Saints Rally to Win First Conference Series of Season

LIBERAL, Kan. – For the first time in over a year, the Seward County baseball team (24-26, 11-17) have won a conference series. After sweeping the Garden City Broncbusters on Thursday, the Saints split with Garden at Brent Gould Field on Monday to win the series 3-1.

GAME ONE RECAP

Ryan Thomas (2-7) started on the mound for the Saints but only last 1.2 innings, giving up seven runs off eight hits in less than two innings pitched. Jordan Pepper came in for relief, pitching two scoreless innings before giving up eight runs in the fifth to end the game from the run rule.

Seward managed just four hits in the game with Brendan Madsen accounting for half of them.  Dylan Paul and Jose Caraballo came away with the other hits.  Caraballo's fifth inning solo home run was the lone run for the Saints in the game.

After two fly outs to center field to start the inning, Corbin Truslow put the Broncbusters on the board first with a solo shot.  Ty Barclay followed with a double before Ty Lightley drilled a two-run home run to put Garden up 3-0 in the first.

The bottom of the first looked promising for the Saints, getting runners on first and second from walks, but both runners would be left on base.

After a leadoff double to start the second inning, Garden used a sac bunt to push the runner to third base. A single brought home the leadoff runner.  Two batters later, Robbie Young connectedon a double to make it 5-0 before Barclay hit a two-run single to push the lead to 7-0.

The Broncbusters ended the game in the fifth inning, exploding for eight runs. After starting the inning with a single and walk, an error by Joseph Kuhn allowed one run to score. A single by Griffin Brunson scored another run for Garden before Clint Allen drilled a two-run home run to make it 13-0. Garden got another baserunner from a single.  Corbin Truslow connected on the Broncbusters second two-run homer of the inning to push the lead to 15-0.

Caraballo saved a shutout with a solo shot to left field in the bottom of the fifth, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep the game going as the Saints lost 15-1.

GAME TWO RECAP

Brayden Conner started the game, but lasted just 1.2 innings as he gave up six runs off seven hits, including three home runs. Dylan Paul pitched 4.2 innings, giving up one run off three hits before Tanner King (6-3) came in for 1.2 inning before Cole Evans (2) picked up the save in the final inning of play. King recorded strikeouts on three of his five outs records.

Clint Allen started the game with a first pitch blast to left field to immediately put the Broncbusters up 1-0. The final two runs of the inning both came off errors, the first from an error by Carballo before a dropped ball thrown to first allow the third run to score.

Seward put one on the board in the bottom of the first.  After Cole Bergdall walked, Cayde Ward pushed him to third with a double.  Spencer Sackett hit a sac fly to deep center field to make it 3-1.

Two home runs in the second gave the Broncbusters seven runs on the board.  The first came off a Robbie Young three-run blast, while Corbin Truslow followed with a solo home run of his own.

A huge third inning by the Saints tied the game at seven. After reaching on a walk, Bergdall was brought home by a two-run dinger over the scoreboard in left field by Ward. Three straight singles by Kun, Sackett and Caraballo scored one more run.  Benny Ayala cut the lead to two with an RBI ground out to third base before Cody Coontz drilled a first pitch two-run bomb to tie the game at seven.

The Saints took the lead an inning later.  Following a two-out triple by Ward, Sackett hit a single up the middle to put Seward up 8-7.

The Broncbusters tied the game in seventh.   A leadoff double was driven in with a single up the middle by Barclay.

Shope put the Saints back on top with a line drive up gut before Brendan Madsen hit a line drive double to score another to make it 10-8.

Seward will be back in action tomorrow evening when they host Clarendon for their final non-conference game of the season at 3:00 p.m. at Brent Gould Field.