The Allen Red Devils woes continue after falling to Cowley County Community College 10-2 and 8-3 Saturday, which extended their losing streak to 14 games before Thursday’s doubleheader against Fort Scott.
Although the Red Devils held their own for most Saturday’s Jayhawk Conference contests, sporadic scoring barrages by the Cowley Tigers made the difference. Allen dropped to 14-32 overall and 5-20 in the conference.
In the opener, the Tigers jumped out to an early lead off a pair of runs in the third inning. But their eight runs in the fourth inning made all the difference as the Red Devils struggled to keep up.
RBIs by sophomore first baseman Nicky Moretto and sophomore outfielder Jose Zorilla put Allen on the scoreboard in the fourth and sixth innings, but that was all the offense they could muster despite nearly matching Cowley in hits with six to their seven.
Freshman starter Andrew Smith took the loss. He and sophomore reliever Keaton Hartman each had a strikeout. Smith allowed six runs on four hits and three walks over 3 1/3 innings. Hartman allowed four runs on three hits and three walks.
Sophomore third baseman Cooper Bates had a team leading three hits. Moretto, Lowe and sophomore catcher Carson McCormac had one hit each.
In the nightcap, a McCormac two-RBI double put the Red Devils on the scoreboard in the opening frame, only to have Cowley reply with eight unanswered runs to hold on for the sweep.
It wasn’t until the ninth inning that Bates scored off a sacrifice fly.
Along with leading in RBIs, McCormac was successful in 3 of 4 at-bats. Bates hit in 2 of 4 at-bats.
Sophomore starter Miller Tavaglione took the loss after allowing five runs on four hits and two walks. Freshman reliever Logan Page had three strikeouts while allowing three runs on four hits. Freshman reliever Doc Needham clocked three innings on the mound, tallying a strikeout while holding Cowley scoreless and allowing just two hits and a walk.
The Red Devils look to snap their losing streak on the road in a Thursday doubleheader against the Fort Scott Community College Greyhounds. They host the Greyhounds Saturday for another doubleheader. First pitch in both contests is at 1 p.m. with a 3 p.m. first pitch for the nightcap.
