Lady Tiger softball returns with sweep of Friends

Returning to the diamond for the first time in eight days, the No. 8-ranked Cowley College softball team appeared to not miss a beat as they swept a doubleheader at Friends University by scores of 21-5 and 8-4 Monday in Wichita.

“We wanted to use this doubleheader as a way to get the rust off and get a couple of wins,” Cowley head coach Ed Hargrove said.

The victory improves the Lady Tigers’ record to 18-4 on the season.

In game one, freshman Kashilia Young hit a solo home run in a three-run first inning to tie Lacey Pendry’s school-record for homers in a season with 14. Pendry set the record in 2006 during a 58-game season, while Young needed just 21 games to tie the record.

Cowley would score five runs in the third inning to lead 8-2 and increased its lead to 9-2 on Danielle Saylor-Perkins’ solo home run in the fourth.

Friends scored three runs in the fifth inning to cut Cowley’s lead to 9-5. However, sophomore catcher Whitney Foust hit a three-run homer and a grand slam in a 12-run sixth inning that lifted the Lady Tigers to the 21-5 run-rule win.

Foust (pictured) finished the game 4-for-5 with two home runs and eight runs batted in. After batting .380 in a reserve role last season, Foust has been getting adjusted to playing a more prominent role this season.

“Hopefully, this is an indication that she is getting on track with her hitting,” Hargrove said.

Jacey Juden added four hits and three runs batted in for Cowley as the Lady Tigers finished with 20 hits in the victory. Heather Davis (11-1) picked up the win as she allowed six hits and only one earned run in her five innings pitched. Freshman Breayle Tackett made her first relief appearance of the season as she pitched a scoreless sixth inning, while striking out two.

“We might need Breayle’s help on the mound down the line, so I thought it was a good time to get her some work,” Hargrove said.

Tackett then got back to doing what she has done so much of this season and that is hit the ball as she went 5-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI’s in the 8-4 win of game two.

“She’s just a machine, all five of her hits were shots,” Hargrove said.

Young went 1-for-2 with two RBI’s, while Kim Noble went 1-for-3 with two RBI’s.

Cowley led 5-0 after four innings of play and answered a two-run fourth inning by the Lady Falcons by scoring three runs of its own in the top of the sixth. Jacey Juden (7-3) picked up the complete game win by allowing four hits and four runs in seven innings pitched. Juden struck out 11 and walked only two.

The Lady Tigers will play an important conference doubleheader at Highland today at 2 p.m. Highland is 10-5 overall and 1-1 in the Jayhawk East, while Cowley is 4-0 in conference play.

“This is a big doubleheader for both teams, they will be pumped to play us,” Hargrove said.