Fittro hits for the cycle, Tigers take two of three from the Red Hawks

Cowley won Friday's game 14-4 before splitting a pair of games on Saturday. The Tigers lost the first game of Saturday's doubleheader 10-3 before winning the final game 4-3.

"It was good to win the series," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said. "We are still trying to be consistent daily and continue to grow as a team."

Sophomore Drake Fittro hit for the cycle in the 14-4 run-rule win of Friday's opener. Needing a triple to hit for the cycle, Fittro got the hit he needed as his two-run triple capped the 14-4 eight-inning win. Fittro finished 4-for-5 with a home run, triple, double, and single, while driving in five runs out of the leadoff spot.

Designated hitter Holden Groebl hit his fourth home run in the victory, and leftfielder Skyler Branam doubled twice and had three of the Tigers' 13 hits.

Keaton Humphrey pitched the first three innings for the Tigers and left with the score tied at 2-2. Freshman Isaac Worden (3-0) followed Humphrey and held the Redhawks to one run over the next three innings before Riley Lile struck out three over the final two innings.

Game two featured seven runs in the first two innings with the Red Hawks leading 4-3. Neither team would score again until the seventh inning, when Northeast erupted for six runs thanks to four hits and three free passes as they went on to the 10-3 victory.

The Redhawks finished with only five hits, but four of them went for extra bases, while also benefiting from eight base on balls.

Three Northeast pitchers combined to strike out 12 and limit Cowley to two hits in the game.

Cowley sophomore Chance Acord started on the mound and allowed four runs while retiring only three batters. Jack Hamm followed with four hitless innings of relief before Keegan Robertson pitched the final two innings and was saddled with the defeat.

Holden Groebl and pinch-hitter Logan Renken had the Tigers' two hits.

Cowley would come back to win the final game on Saturday thanks to solid pitching and the play of Fittro and Branam at the top of the Tigers' batting order. Fittro doubled twice, while Branam went 3-for-4 and delivered the game-winning two-run single with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.

"Fittro and Branam were bright spots for us," Burroughs said.

Freshman Grady Hoke gave Cowley a solid effort on the mound while striking out four in four scoreless innings. Cameron Mock (1-0), the fourth Tiger pitcher, earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief.

The Tigers will play a doubleheader at Seminole State College on Tuesday at 1 p.m. before returning home to open conference play with a doubleheader against Fort Scott on Thursday at 1 p.m.

Score by inning:

Game one                                R H E

NE Nebraska 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 – 4 9 0

Cowley          1 1 0 0 2 1 5 4 – 14 13 0

Game two                              R H E

NE Nebraska 1 3 0 0 0 0 6 – 10 5 2

Cowley           2 1 0 0 0 0 0 – 3 2 1

Game three                          R H E

NE Nebraska 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 – 3 7 0

Cowley          0 0 0 1 1 0 2 – 4 7 0