The Cowley Community College Tigers snapped Allen’s four-game win streak by splitting Wednesday’s doubleheader at Alumni Park.
After taking the opener 2-0, the Red Devils fell in the finale 5-1.
But with top-ranked Johnson County scheduled on the road for Saturday, Coach Nicole Peters will not dwell on Wednesday’s loss for long.
“A split was good, but we’re capable of beating them,” Coach Peters said. “We had a couple of miscues and that’s what took us out in game two. We left some runners on base.”
Freshman pitcher Andrea Ruby picked up the win in the opener while throwing a seven-inning shutout. Riding an errorless defense, she tallied a pair of strikeouts while holding Cowley to just two hits.
A second inning double by sophomore third baseman Hope Sanchez put Allen on the scoreboard. In the fourth inning, a hard chopper by sophomore outfielder Ella McCammon plated Ruby to take Allen’s advantage to 2-0, and that’s all the Red Devils needed thanks to Ruby and the Red Devils’ defense.
Sanchez and McCammon tied for the team lead in RBIs with one each. Freshman shortstop Taylor Damme led the Red Devils in hits while successful in 2 of 3 at-bats. 
“The defense played behind her (Ruby) for sure. It was solid,” Peters said. “Ella McCammon is sophomore and a good leader. She holds down the outfield and is someone we look to for sure.”
Allen’s luck ran out in the nightcap. A four-run opening frame from Cowley made the difference.
Freshman pitcher Addie Keys held Cowley scoreless for six out of seven innings.
Allen responded in the second inning with an RBI grounder from sophomore catcher Makayla Hirshmann, but the lack of additional run support saddled Keys with the loss.
Following Wednesday’s split, the Red Devils’ record stands at 16-23 overall and 9-5 in conference play. NJCAA 12th-ranked Johnson County remains undefeated in conference play at 14-0 and 27-9 overall.
“We have an underdog mindset, but also everybody puts their pants on the same way,” Peters said. “We just have to come out and compete every inning against any team we’re playing. We just need to play our game.”
