GASTON — Coming into the postseason with six losses in the last seven games, Cowan baseball needed to bring some fire into the IHSAA Class 1A, Sectional 55 tournament. The Blackhawks did exactly that on Wednesday, May 28, cruising to a 9-4 victory over Wes-Del to advance to the sectional semifinals.
The team’s energy was on full display throughout the contest. Players were never afraid to celebrate their big plays, and the dugout made itself heard with players pumping one another up and taking great joy in each other’s success.
That positive energy easily translated into offensive firepower.
“The plate approaches were great,” Cowan coach Aaron Wells said. “That’s something, we’ve kind of swung really early this year and not gotten their guy to a lot of pitches, and that’s something we tried to work on. … Tonight, we got his pitch count up, and he started throwing some more balls. He was really sharp early, but our plate approaches, that was probably the best we’ve looked all year. I mean, they were locked in pretty early.”
The Blackhawks got the scoring started early on an RBI single from Thomas Brooks in the first inning, but Wes-Del responded quickly and claimed the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Cowan didn’t take long to reclaim the advantage though, with Jaydon Auker tying the game with an RBI single, sparking a five-run second inning for the Blackhawks.
Though Wes-Del was able to chip away at the Cowan lead with a run in each of the third and fourth innings, the Warriors were never able to come all the way back. Cowan also got some more breathing room with a run in the third inning and two runs in the fifth.
It was a strong day at the plate throughout the Blackhawks’ lineup. Seven out of nine starters logged a hit, and the two that didn’t still reached base via hit-by-pitches and scored runs. Brooks was particularly productive, finishing 3-for-3 at the plate and logging an RBI on each of his three hits.
“I was just trying to see it and trying to get a barrel out,” Brooks said. “I wasn’t trying to do too much. I just wanted to barrel it up, try to get into the gaps, and try not to do anything that would cost us.”
Cowan also had a strong two-way performance out of pitcher Gentry Groves. The senior went 2-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs and was effective on the mound, allowing six hits and four runs (all unearned) while walking three batters and striking out three. Brooks pitched the final inning and logged three strikeouts to finish the game.
“Wes-Del is a good team over there, so we just had to keep our composure,” Groves said. “We just came in here with energy and got the job done today.”
Given his stoic nature and his status as one of Cowan’s two seniors, Groves has become the Blackhawks’ “quiet leader” this season. He tends to be more restrained on the field than his visibly pumped-up teammates, but don’t let that fool you — Groves feels his teammates’ energy and feeds off of it throughout the game.
“It just feeds through the whole group,” Groves said. “You know, if we’re down, then it’s really like, ‘Why are we here if we don’t have energy?’ Then, you know, we’ve just got to keep energy and keep having a good day, and it’ll come.”
Cowan will look to carry its strong hitting and positive energy into a sectional semifinal matchup with Southern Wells, who hosted Tri-Central at the same time as the Cowan vs. Wes-Del game, winning 6-2. Cowan and Southern Wells are scheduled to play at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 31, at Wes-Del, with the winner advancing to the championship game Monday, June 2.
From the box score
Cowan Blackhawks (10-11)
Wes-Del Warriors (7-17)
Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: IHSAA baseball sectionals: Energetic Cowan squad cruises past Wes-Del in first round
Reporting by Cade Hampton, Muncie Star Press / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
