Cowley thumps Hutchinson 17-3 for third straight run-rule win

Moving up to No. 3 in the latest NJCAA Division I baseball rankings, the Cowley College Tigers continued their winning ways with a 17-3 run-rule victory over Hutchinson on Monday in Arkansas City.

Cowley has won eight games in a row, five by run-rule, as they are now 39-8 on the season. Hutchinson falls to 34-18.

"We are starting to play better up and down the lineup," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said.

Trailing 3-2, Cowley scored six runs in the third inning, five in the fourth, and four more in the fifth as they went on to the 17-3 seven-inning victory. Freshman Logan Groh capped the scoring by hitting his third home run of the season in the four-run fifth.

Weston Thomas and Logan Smith finished with three hits, and Cowley out-hit Hutchinson 15-6.

Ty Parker and Chance Acord (3-0) got the first two opportunities on the mound for Cowley before Blake DeLong, Mark Hoffman, and Jack Hamm closed the game with 3 1/3 hitless innings of relief.

"Those guys threw strikes and gave us an opportunity to do well," Burroughs said.

Cowley scored at least one run off six of the seven pitchers used by the Blue Dragons.

The Tigers will host Kansas City Kansas Community College in a doubleheader on Thursday at 1 p.m. KCK is 33-18 and in third place in the conference with a record of 17-11. The Blue Devils have won 10 games in a row.

"Kansas City is playing as good as anybody in the conference, so we will need to match their intensity," Burroughs said. "These games will be important for both teams' playoff seedings."

Score by inning:           R H E

Hutch  0 0 3 0 0 0 0 –   3 6 0

Cowley 2 0 6 5 4 0 x – 17 15 0