Ward Lifts Saints To Series Split With Late Home Run

DODGE CITY, Kan. – A two-home run day by Cayde Ward helped carry the Seward County baseball team (20-25, 8-16 KJCCC) to a series split with the Dodge City Conquistadors. The Conqs won game one 7-4 before Ward's 9^th inning home run gave Seward a 5-4 win in game two.

GAME ONE RECAP

Ryan Thomas (2-6) started on the mound, pitching 5.1 innings.  He gave up five runs off 11 hits. Brooks Williams came in for relief, pitching the final two outs of the game for the Saints, giving up one run off two hits while striking out one batter.

After coming away with 38 combined hits on Thursday's double header, Seward struggled to make contact, finishing with just seven hits. Brendan Madsen and Cole Bergdall led the Saints with two hits a piece while Cayde Ward, Ben Tsui and Jose Caraballo each finished with one hit. Ward led the team with two RBI.

The scoring had to wait after the pitchers held the teams scoreless over the first two innings. The first two batters got out for the Saints in the top of the third, but Madsen started a two-out rally with a single. After Dylan Paul was walked to load the bases, Ward hit a two RBI single to give Seward the lead. Joseph Kun reached on an error with the next at bat, allowing Paul to score and put the Saints up 3-0.

Just as the Saints had done in the top of the third, the Conqs used a two-out rally to put runs on the board in the bottom of the third.  A double by Cade Engle started the rally before he reached home with a Brayden Cook single. A double two batters by Dauson Tate cut the Seward lead to just one run.

While the Saints bats cooled off after the third, the Conqs offense was just started to heat up, scoring at least one run in each of the remaining innings. After a leadoff single in the fourth by Colton Talton, Griffin McBride attempted a sac bunt to push Talton into scoring position, but an errant throw by Thomas allowed Talton to score from first base to tie the game at three.

Dodge took the lead in the bottom of the fifth with two singles.  Colton Onstott brought home his 8^th RBI of the series to give the Conqs the lead before Talton connected on his second hit of the day to score Onstott.

Seward got one back in the top of the sixth to cut the deficit to one.  Spencer Sackett reach on an error by the left field, allowing him to reach third base before Ben Tsui drove him in with a single to make the score 5-4.

Another two-run inning by the Conqs put the game out of reach for the Saints. After a leadoff strikeout, Blake Rast hit a double to give Dodge a runner in scoring position.  Cade Engle brought him home with the next at bat with a single.  Engle stole second and advanced to third with from a wild pitch before Brayden Cook hit a sac fly to bring the game to 7-4.

GAME TWO RECAP

Hunter Ratcliffe started on the mound in game two pitching five innings.  He gave up four runs, two earned, off seven hits.  Jordan Pepper (2-0) picked up the win in relief for Ratcliffe, pitching four scoreless innings.

Seward finished the game with nine hits.  Ward's three hits led the Saints with three hits, including his two home runs.  Benny Ayala and Jose Caraballo each finished with two hits.

The Conqs got on board first in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out single by Tate to score Onstott. Seward took the lead in the following inning with doubles from Benny Ayala and Madsen to give them a 2-1.

Dodge tied it back at one in the bottom of the second before taking a two-run lead in the third.  Cameron Fritz connected on a double in the second inning and was brought home with a ground out to short stop. In the bottom of the third, Garrett McGowan hit a two-RBI single to make the score 4-2, but that would be the last the Conqs would score the rest of the game.

Solo home runs by Ward in the fifth inning and Ayala in the sixth inning tied the game for Saints.

Pepper kept the Saints in the game with three straight 1-2-3 innings. In the top of the ninth, Ward connected on his second home run of the day for the go ahead, game deciding run, giving the Saints the 5-4 win.

Seward will travel to Borger, Texas on Tuesday for a non-conference 3:00 p.m. matchup with Frank Phillips.