February 19, 2010

Cowley softball loses lead, splits pair of games at Bethany

Unable to hold a 6-1 lead in the second game of a doubleheader at Bethany College on Thursday, the Cowley College softball team ended up splitting the two games played in Lindsborg.

Cowley won the first game 4-3 before losing game two by a score of 10-8.

In the second game, Cowley led 6-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. Freshman Cassie Schlesener had allowed only one run over her first three innings on the mound before running into trouble in the fourth.

Anita Espinoza, who homered twice against Cowley’s Ashley Spencer in the Swedes’ 4-3 loss of game one, started the bottom of the fourth inning by drawing a walk. The next two batters singled to score Espinoza, but Schlesener looked like she might avoid further damage when she retired the next two batters.

Unfortunately, she then allowed run scoring singles to Brittany Mosqueda and Brittany Lewis before being relieved on the mound by freshman Starr McLeod. McLeod hit the first batter she faced and then allowed a three-run homer to former Lady Tiger Emily Zimmerman to give Bethany the lead. McLeod failed to retire any of the five batters she faced before being relieved on the mound by Spencer.

Bethany sent 14 batters to the plate and scored nine runs in the fourth inning as they went on top 10-6. Cowley would get a two-run homer from Nichole Cuthbertson, her second of the game, in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 10-8. Cuthbertson, who finished 3-for-5 with two home runs and four runs batted in, came to bat in the seventh with two runners on base and two outs, but grounded out to second to end the game.

Cowley is now 2-4 on the season.

Lady Tiger head coach Ed Hargrove was disappointed his team could not hold the five-run lead in the nightcap.

“You should never get beat when leading 6-1,” Hargrove said. “There is an old saying that it is always better to take a pitcher out too early rather than too late. Well, I left Cassie in one or two batters too long.”

Sophomore shortstop Alysha Poteat homered in the first game and went 4-for-4 with three runs scored in game two. Taylor Cantillon went 2-for-2 in the nightcap and delivered a two-run homer in game one. Poteat and Cantillon’s homers came in the fourth inning of game one as Cowley overcame a 2-1 deficit to win 4-3.

Spencer (2-2) went the distance on the mound in game one and allowed three runs on four hits. She struck out eight and walked one.

“Ashley is still not as sharp as she will be,” Hargrove said. “She will start to get more work in the second games of the doubleheader than she has to this point.”

Cowley managed 23 hits in the doubleheader and improved its team batting average to .337 through six games.

“We still have some holes in our lineup, but I feel we will be a pretty solid offensive team,” Hargrove said.

After allowing 17 runs in the second game of its doubleheader vs. Rose State on Wednesday, the Lady Tigers will look to have a better effort when they play at Rose State Monday at 1 p.m.

“We made them look like All-American hitters the last time we played them,” Hargrove said. “I am anxious to see if we can go there and use this as the doubleheader to help us right the ship.”