Struggling Saints Swept on Day Two by Butler

The Seward County Saints finished off a forgettable Jayhawk West Conference schedule on Sunday, dropping both games of a doubleheader to Butler to finish the conference season at 16-16, their most conference losses in school history.  Needing two wins Sunday to clinch a home playoff series, Seward failed terribly as they were unable to hold a late lead to lose game one 6-5 before being drubbed in game two of the doubleheader 17-7 to wrap up their conference season. 

Things didn't get off to too good of a start for the Saints who saw their first three hitters of the top half of the 1^st inning all strikeout to begin the day. 

Saints starter Keenan Hall was able to keep Seward in the game though despite the lack of offense until the 3^rd inning when with two outs in the inning Butler  exploded for four runs after a walk and four consecutive hits to give the Grizzlies a 4-0 lead. 

The Saints fought to get back in the game in the top of the 4^th, getting back to back doubles from Bryson Allen and Brent Williams followed by an RBI single from Kevin Connolly to cut the Saints deficit in half to 4-2. 

Hall worked a quick 1-2-3 bottom of the 4^th against the Grizzlies and the Saints were right back up there trying to cut into the Grizzly lead. 

Mason Marshall doubled to start the Saints 5^th and Brandon Urquizo singled to put runners on the corners with one out.  Allen then continued to swing his hot bat with his second double of the game to score both runs to tie the game at 4.  After a Butler pitching change it was Williams turn to get into the act and the freshman catcher did just that with an RBI single to left to bring home Allen to put the Saints in front for the first time in the game 5-4. 

A pair of one out walks proved costly to Hall in the 5^th as Butler needed just one hit to score a run to tie the game at 5. 

The Saints were unable to answer in the 6^th and Butler was able to manufacture a run in the bottom of the inning to take the lead back at 6-5. 

With their home playoff lives on the line, the Saints would have to mount a comeback against one of the best closers in the country, Trevor Ezell, and weren't able to do it.  The Saints went quietly in the 7^th as Ezell buzzed through the top of their lineup in order to earn his 15^th save of the season and hand Seward a 6-5 loss.

Seward actually outhit Butler 11 to 8 in the game and played clean defensively while Butler had the games only error.  Williams was 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI's in the loss while Allen was 2 for 4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI.  Brent Bezio took the loss on the mound for the Saints, falling to 0-3 on the year as he allowed 1 run on 2 hits in 1 1/3 inning of relief work. 

SEWARD COUNTY/BUTLER GAME THREE BOX SCORE

The Saints got out of the gates strong in the series finale as the first three hitters of the game collected hits and with two outs Connor Smith drove home a pair with a single to give them an early 2-0 lead. 

The bottom of the inning was equally as bad of a start though as Seward starter Nolan McCutcheon walked two Butler hitters to start the bottom of the 1^st and threw a pair of wild pitches followed by two singles to allow the Grizzlies to erase the Saints lead and take one of their own 3-2. 

Butler added their fourth run of the game without even putting the ball in play, using a two out walk followed by a stolen base and an error to take a 4-2 lead on the Saints. 

The Seward offense continued to plug away though, scoring a pair of runs on an RBI triple from Connolly and an error on the Grizzlies to tie the game at 4. 

Just as soon as the Saints evened the score, the Grizzlies were back at it.  Five Butler singles scored two runs and chased McCutcheon from the game and with the bases loaded a wild pitch from reliever Pete Macke scored another Grizzly run to make it 7-4.  Two pitches later a double to the gap cleared the bases and at the end of 3 it was Butler 9 and Seward 4. 

Seward got a run back on an RBI double  from Reed Thompson in the 4^th and Macke settled down, getting the Saints through the 5^th with just a four run deficit 9-5. 

The Saints climbed back to within three in the 6^th as Urquizo doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a two out single from Williams to make it 9-6. 

But just as it happened before, as soon as the Saints got close, the Grizzlies went back on the offensive.  Saints pitching walked the bases loaded in the Butler 6^th and a single followed by a double scored four runs to quickly blow the game back open to 13-6.  With the bases reloaded later in the inning on another walk, Saints pitching allowed another free pass to push home a run to make it 14-6. 

Connolly's second triple of the game started the Saints 7^th and he scored on a groundout from Smith to make it 14-7, but a double play later in the inning killed the Saints chances to get any closer as they remained down by seven at stretch time. 

Back to back one out extra base hits for the Grizzlies made it a 15-7 game and after another walk and the Saints sixth error of the game, Butler had another run to push their lead to 16-7.  With the run rule now staring the Saints in the face, Seward pitching hit another Butler batter to put runners on first and second with two outs before a Grizzly single drove the run home to end the game with the score 17-7. 

Saints pitching was at the route of their problems in the loss as Butler hammered out 16 hits while the Seward staff walked 13 and hit another 3 Grizzly hitters in the contest.  Seward managed 11 hits, including 2 each from Thompson, Williams, Connolly, and Urquizo while Smith drove in 3 for the Saints.  McCutcheon allowed 9 runs, all earned, on 8 hits and 4 walks in 2 1/3 innings of work on the mound to take the loss for Seward. 

SEWARD COUNTY/BUTLER GAME FOUR BOX SCORE

The Saints drop to 29-26 overall on the season and drop their third conference series of the year after losing just two in the previous four seasons combined.  They end their Jayhawk West Conference schedule at 16-16, marking their most losses in a conference season in school history and snapping a 19 year string of 17 or more conference wins.  Seward finishes 5^th in the Jayhawk West and will be on the road at either Kansas City Kansas or Neosho County next weekend. 

Seward will wrap up their regular season schedule at home tomorrow against Clarendon in a non-conference contest.