Cowley baseball shows some good, some bad in series split with Indian Hills

On Friday, Cowley lost the opener 6-3 before winning the nightcap 10-2. Then, on Saturday, the Tigers lost 8-6 before bouncing back with a 2-1 win in the finale.

In Friday's opener, Cowley fell behind early and never led in the 6-3 defeat. Tiger starting pitcher Keaton Humphrey (1-1) settled down after a rough first inning to allow five hits and two earned runs in four innings pitched.

The Warriors' Yuan-Kai Chang (3-0) kept Cowley off-balance, allowing only five hits and one run in six innings pitched. The right-hander struck out eight and walked none.

Freshman Holden Groebl led Cowley at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in.

The Tigers found their bats in game two as they scored four runs in the first inning and tallied runs in each of the game's six innings as they run-ruled Indian Hills 10-2. Freshman second baseman Issac King had three hits in the win, while sophomore centerfielder Drake Fittro went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Freshman Isaac Worden (2-0) benefited from the run support by allowing only four hits and one run in five innings. The left-hander struck out eight and did not walk a batter.

The Warriors' Maverick Scarpella did not make it past the second inning as he was tagged with six hits, four walks, and six runs.

On Saturday, Cowley got a pair of home runs from sophomore third baseman Logan Smith, but it was not enough to offset the four home runs hit by Indian Hills as the Warriors came away with the 8-6 victory.

Designated hitter Kevin Ramos went 3-for-3 with a home run and two doubles, and Dylan Eshuis (3-0) earned the win by allowing six hits and four runs in 5 2/3 innings pitched.

Smith now has a team-high four home runs on the season. Cowley freshman Skyler Branam also swung the bat well, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored.

The Warriors got to Grady Hoke (1-1) and Keegan Robertson for nine hits and eight runs through the first five innings of play. Stetson Etheridge finished the game with two scoreless innings of relief.

Cowley got the start they were looking for in the finale, with sophomore Chance Acord (1-1) allowing only three hits and one run in four innings of work. Jack Hamm followed with 2 2/3 scoreless innings before Riley Lile recorded the final out and the save.

Weston Thomas and King each drove in a run, and Cowley won despite being held to three hits by four different Warrior pitchers.

The Tigers will remain home to play a three-game series against Northeast Community College (NE) on Friday and Saturday. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday and a single game on Saturday, both with start times at 1 p.m. The Hawks are 9-7 on the season.

Score by inning:

Game one                           R H E

Indian Hills 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 – 6 9 2

Cowley         0 0 1 0 0 0 2 – 3 9 1

Game two                           R H E

Indian Hills 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 – 2 4 1

Cowley        4 2 1 1 1 1 x – 10 9 0

Game three                         R H E

Indian Hills 4 0 2 1 0 1 0 – 8 10 0

Cowley        1 0 2 1 0 0 2 – 6 8 1

Game four                          R H E

Indian Hills 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 – 1 6 0

Cowley         0 0 0 2 0 0 x – 2 3 1