March 1, 2010

Cowley baseball drops two of three against tough competition

Pounding out 17 hits and stealing eight bases, the No. 18-ranked Cowley College baseball team blasted Grayson County College 14-4 Saturday in Wilburton, OK. Following the win over Grayson, the Tigers came back on Sunday and dropped a pair of close ballgames to host Eastern Oklahoma State by scores of 2-1 and 4-2.

The experience of playing two top-notch programs was an invaluable one for the Tigers, which are now 3-3 on the season.

“Competition wise it was good for our guys,” Cowley head coach Dave Burroughs said. “It was just good to get out and play back-to-back days. We have still got a thousand things to work on because we are behind due to the weather being atrocious.”

The Tigers, winners of back-to-back national championships in 1997 and 1998, took the field against Grayson College on Saturday. The Vikings followed the Tigers run of national championships by winning back-to-back World Series titles in 1999 and 2000.

Saturday’s game was no contest as Cowley scored three times in the first inning and led 10-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning. Derik Grimes, a sophomore transfer from Jacksonville University, led the Tigers’ 17-hit attack by going 3-for-5 with a home run and five runs batted in.

“Grimes had a great day,” Burroughs said. “Along with his three-run homer, when he had RBI opportunities he took them.”

Leadoff batter Ronnie Melendez also had a big game as he went 4-for-6 with two stolen bases, while shortstop Chance Ross went 2-for-5 with two RBI’s. B.J. Misialek stole three bases in the game vs. Grayson before leaving the contest with a shoulder injury. It is unknown if Misialek will miss any playing time.

Sophomore Zach Cargill (1-1) started on the mound and picked up his first win of the season. Cargill allowed six hits and four runs (one earned) in five innings of work. He also struck out five and walked one.
Freshman Phillip Wilson from Cushing, OK followed Cargill with four scoreless innings of relief. Wilson allowed only one hit in four innings, while striking out two and walking none.

“Phillip was outstanding, whatever he was throwing they couldn’t square up on it,” Burroughs said.

Cowley then faced off against Eastern Oklahoma State College on Sunday. The Mountaineers are one of the top teams in Oklahoma and are receiving votes in the latest baseball rankings.

In game one, Cowley got a one-out single from Matt Hillis and a RBI groundout by Grimes to plate a run in the top of the first inning. Eastern Oklahoma came back to get a two-run single by Jordan Mings in the bottom of the first inning to lead 2-1.

Cowley starting pitcher Robbie Rea (0-1) settled down on the mound and allowed only one more hit over the next four innings as he left the game with the Tigers trailing 2-1.

Unfortunately, Rea’s solid outing was wasted, with Cowley able to manage only four hits in the game. The Mountaineers’ Nate Coronado earned the win by pitching the first six innings, while Chris Munoz pitched a perfect seventh inning for the save.

Andrew Polly pitched a scoreless sixth inning of relief for the Tigers in the defeat.

In game two, Cowley fell behind 3-0 after the first two innings as Eastern Oklahoma plated three runs, two of which were earned, against sophomore transfer Drew Rainey( 1-1). The score would remain 3-0 until the top of the fifth inning. Robbie Rea doubled leading off the fifth and scored one batter later as Tyler Hancock came through with a run scoring single. Hancock would advance to second on a pass ball, move to third on a groundout by Wilson, and eventually scored when Ross grounded out to the first baseman.

After Rainey allowed five hits and three runs through the first four innings, Stephen Spirlock relieved Rainey on the mound. Spirlock retired the side in order in the fifth inning before allowing a run on two hits in the sixth.

Spirlock would wind up allowing only two hits and one run in three innings of relief. Case Webb relieved Spirlock and pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

Trailing 4-2, Cowley’s best chance to rally came in the top of the eighth inning when Connor Duckhorn and Ross singled to put runners on first and second with only one out. However, Melendez struck out looking and Grant Glasser flied out to end the threat.

The Tigers went down in order in the ninth inning to end the game. After getting 17 hits in the win on Saturday, Cowley managed only 11 hits in the doubleheader on Sunday.

“Baseball is not always what it appears to be,” Burroughs said. “Those hard line drives that found holes on Saturday didn’t on Sunday.”

After allowing at least eight runs in each of its first three games, Cowley’s pitching allowed only nine runs over the weekend.

“Our pitching as a whole was outstanding,” Burroughs said.

The Tigers will play a single, nine-inning game at Hutchinson Wednesday at 2 p.m. The Blue Dragons defeated Cowley 8-5 Feb. 17 in Arkansas City.

Burroughs is looking forward to getting another crack at the Blue Dragons.

“I am interested to see how much we have progressed and how we will respond because they took it to us pretty good the first time we played them,” Burroughs said.