Despite rough stretch, ’Hounds lock up second place

Tenth-ranked Cowley clinched the Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division championship for the 19th time in the last 26 seasons here Monday by sweeping Fort Scott Community College 7-0 and 13-2.

The Tigers (28-4 East, 36-9 overall), who have won 16 of their last 17 games, held the Greyhounds (23-9, 37-13) to seven hits the entire day.

Fort Scott, however, had already clinched no worse than second place in the division. And that means they will host a best-of-three first-round Region VI Tournament series May 4 and, if necessary, May 5 against the team that finishes seventh in the Western Division.

There is one weekend left in conference play before the tournament. Each of the 16 qualifiers for the Region VI Tournament have been determined as only the top eight in each division advance. Allen clinched the final East berth Thursday and is 6 games ahead of ninth-place Labette with four to go. Meanwhile in the West, Pratt has already concluded conference play and neither Garden City nor Seward County, which are tied for seventh at 11-17, will be able to lose as many conference games as the Beavers already have (25).

The Greyhounds had only 4 hits off Cole Larson (3-0) in game one. Larson walked only one batter and struck out 12. Ben McConnell, Owen Wilson, Sean Moore and Cole Solomon had Fort Scott’s hits, all singles.

Ryan Westerhoff (2-0), held Fort Scott to one earned run over the first 5 innings of game two. He allowed 3 hits and one walk while striking out 4. According to the KJCCC’s website, this was Westerhoff’s first start of the season.

Solomon, Ben Kiefer and Andrew Morrow had Fort Scott’s hits. Morrow doubled in Wilson in the fourth. Solomon led off the fifth with a single, moved to second on Kiefer’s hit and went on to score with the aid of a pair of fielder’s choices.

Cross Factor his two home runs for Cowley, a 3-run shot in the fourth and a solo blast leading off the sixth.

These games were postponed for two days due to rain.

The Greyhounds will face Coffeyville in the final series of the regular season. They play at Coffeyville on Thursday before concluding the regular season at home Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lions Field.

Tuesday: Crowder 17, Fort Scott 6.

Tuesday, the Greyhounds traveled to Neosho, Mo., to face No. 20 Crowder in a single non-conference game. The Roughriders (38-12) took a 17-6 win behind a 16-hit attack. Crowder also beat Fort Scott by a 16-1 score on April 10 at Lions Field.

Morrow was 3 for 4 for the Greyhounds while McConnell and Quinn Waterbury had 2 hits each.

The Roughriders led 11-0 after three innings. The Greyhounds scored 3 in the fourth and did so again in the fifth.

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Monday’s Games

Game One

Fort Scott.......... 000 000 0 — 0 4 2

Cowley................ 301 012 x — 7 9 1

WP — Larsen (3-0). LP — Rook (6-2).

HR — None.

Game Two

Fort Scott...... 000 110 0xx — 2 3 3

Cowley.......... 041 701 xxx — 13 12 1

WP — Westerhoff (3-0). LP — Scott (4-2).

HR — Cowley: Factor 2 (9, 4th inn., 2 on, 1 out; 6th inn., none on, none out).

Tuesday’s Games

Fort Scott..... 000 330 0xx — 6 11 5

Crowder...... 173 150 xxx — 17 16 1

WP — Bartlett (3-1). LP — Richter (4-2).

HR — None.