CONCORDIA, Kan. – A two-RBI one-out double from freshman Jaden Parsons in the bottom of the sixth would allow the Cloud County Community College baseball team to take a 9-8, seven-inning thriller over number-10 ranked Cowley Community College before dropping a 25-17, four and a half hour marathon slugfest to split doubleheader action at Lee Doyen Field in Concordia, Kansas on Saturday, March 6th.

Taking two of four from Cowley over the past three days, Cloud County is now 7-6 overall on the year while the Tigers sit at 6-2 overall after dropping their first two games of the year.

Game One:
CCCC would have to battle back from two-run deficits three separate times in the game as Cowley would jump out to a 2-0 lead after half an inning of play on a two-run homer, 3-1 heading to the bottom of the second, and then again in the top of the sixth with a two-RBI triple. Trailing by a pair before even stepping into the batter's box, Cloud County would get a run back in the bottom of the first by stringing together a two-out rally with two hit batters and an RBI single from Ian Riley to score Kayden Beauregard.

After seeing the Tigers get the run back in the top of the second on a one-out RBI double, it would be the T-Birds who would get things going with five runs on six hits to go up 6-3. The big hit in the inning would come from the top of the lineup as Noah Olson would deliver with a three-run homer to score Willie Ponce and Adler Pierson who would both reach with one-out singles as CCCC would go on to score additional runs on RBI doubles from Beauregard and Riley.

One-two-three innings from both teams in the third would keep the T-Bird lead at 6-3 heading to the fourth as neither team would have much going offensively until the fifth. The long ball for Cowley would again be working in the fifth inning as a leadoff single and walk would allow for Blake Robertson to clear the bags with a game-tying three run home run as two strikeouts and a groundout would end the rally by the Tigers.

Cloud County would strand a runner in the bottom of the fifth before giving up a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, but find more magic in the bottom of the inning as Pierson would get things going with a leadoff solo homer to cut the Cowley lead in half. Ponce would then draw a walk to force a pitching change as the top of the lineup would deliver with an Olson single and Parsons double putting the T-Birds back up by a score of 9-8 heading to the top of the seventh.

In to slam the door shut and secure Cloud County's second win over a nationally-ranked squad this year would be freshman Rans Sanders as the Grand Island, Nebraska native would work around a leadoff walk to induce a fly out before putting the go-ahead run on with a one-out single. Needing a big play to get out of potentially giving up the game-tying run, Sanders would get David Herring to line into a game-ending double-play as Ponce would get the unassisted game-ending pair of outs to allow Cloud County to hold on.

Four players would carry the load offensively for Cloud County in the game as Olson, Parsons, Riley, and Pierson would all finish with two hits as both of Parsons hits would go for extra-bases. Olson, Parsons, and Beauregard would combine for six of CCCC's nine RBI's as the T-Birds would strand just five runners in the game.

Four pitchers would work see action in the contest as Carl Aikman would go five strong innings for CCCC and allow six runs on eight hits while striking out three. Patrick Kennedy would ultimately end up getting the win for his first win of the year after throwing 0.2 innings and striking out one while Sanders picked up his first collegiate save.

Game Two:
Starting at 3:30 p.m., the final game of the four-game series would prove to be the highest scoring of the weekend as the final out would be recorded after 42 runs would come home and the clock showing 8 p.m. Only the bottom of the first and the top of the fifth would go scoreless through the first six innings of the game as Cowley would score three in the first and one in the second before allowing Cloud County to plate five in the bottom of the second to go up 5-4.

A five-run top of the third by Cowley would put the Tigers back up by a score of 9-5 briefly as the T-Birds would have a response with four runs on two hits, two hit batters, and a walk with Olson again delivering by connecting on a bases-loaded two-out double to clear the bases as part of a four-run third.

The 9-9 tie would be broken in the top of the fourth as Cowley would get an unearned run, but Cloud County would get a run of their own on a pair of hits to tie things back up heading to the fifth. It would appear as though momentum would completely shift in favor of CCCC in the bottom of the fifth as Cloud County would get six runs on four hits as Cowley would use three pitchers in the inning.

CCCC's six-run lead would quickly dissolve however as Cowley would respond with five runs in the sixth to get back within one before allowing a Beauregard solo homer in the bottom of the inning allow Cloud County to hold a 17-15 lead heading to the final three innings of play.

From that point forward, it would be all Cowley as the Tigers would get seven runs on six hits and two errors in the seventh before adding three runs in the top of the ninth while holding Cloud County to just three walks and no hits to close out the weekend with an eight-run victory.

The 42-runs would come on 31 hits as the two squads would wind up walking a total of 20 batters and stranding 16 runners in the game. Of Cloud County's 11 hits, seven would go for extra bases as Garrett Redden would finish with a three-for-four day with four runs scored and one RBI while Olson, Parsons, and Pierson all drove in three.

Cowley would use just about every last arm available as the Tigers would put nine different pitchers out on the mound while Cloud County would use seven. No pitcher would last longer than 2.2 innings for either team as both Javier Cruz and Jorge Galindo would both record eight outs in relief and combine to strike out six.

What's Next?
Cloud County will play their final non-conference game before Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference action starts up with a road trip 50 miles south to Salina to take on the Kansas Wesleyan JV team for a single nine-inning 4 p.m. contest on Monday, March 8th.