March 8, 2010

Tiger baseball sweeps home doubleheader

Using its bats to win the opening game of its doubleheader vs. Maplewoods Saturday in Arkansas City, the No. 18-ranked Cowley College baseball team turned to its pitching to win the nightcap and sweep the pair of games.
Cowley won the first game 12-7 and allowed just three hits in a 7-4 win of game two. The Tigers are now 5-5 on the season.
In the opener, Cowley used a seven-run fourth inning to pull away for a 12-7 win. Seven of the Tigers’ 12 hits in the game came in the fourth inning. Conner Duckhorn, who went 3-for-3 with three runs batted in out of the No. 9 spot in the lineup, had two hits in the inning, while Phillip Wilson belted a three-run homer and finished with four RBI’s in the game.
Tyler Hancock, Derik Grimes and Aaron Rea each added two hits as the Tigers snapped a four-game losing skid.
Freshman right-hander Robbie Rea (1-1) allowed just two hits through the game’s first four innings of play before allowing three runs on four hits in the top of the fifth inning. Rea would make it through five innings on the mound, allowing six hits and six runs, while striking out three and walking two.
Sophomore Drew Rainey pitched the final two innings for the Tigers and allowed one run on a hit and a walk.
Sophomore Zach Cargill started on the mound in game two and held Maplewoods hitless through the game’s first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. Cargill allowed a three run homer in the fifth before leaving the game with the Tigers in front 5-4 after five innings of play. Cargill (2-1) allowed just two hits and struck out 10, but was charged with four walks and four runs in his five innings pitched.
Sophomore Stephen Spirlock followed Cargill on the mound and preserved the one-run lead by allowing just one hit and no runs in three innings of relief.
The Tigers would get a pair of run scoring singles from Matt Hillis and Robbie Rea in the bottom of the eighth inning to lead 7-4 and Chase Webb pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his first save of the season.
Hillis finished 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, while sophomore shortstop Chance Ross added a pair of hits.
Cowley will now prepare to face Butler Community College for the second time this season. The Tigers will play at Butler Wednesday at 3 p.m. Cowley defeated the Grizzlies 14-9 Feb. 18 in Arkansas City.
Score by inning:
Game one                            R H E
Maplewoods 2 1 0 0 3 1 0 — 7 7 2
Cowley         1 2 2 7 0 0 x — 12 12 1
Game two                                  R H E
Maplewoods 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 — 4 3 3
Cowley         3 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 x — 7 9 1