Cowley ends No. 1-ranked Johnson County’s 41-game win streak with emphatic 11-5 victory

Cowley (37-21) will face second-seed Kansas City (42-18) on Friday at 4 p.m. on the winners' side of the bracket. Johnson County (57-3) will play second-seed Cloud County (50-6) on Friday at 1 p.m. in an elimination game.

Cowley had lost all four regular-season meetings with the Cavaliers, who had won 41 games in a row and had not lost since an 11-1 loss to Iowa Western all the way back on February 27.

"We did a big thing, and that was to stay in the winners' bracket," Cowley head coach Darren Burroughs said. "We need to try and win again tomorrow."

On Thursday, sophomore Keaton Huphrey drew the start on the mound for the Tigers. The first three batters to face Humphrey reached base, and two of the first four scored as Johnson County jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

Johnson had a chance for more thwarted in the bottom of the second inning when Jack Jones doubled into the left field corner, but Skyler Branam threw a perfect relay into shortstop Josiah Sems, who fired a laser to catcher Holden Groebl to nail Lukas Wilson at the plate for the final out of the inning.

Ryan Bradford's 35^th home run of the season, leading off the bottom of the third, increased the Cavaliers' lead to 3-0.

Ashton Nance, who entered the contest with a record of 13-0, did not allow a hit until Holden Groebl's two-out single in the top of the fourth inning. The next batter, Easton Green, hit a bloop double down the right field line, scoring Groebl from first. Nance would then hit Hudson Roberts with a pitch to put runners at first and second before getting Jace Patton to ground into an inning-ending force out.

Holden's brother, Quinn, joined in on the fun by blasting an opposite-field home run to lead off the fifth inning and cut the Tigers' deficit to 3-2.

However, a fielding miscue and a single by Brayden Giesler produced a run and chased Humphrey from the game. Humphrey allowed eight hits and four earned runs in four plus innings pitched.

Lucas Weaver came on in relief of Humphrey and struck out a pair of batters before allowing a run-scoring single to Boston Bruce that increased Johnson County's lead to 5-2.

The Tigers answered back with a three-run homer from Jace Patton to tie the game at 5-5 with one out in the top of the sixth inning and chase Nance from the game.

Nance allowed six hits and five runs in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Lance Alexander followed Nance on the mound.

Sophomore Drake Fittro provided Cowley with a double off the centerfield wall to open the seventh and came around to score the go-ahead run on a single to right field by Easton Green. However, Holden Groebl was out at home while trying to score from first on the play.

Lucas Weaver and Isaac Worden combined on a scoreless bottom of the seventh before giving way to Peyton Gosch, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning.

"Lucas was phenomenal and helped keep the score where it was," Burroughs said.

Cowley added four insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning thanks to Alexander's wildness. Hudson Roberts' run-scoring sacrifice fly, and Quinn Groebl's RBI single capped the five-run ninth inning for the Tigers.

Hudson Roberts came in to pitch the bottom of the ninth and finished off the 10-5 win, which keeps Cowley one of only two teams left unbeaten in the tourney.

Five Tigers had two hits apiece in the victory as Cowley finished with 13 hits.

"The offense was provided from up and down the lineup, and Jace had a huge home run for us," Burroughs said.

Kansas City took three of four games from Cowley during the regular season.

"We are very familiar with each other and will be ready to go," Burroughs said.

The winners of the District Plains Tournament advance to play at the JUCO World Series May 23-30 in Grand Junction, CO.

Score by inning:                 R H E

Cowley   0 0 0 1 1 3 1 5 – 10 13 2

Johnson 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 – 5 10 0