Sowers, which scored pinch runner Michael Funke from first base. Sowers added an RBI single in the ninth to make the score 5-4, and the Tigers appeared to be in business with runners at first and second and only one out.

However, Grizzly reliever Dustin Koca got Pat D’Aoust to pop out to first and then struck out Mike Dabbs to end the game.

The loss marked the third straight year Cowley has lost its first game in the double elimination tournament.

Jeremy Sheehan started on the mound for Cowley and got a no-decision as he allowed nine hits and two runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Cogan (2-4) took the loss as he was tagged for four hits and three runs in one inning of work. Kent Williamson kept the Tigers in the game by throwing 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Sowers had a big game in the loss by going 4-for-5 with two runs batted in, while D’Aoust went 2-for-5 with a run scored.

The Tigers would draw top-seeded Hutchinson in its next game as the Blue Dragons suffered a 7-6 14 inning loss to Seward County in its first game.

Cowley grabbed its first lead of the tournament with a pair of runs off Hutchinson ace Thad Weber in the bottom of the second inning. After Ryan McMillan singled leading off the inning, Dabbs followed with an RBI triple. An error by Hutchinson second baseman Zack Kovarna on a routine ground ball hit by Cowley’s Tyler Fleming scored Dabbs with the Tigers’ second run.

However, the lead would be short-lived as Hutchinson scored two runs in the top of the third inning off Cowley starter Lance Hoge, who lasted just three innings on the mound. Hoge walked four and hit a batter as he left with the score tied at 2-2.

Sophomore Kyle Dotson (1-5) relieved Hoge to start the fourth inning and walked three and hit a batter as Hutchinson regained a 3-2 lead. The Blue Dragons would add another run off Dotson in the fifth to go on top 4-2.

The Tigers would use four more relievers, but none would be able to hold Hutchinson scoreless until Kyle Thornton came in to pitch the ninth. By then, Cowley had allowed the Blue Dragons to score in six consecutive innings and trailed 8-3.

Cowley pitchers, the strong point of the team the entire season, combined to walk nine and hit three batters in the defeat.

McMillan had two of the Tigers’ seven hits in the loss. Cowley ends the season with a record of 36-22.

Cowley will say goodbye to 10 sophomores. The sophomores are, Brad Miller, Ryan Engel, Brett Becker, J.J. Dellinger, Bryce Bartelson, Dotson, Cogan, Sheehan, Thornton, and D’Aoust.

Although the sophomores will be greatly missed, the Tigers will return a solid nucleus for the 2007 season.

Game one                          R H E
Butler   0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 — 5 14 2
Cowley 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 — 4 10 1

Game two                                 R H E
Hutchinson 0 0 2 1 1 2 1 1 0 — 8 9 2
Cowley        0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 — 3 7 2

Pictured above: Cowley second baseman Mitch McCuistion attempts to tag out Hutchinson's Brandon Doherty on a stolen base attempt during Sunday night's game. The photo was taken by Arkansas City Traveler photographer Donita Clausen.