NEOSHO, Mo. -- With a depleted pitching staff, the Raiders couldn't do much to hold off Crowder's offense.
Three Rivers College lost both games in five innings Friday, 12-2 in the opener and 11-1 in the nightcap. With the losses, Three Rivers dropped all four games in the series.
The Raiders took six pitchers to Crowder (37-9, 21-3) for the four-game series. Lane Crowley and Adam Brown both threw over 100 pitches on Thursday, cutting the options further for Friday's doubleheader.
Parker Dent started the opener and threw four innings. He allowed 12 hits, 11 runs and two walks with two strikeouts. Fernando Burgos, who also pitched in relief Thursday, appeared in the fifth, and gave up a leadoff home run that brought the run-rule into effect.
In the nightcap, Toby Miller got his first start of the season. Miller also pitched in relief Thursday, and threw 95 pitches over three innings Friday. He allowed eight hits, six runs and two walks with three strikeouts. Only one run was earned
It was then that the Raiders (13-21, 7-15) were out of options in the bullpen and went to the position players. Specifically, regular shortstop Garyn Stewart took the mound for his first appearance of the year.
Over one inning, he gave up six hits, five runs and two walks with three strikeouts.
With 10 position players making the trip, giving the team 16 total active players, the offense didn't have many options either.
Ryan Hunter and Landon Vaughan scored in the opener. Vaughan drew a two-out walk, took second on a wild pitch and scored when Grant Miller singled the 10th pitch of his at bat into right field.
Ryan Hunter scored an unearned run in the fifth after another walk, a wild pitch, a stolen base and an error.
The Raiders had five hits in the opener. Hunter, Ty Gordon and Vaughan each reached base twice.
Before taking the mound Stewart scored Three Rivers' lone run in the nightcap. He singled up the middle to leadoff the game, and scored on Blaze Speas' single to right field.
The Raiders had two hits the rest of the game. William Stallings' double in the fifth was the team's only extra base hit of the day.
After winning 8 of 9 where the Raiders scored at least six runs six times, they've lost five straight and did not score six runs in any loss.
Among the team leaders in batting average, four of the top five have missed at least eight games. Nobody has appeared in all 34 games. Ryan Hunter and Dylan Kater are the closest, with each missing one game, and six Raiders have appeared in at least 30 games.
SOFTBALL
Against one of the top offensive teams in the country, the Lady Raiders weren't able to match firepower.
Crowder leads NJCAA in triples and team batting average, and is in the top 10 in another nine offensive categories and swept Three Rivers College on Saturday, winning the opener 10-2 and the nightcap 8-0.
"We just couldn't hold them down. Offensively, we had some hits, we had several opportunities. We couldn't get a big two-out hit," Three Rivers coach Jeff Null said. "They were tough and they took advantage of any miscue we had."
Morgan Ledure hit a solo home run in the first inning of the opener for her first home run of the season. Wiley Lowry doubled in the fifth, and courtesy runner Maci Coleman scored on a wild pitch.
Ledure had three hits in the nightcap and Lexi Morris had two as the Lady Raiders scattered six hits.
The Lady Raiders split with State Fair on Friday, winning the opener 6-3 and losing the nightcap 2-0.
Three Rivers (20-12, 8-10 Region XVI) has had problems finding two-out hits recently, and was able to get them in the opener but not the nightcap.
"We got a couple big hits, finally, in that one," Null said.
Three Rivers scored three runs to break a tie game in the top of the seventh inning. Lowry had a two-RBI triple that set the final score. Randi Scruggs scored the Lady Raiders' first three runs in her first three at bats.
The Lady Raiders had chances in four separate innings in the nightcap, including the tying run on second in the top of the seventh, but closed the game with a pair of strikeouts. Scruggs, Ledure and Morris each had two hits.
"I guess, tip your cap to their pitcher for shutting us out," Null said. "She was jamming us inside. She wore the inside corner out and he was calling it. We failed to make any system adjustments. We had a batter or two make an adjustment, and then the next one would come up and get jammed."