Comeback Kids Get Two From Clarendon

It took two come from behind efforts, but the Seward County Lady Saints got it done Wednesday afternoon in Clarendon, Texas, knocking off the homestanding Lady Bulldogs by a pair of 10-6 decisions, each in games where Seward trailed entering the 6^th of 7 innings. 

In game one of the twinbill, the Lady Saints jumped on the Lady Bulldogs early, getting a two out two run triple from Danielle Orr in the 1^st to quickly take a 2-0 lead.  The score remained 2-0 into the 4^th as Jaclyn Wagner cruised through the Clarendon order to keep the Lady Saints in front.  Seward added a run in the 4^th without getting the ball out of the infield, using a hit batter to get things going and small ball to get her around to make it a 3-0 game.  Clarendon woke up in the bottom half of the 4^th inning, scoring three times on four hits to promptly tie the game at 3.  Seward took the lead back in the top of the 5^th as Vanessa Oakden drove home Kolby Hamilton with a two out single, but Clarendon was there to answer once again, leading off the bottom of the 5^th with a home run and scoring another run on a wild pitch later in the inning to take their first lead of the game at 5-4.  Orr led off the Seward 6^th with her second extra base hit of the game and scored two pitches later on a triple from Joe Ann Rapoza to tie the score at 5.  Rapoza trotted home to give Seward the lead a short time later as Megan Olson singled on a 1-2 count to put Seward on top 6-5.  The Lady Saints didn't stop there, scoring two more runs on singles from Jaidyn Mawhinney and Hamilton and then two more on a Clarendon error to blow the game open to 10-6.  The Bulldogs managed to get a run back in the bottom of the 6^th, but it was too little too late as Seward went on to win game one 10-6. 

Seward pounded out 11 hits in the win and took advantage of 5 Clarendon errors in the contest.  Hamilton had a huge game at the plate for the Lady Saints, going 4 for 4 with a double and 3 runs scored while Orr and Mawhinney each had multi-hit games for Seward in the win.  Wagner picked up her second win of the 2015 season, going the distance in the circle, yielding 8 hits and 6 runs while striking out 6. 

SEWARD COUNTY/CLARENDON GAME ONE BOX SCORE

An angry Clarendon squad wasted no time jumping out to a lead in game two of the twinbill, getting three first inning runs on three hits to grab a quick 3-0 lead.  Seward went down in order in the 1^st and 2^nd innings and managed just a bunt single as far as offense in the 3^rd as they remained behind 3-0 into the 4^th.  The Lady Saints finally got something going in their half of the 4^th, using a leadoff single by Hamilton and a two out single by Tiffanie Bolanos later on to cut the Clarendon lead to 3-1.            The Lady Saints gave Clarendon the run right back though, hitting the first batter of the Bulldog 4^th before watching her score on a pair of sacrifices to push their lead back to three at 4-1.  It was Seward's turn to play small ball in the top half of the 5^th, getting a leadoff single by Grace Petersen followed by a sac bunt and an RBI single from Summer White to get then back to within two at 4-2.  The run trading continued in Clarendon's next at bat as the Bulldogs got a leadoff triple and a two out single to push their lead back to 5-2.  Neither team scored in the 6^th and to the 7^th they went with the score still 5-2.  With their backs to the wall, the Lady Saints kept fighting in the 7^th, pushing a run across and putting the tying runs on base with one out after an RBI single by Mawhinney.  Seward drew to within one on a passed ball and following a four pitch walk to Orr, took a 6-5 lead as Vanessa Oakden came through big with a double as the Lady Saints were down to their final strike with two outs in the 7^th.  The Lady Saints couldn't hold the lead though as back to back Seward errors with two outs in the bottom of the 7^th allowed Clarendon to score the equalizer to send the game to extra innings.  Seward kept their bats going in the extra frame, getting a leadoff double from Rapoza to score Bolanos from second to give them a 7-6 lead and they didn't stop there, getting a two RBI double from Mawhinney later in the inning to make it 9-6 before finally Hamilton picked up her sixth hit of the day to give the Lady Saints a 10-6 lead.  That was enough to take the wind out of the Clarendon sails and the Bulldogs went down in order in the bottom of the 8^th as Seward sealed up the 10-6 win in 8. 

The Lady Saints outhit the Lady Bulldogs 13 to 6 in the contest, getting multi-hit games from five different players including Mawhinney who finished 2 for 5 with 3 RBI's and 2 runs scored for Seward.  Alexa O'Brien earned the win in the circle for Seward, going all 8 innings, allowing 8 hits and 6 runs, 5 earned in the victory. 

SEWARD COUNTY/CLARENDON GAME TWO BOX SCORE

Seward moves above the .500 mark for the first time this season at 4-3 with the victories while Clarendon drops to 2-5.  The Lady Saints will take six days off before their next action next Tuesday when they travel to Lamar to take on the Lady Lopes in a double header in Colorado.