Cowley's Spencer throws perfect game

Spencer tosses perfect game as Cowley posts shutout victories
By Rama Peroo
Showing why she has signed to pitch at the University of Kansas next season, Cowley College sophomore Ashley Spencer gave a dominant performance on the mound on Tuesday by tossing a perfect game in a 6-0 win over Independence.
Spencer gave the home crowd plenty to cheer about as she struck out 13 of the 21 batters she faced.
“She was in control all the way,” Cowley head coach Ed Hargrove said. “It was just a dominating performance.”
After tossing seven shutouts as a freshman, Spencer had thrown only two complete game shutouts this season prior to Tuesday. However, she demonstrated her dominance on the mound from the outset by striking out the first two batters she faced, and capped the perfect game by striking out Ashton Bruce to end the game. Spencer is now 21-5 and lowered her earned run average to 1.73.
“Going into tomorrow’s doubleheader with Johnson County it was important that Ashley have that kind of outing,” Hargrove said.
The only time Independence threatened to get a hit was when Megan McCall sent a one-hopper into the hole between shortstop and third base with one out in the seventh inning. However, Lady Tiger shortstop Alysha Poteat made a great stop of the ball and threw to first to beat McCall by a step.
“If it were any other shortstop other than Alysha (Poteat) that ball is probably a hit,” Hargrove said.
Sophomore outfielder Taylor Cantillon provided Spencer with all the run support she would need by going 3-for-3 with two doubles, a triple, and three runs scored.
“Taylor has been hitting the ball really well and is feeling comfortable at the plate,” Hargrove said.
Cantillon is now tied for second on the team with a .368 batting average.
In game two, Cowley got a three-run triple from Alysha Poteat in the bottom of the third inning and took control of the game with four more runs in the fourth inning.
Spencer doubled leading off the fourth, advanced to third on a single by Alyssa Allison, and came around to score on a single by freshman catcher Charlotte Myrtle. After Myrtle stole second, freshman Ali Unrein came through with a two-run double to make the score 6-0. Unrein would advance to third on an error and put a cap on the four-run inning by scoring on Bri Akers’ sacrifice fly.
Freshman Starr McLeod went the first four innings on the mound and allowed just two hits and no runs. Fellow freshman Cassie Schlesener pitched the final two innings and surrendered just one hit.
Hargrove was pleased to see his freshmen pitchers step up when called upon.
“Those two have grown up a lot over the last two to three weeks,” Hargrove said.
Cowley would finish off game two in the bottom of the sixth inning. Myrtle walked leading off the sixth, advanced to second on a walk by Unrein, and scored the final run of the game on a single by Akers.
After going 4-for-4 in the doubleheader, Akers is now batting a team-leading .461 on the season.
The Lady Tigers, which are 26-10 overall and 17-3 in the Jayhawk East, remain three games behind conference leading Johnson County (18-0) in the loss column. Cowley will attempt to make the conference race a little more interesting when they play a doubleheader at Johnson County Thursday at 2 p.m.
“If we win two games tomorrow then we will still have a chance,” Hargrove said. “We are going up there with the intent of putting some pressure on them in the conference race.”