KOKOMO | The Whiting baseball team set a school record for wins and had the most successful playoff run in its program's history.

But those accomplishments didn't translate to a state title game appearance for the Oilers because they were simply overmatched in the Class A Kokomo Semistate championship Monday night at CFD Investments Stadium in Highland Park.

After defeating Fort Wayne Blackhawk earlier in the day with a walk-off home run in a semifinal, Whiting never seemed to have a legitimate chance in its 11-1 loss against Cowan.

"Cowan is a good team," Whiting coach Kevin Lenz said. "They've got pitching, they've got hitting ... and they're a solid fundamental team. To get beat by a team like that, I have no problem with it."

A rain delay that lasted more than two hours during Whiting's semifinal created an uncomfortable situation for the Oilers because they had to start their title game against Cowan about an hour after the completion of their dramatic victory.

"It just sucked because of the rain," Whiting senior Mike Rokicki said. "The rain held everybody up. We had to come right back after a good win, and the other team got a rest. But that's just how it goes sometimes."

Whiting (20-12) seemed to be caught off guard from the start, and Cowan took advantage with four consecutive singles that gave it a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

In the top of the third inning, Cowan scored two more runs on two wild pitches to extend its lead to 5-0 and knock Whiting sophomore starting pitcher Andrew Lowe out of the game.

That's all Cowan (24-5) would need to maintain a comfortable lead the rest of the way.

Cowan sophomore starting pitcher Justin O'Conner kept the Oilers' offense in check with his devastating fastball. O'Conner finished with 12 strikeouts and allowed only one hit in five innings pitched. He did not give up a hit until the bottom of the fifth inning when Whiting senior Brock Vale singled to right field.

Vale also scored Whiting's only run to cut his team's deficit to 5-1 in the bottom of the third inning, but the Oilers never mounted a serious comeback threat.

"For Whiting baseball it was a great season," Lenz said. "We've only had two teams over .500 in the last 40 years, and we've never won a sectional. We made it all the way to semistate. For us to do that, we have a lot to be proud of."