Roten, bats help Cowley split doubleheader at Kansas City

After losing its first game of a doubleheader at Kansas City Tuesday by a score of 17-14, the Cowley College baseball team fell behind 3-0 in the first inning of game two. However, Cowley starting pitcher Chase Roten settled down on the mound and the Tiger bats came alive as they rallied to win the second game 9-4.

Roten (pictured) told his teammates that would be all the runs Kansas City would get as he entered the dugout after allowing three runs in the first. He nearly made it happen as the Blue Devils did not score again until their final at bat.

“Chase did an outstanding job and showed a lot of maturity,” Cowley assistant baseball coach Darren Burroughs said. “He mixed his pitches for strikes and solidified the game for us.”

Roten struck out six and walked two in improving to 3-0 on the season. He was backed by a 17-hit attack, which featured seven players that had at least two hits a piece. Luke Zeller went 4-for-5 with a run batted in. Colt Loehrs had three hits and three runs batted in, while Shane Azzopardi went 3-for-3 with two RBI’s.

Cowley looked like they would win the first game before Kansas City rallied to score 11 runs in the sixth inning.

Trailing 13-6, the Blue Devils sent 15 men to the plate in the sixth and scored 11 runs off three Tiger pitchers. Kansas City had only three hits in the inning, but benefited from three walks, two hit batters, two errors, and a catcher’s interference call.

The rally negated back-to-back home runs by Tom O’Gorman and Tyson Parks in the fourth inning, and a three-run homer by Bryce Cole in the top of the sixth. O’Gorman finished the game 3-for-3 with four RBI’s.

Michael Flanagan took the loss in relief and is now 4-4 on the season. John Maler started on the mound and allowed six hits and five runs in four innings pitched.

Cowley will head back on the road to play a nine-inning game at Hutchinson today at 4 p.m. The Tigers will then play a doubleheader at Independence Thursday at 1 p.m.

“We have got to show some toughness, keep playing and get a rhythm going,” Burroughs said.