April 15, 2009

Missed opportunities cost Tiger baseball in split with Allen County

Stranding 10 base runners in an 8-6 loss in the first game of a doubleheader played at Allen County Tuesday, cost the Tiger baseball team a shot at a sweep of the two games. The Tigers won the second game 12-1 to earn a split of the doubleheader.

In the first game, Cowley out-hit Allen County 13-8. The Tigers had four other runners reach base via a walk or an error, but left at least two runners on base in three of the game’s seven innings.

The Tigers left the bases loaded in the fifth inning and had the bases loaded with nobody out in the seventh but were only able to score one run.

The Tigers led 5-0 after scoring five runs in the top of the fourth inning as the Tigers had four doubles and six hits in the inning. However, Allen County answered back with three runs off Tiger starting pitcher Luke Zeller in the bottom of the fourth inning. Zeller would leave the game with one out and a runner at first base in the bottom of the fifth.

Trevor Rosenthal (1-1) came on in relief of Zeller and allowed three runs to score in the fifth and two more in the sixth as the Red Devils came from behind to win 8-6.

Caleb Bass had a big game in the defeat as he went 4-for-4 at the plate. Ronald Melendez finished 3-for-4, while Frank Specht and Ryan Hege added two hits a piece.

Cowley put the loss of the first game behind them as they scored eight runs in the top of the second inning of game two and needed only five innings to win the nightcap by a score of 12-1.

Specht had a single and a three-run homer in the eight-run second. The home run for Specht was his team leading seventh of the season. Melendez capped a strong doubleheader at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a RBI.

Zach Cargill improved to 6-0 on the season as he allowed only three hits and one run in five innings pitched. Cargill struck out four and walked one.

With the Tigers’ split coupled with Johnson County winning a pair of games against Coffeyville, Cowley is now three games in back of the Cavaliers in the loss column. Cowley is 30-11 overall and 20-6 in the Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division, while Johnson County is 17-3 in the Jayhawk East. The Tigers will play an important doubleheader at Johnson County Thursday at 2 p.m.