April 9, 2009

Stellar pitching leads Tiger baseball team to wins over Highland

Allowing only eight hits and three runs in its doubleheader against Highland Wednesday in Arkansas City, the Cowley College baseball team pulled out a couple of close wins. The Tigers won the first game 3-1 before winning game two 2-1.

Cowley, winners of seven games in a row, is now 25-9 overall and 16-4 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division. The Tigers remain tied for first place in the conference with Johnson County (14-2).

In the first game against Highland, Cowley College starting pitcher Luke Zeller allowed an unearned run in the first inning before holding the Scotties scoreless. Zeller (1-1), who would tie the game at 1-1 on his RBI groundout in the bottom of the first inning, allowed only two hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Cowley grabbed a 2-1 lead on a two-out single by Colt Loehrs, which scored B.J. Misialek in the bottom of the first inning.

Trevor Rosenthal relieved Zeller with a runner at first base and one our in the top of the sixth inning. Rosenthal would retire both batters he faced in the sixth, and Cowley would add an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning as Matt Garcia singled home Loehrs, who doubled earlier in the inning.

Leading 3-1, Rosenthal struck out the leadoff batter in the seventh, before allowing a walk and back-to-back singles to load the bases. However, the freshman from Lee Summit, Mo., struck out the next two batters to end the game and record his third save of the season.

Loehrs and Garcia each finished with two hits as did Ronald Melendez.

Both teams scored a run in the first two innings of game two as the score was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. Tyler Hancock singled leading off the inning, took second when Robert Thomas was hit by a pitch, and advanced to third on a fielders choice by Chance Ross. With two outs in the inning, Misialek delivered a single that scored Hancock with the go-ahead run.

Freshman Stephen Spirlock pitched the first three innings for the Tigers and allowed one hit and one run. Quinton Bane relieved Spirlock on the mound and pitched well before running into trouble in the top of the sixth inning.

Sophomore Michael Flanagin relieved Bane with runners at second and third and only one out in the sixth. Flanagin got the Tigers out of the jam and pitched around a hit batter in the seventh to preserve the win. Bane (1-0) earned his first win of the season in relief, while Flanagin recorded his fourth save.

Zeller had two of the Tigers’ six hits in the win and drove in a run.

Cowley will return to action today when they play a doubleheader at Fort Scott at 2 p.m.