Lady Saints Off to Best Start in School History

With a 6-0 win over Ranger in their opening game of the 2014 Cowtown Classic in Fort Worth, Texas, the Seward County Lady Saints moved to 9-0 on the season, the programs best start in school history.  Seward's celebration was short lived as they fell in their next game 8-0 to #17 North Central Texas, but they wrapped up the day with a solid 9-7 extra innings win over Seminole State to improve to 10-1 on the year. 

The Lady Saints came out swinging against Ranger, getting a leadoff double from Marissa Chavez and a single from Andrea Sitter to put two on and nobody out to start the game.  An RBI groundout from Pokey Ewell scored Chavez from third and put Seward in front early 1-0. 

Seward's defensive half of the 1^st didn't start well as they made an error on the infield, but sophomore pitcher Katelyn Craker picked her defense up with three straight strikeouts to strand the runner and keep the Lady Saints in front. 

The Lady Saints added to their lead in the top half of the 2^nd, getting an RBI single from Joe Ann Rapoza and back to back RBI knocks later in the inning from Sitter and Ewell to open up their advantage to 5-0. 

Craker continued her mastery of the Ranger hitters, sitting down the side in the bottom of the inning on three more strikeouts to push her game total to six to keep the Lady Saints in front 5-0. 

Neither side got anything going through the 3^rd and 4^th innings as Craker got through the 4^th inning for the second straight game without giving up a hit. 

The Lady Saints couldn't add to their lead in the top of the 5^th and Ranger finally got into the hit column in the bottom half of the inning, but again, Craker came up with two big strikeouts when she needed them to keep the Lady Saints in front 5-0. 

Felisha Vogelaar singled to start the Seward 7^th and she later scored on a Ranger error to tack on insurance run for the Lady Saints to make it 6-0. 

It was more than enough for Craker who got two more strikeouts in the bottom of the 7^th and a fly out to end the game to secure the shutout and give the Lady Saints a 6-0 win.

Craker was spectacular in the win, allowing just 2 hits in the shutout while striking out a career high 14.  Her 14 strikeouts were most by a Lady Saint pitcher since Sydney Cicchetti struck out 14 during a game during the 2011 season.  Sitter had a big game for the Lady Saints on offense, going 3 for 4 with a run scored, an RBI, and a pair of stolen bases.  Ewell finished the game 2 for 4 with a double and 3 RBI's in the middle of the Seward order. 

The win moved Seward to 9-0 which topped the 2010 team's 8-0 start to mark the best start in Lady Saints program history. 

SEWARD COUNTY/RANGER BOX SCORE

The Lady Saints second game of the day was much less enjoyable for the gals in green as they took on #17 North Central Texas. 

Seward fell behind right off the bat as the Lady Lions got a leadoff single and a two out hit to push across a run to take a 1-0 lead. 

North Central did the same thing in the 2^nd, getting a leadoff knock and a clutch two out hit to score another run to go in front 2-0. 

Seward couldn't get anything going on offense and after two more North Central runs in the bottom of the 3^rd, the Lady Saints found themselves in a 4-0 hole. 

The Lady Saints saw just five pitches in a 1-2-3 inning in the 4^th and the Lady Lions had a much longer stay at the plate in their half of the inning, getting three hits and a walk to score two more runs to open their lead to 6-0.

North Central added two more runs in the top half of the 6^th to make it 8-0 and the Lady Saints never put up a threat against the Lady Lions as the 8-0 score forced the run rule to end the game and give North Central the win and Seward their first loss of the season. 

Seward was outhit 12-3 in the game, with Vogelaar picking up 2 of the Lady Saints 3 hits in the loss.  Jaclyn Wagner took the loss for Seward in the circle, going all 6 innings, allowing 12 hits and 6 earned runs. 

SEWARD COUNTY/#17 NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS BOX SCORE

Things didn't get any easier for the Lady Saints in their final game of the day as they squared off with perennial Oklahoma power Seminole State. 

Seminole got the scoring started, getting three hits and a bean ball to score a pair of runs to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 2^nd inning. 

The Lady Saints responded with a crooked number of their own in their next at bats.  Tiffanie Bolanos singled to start the inning and Carmen Hughes doubled behind her to put two on with nobody out.  Chavez singled to score Bolanos and after the first out of the inning Ewell singled to score Hughes to tie the game at 2.  The hit parade continued for Seward as Becky Allen drove home a run with a single and Vanessa Oakden did the same later in the inning to give the Lady Saints their first lead of the game at 4-2. 

After a quick bottom of the 3^rd, helped by a double play to end the inning, the Lady Saints tacked on another run in the top half of the 4^th as Bolanos doubled to start the inning and Sitter picked her up with a two out single to make it 5-2. 

A two run home run for the Lady Trojans quickly got Seminole back to within one at 5-4 and there was no scoring for either team in the 5^th inning and the two teams went to the 6^th with the Lady Saints clinging to a 5-4 lead. 

Bolanos got her third leadoff hit of the game to start the Seward 6^th and a sacrifice bunt gave the top of the Lady Saints order two shots to push an insurance run across, but they could not do that and it cost them in the bottom half of the inning. 

With two outs in the Seminole 6^th, the Lady Trojans got an RBI single to tie the game at 5 and another behind that to give themselves a 6-5 lead.  Still with two outs, a dropped third strike allowed another Seminole run to score and after the dust was settled in the 6^th it was 7-5 Lady Trojans. 

Things looked bleak for Seward in the top half of the 7^th down by two as they were down to their last out when Oakden doubled to get them to within one at 7-6 and put herself in scoring position for freshman Danielle Orr. Orr certainly didn't let the pressure get to her and ripped a 1-1 pitch into the gap for a double to score Oakden to tie the game at 7. 

Seminole had a chance to walk off in the bottom of the 7^th and Seward pitching helped them get a head start at that with a leadoff walk in the inning, but in as a reliever, Craker worked out of the jam to keep the game tied to send the game to extra innings tied at 7. 

With the international tie breaker in place in extra innings, the Lady Saints started with a runner on second base to begin the inning. A strikeout and a groundout made it look like the Lady Saints might have trouble pushing the go ahead run across, but another big two out hit, this one from Sitter scored Bolanos from second to make it 8-7 and after Sitter stole second, they got another two out knock from Ewell to score her to make it 9-7. 

Craker got a big strikeout to start the Seminole 8^th and a groundout behind that to put two quick outs up on the board.  A single put the tying run on first base, but Craker picked up her second strikeout of the inning to close things out to give Seward the 9-7 win. 

There were 26 hits in the game, 14 from Seward and 12 from the Lady Trojans. Bolanos led the Lady Saints on offense, finishing 3 for 4 with 3 runs scored while Ewell was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI's for the gals in green.  Oakden and Sitter both finished with 2 hits, 2 RBI's and a run scored for the Lady Saints as well in the win.  Craker earned the win in relief, going 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits while racking up 4 strikeouts. 

SEWARD COUNTY/SEMINOLE STATE BOX SCORE

At days end the Lady Saints were 10-1 with the two victories.  Sunday they will have matchups with Western Oklahoma State and Western Texas to wrap up the tournament.