GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Iowa Western Community College knocked the Crowder College Roughriders into the loser’s bracket earlier this week and, on Wednesday, that same squad ended Crowder’s season with a 13-3 decision at the National Junior College World Series.
Freshman Tyler Sawyer of Bryant started on the mound for the Roughriders and absorbed the loss when he couldn’t escape a second-inning jam that escalated into a six-run uprising that put Iowa Western in command.[more]
Sawyer allowed seven runs, six earned on eight hits without a walk. He hit a pair of batters and fanned one. Mike Sisco of Fayetteville relieved and fared little better as Iowa Western put together 17 hits to improve to 48-13 on the season and advancing to the final four with Hutchinson Community College, San Jacinto College-North and College of Southern Nevada.
For Crowder, Sam Bates of Cabot had two hits, scored a run and drove in another. Colby Roberts of Benton went 1 for 2 with a walk as the Riders’ lead-off man.
The team also included Bryant alum David Guarno who was unavailable due to injury.
Crowder, a renowned baseball program, reached the World Series for the first time, finishing the season 42-23.
Everette Hatcher
Out of 10 teams in the World Series they were the 6th to be eliminated. The Roughriders with all their Arkansas players did a great job to make it to the World Series and probably played in the most exciting game in the whole series when they won 19-18 the previous day and just came 3 hits short of setting the record for the most hits in any game in the world series history.