Ravens Sweep Butler in Home Twinbill

April 26, 2012

Stephen Foster tossed a complete game in Coffeyville's 4-1 win in game two of the Ravens doubleheader sweep of the Butler Grizzlies on Wednesday night at Walter Johnson Park. The Ravens won the first game 8-5, scoring three runs each in the fifth and sixth innings to rally back from a 5-2 deficit.

The Coffeyville Red Ravens swept a twilight doubleheader from the Butler Grizzlies on Wednesday at Walter Johnson Park in Coffeyville.

In game one, Coffeyville rallied back from a 5-2 deficit to win 8-5.

Butler scored two runs in the top of the first, but that lead was short-lived. Luke Slagle hit a two-out, two-run tater in the bottom of the first to tie the score at 2-2.

The Grizzlies would add a run in the second and two more in the third and led 5-2 into the bottom of the fifth, but the Ravens took advantage of two Grizzlies errors, a walk and a double by Cole Webb to score three runs and knot the score at 5-5.

The Ravens struck for three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for good. Aric Valencia walked with one out. Braden Brown ran for Valencia and was still on first after Jordan Hodges flew out to right for the second out. Adam Valencia was plunked by a pitch, advancing Brown to second. Both runners scored on Luis Munoz's double to center, putting the Ravens ahead for the first time, 7-5. Munoz then stole third and scored on an overthrow by the Butler catcher.

John Branum, who entered the game in the sixth, closed out the win for Coffeyville. Branum pitched two scoreless innings, striking out three to earn the win. The Ravens also got some good middle relief with a scoreless inning thrown by Jordan Pendergraft and two scoreless frames by Garrett Blankenship.

The story of game two was the outstanding pitching performance by Stephen Foster. Foster, a freshman from Tulsa, had his finest pitching outing of the year to gain his first college win. Foster went the distance, seven innings, allowing just four hits and an earned run. Foster walked one and struck out six in the Ravens 4-1 victory.

While Foster was keeping the Grizzlies' off-balance, mixing in a solid change-up and breaking pitch, the Raven bats pecked away. The Ravens got their first run in the third on Jordan Hodges' double to left-center to score Robbie Hoffman from third. The Ravens added another run in the fourth on John Branum's double to score Slagle from second.

The Ravens added two insurance runs in the fifth to take a 4-0 lead. Hodges led off with a double to right. He would score one out later on Webb's single to left-center. Webb then stole second and scored on Slagle's triple to rightfield.

Foster allowed a run in the sixth, but he had enough left in the tank to finish off the Grizzlies for the complete game win.

The Ravens are now 25-26 overall on the season and will host Cowley in a four game series this weekend. The Ravens and Tigers will play doubleheaders beginning at 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday at Walter Johnson Park in Coffeyville. In conference play, the Ravens are in fourth place in the Jayhawk East with a 19-13 mark while the Tigers are in first with a 24-8 conference record.