Saints Split; Setup Sunday Showdown

It was a day of comebacks on Saturday as the Seward County Saints and Neosho County Panthers squared off in the first round of the 2014 Region VI Tournament.  In the best of three series in Chanute, it was Seward who was down to their last strike in game one, coming from behind to win 9-8 in 10 innings before the Panthers erased a 4-2 Saints lead in the 8^th inning of game two to scathe off elimination with a 5-4 walk off win to split the doubleheader.  The split sets up a winner take all, Sunday contest with the winner moving on to the Region VI Championships and the loser packing it up and heading home for the year.

The Saints wasted no time getting on the board in the opening game of the series, using a one out hit by pitch followed by an RBI double from Brent Williams to take a quick 1-0 lead in the 1^st. 

The Saints did exactly what they didn't want to do in the bottom half of the 1^st inning, letting the nation's best hitter get the barrel of the bat on a 1-2 pitch, sending it flying over the left field wall for a two run home run to make it a 2-1 Neosho lead after 1.

Seward put two more runners on in the 2^nd without a hit and Reed Thompson came through in the clutch with a two out single to push a run home to tie the game at 2. 

A one out triple by Jordan Leinweber in the 3^rd followed by an RBI groundout from Kevin Connolly netted the Saints a run to put them back in front 3-2. 

The Saints lead wouldn't last long as after a walk and a hit batter, Neosho had two on with two out and cashed in both runs with a two out double to the gap to put themselves back in front 4-3. 

The Panthers played small ball in the 4^th to add another run, using a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt, and another single to go on top 5-3. 

Seward kept battling offensively and got a leadoff double from Connolly followed by a single from Brandon Rix to put runners on the corners with nobody out in the 6^th. A sacrifice fly from former Neosho Panther Mason Marshall got the Saints within one, but a pair of groundouts ended any further threat to keep it a 5-4 game. 

Just when the Saints got it to a one run game, the potent Panther lineup decided to flex its muscles again.  Neosho got back to back home runs in a span of four pitches to take their largest lead of the game at 7-4 while effectively chasing Saints starter Austin King from the ballgame. 

Three straight one out Seward hits in the 7^th notched the Saints a run and after a walk loaded the bases, a sac fly from Rix drew the guys in green back to within one at 7-6.  A seeing eye single off the bat of Jake Fuller plated another run for Seward and after the Saints bullpen put up a zero in the bottom half of the inning the game was tied at 7 after 7.

Neosho used a leadoff double and later a sac fly to score the go ahead run in the 8^th, putting the Saints backs to the wall, down 8-7 into the 9^th. 

Leinweber singled to start the Saints half of the inning and Connolly dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him over to second with one out.  After a groundout, Leinweber remained at second with two outs and moments later the Saints were down to their last strike of the contest, still trailing by one. That's when Fuller came up big again, this time with an RBI single up the middle to score Leinweber and tie the game at 8. 

Pete Macke worked a quick bottom half of the 9^th for the Saints on the mound, getting a double play ball to end things and send the game into extra innings still knotted at 8. 

It looked as if the Saints were going to go quiet in the 10^th, but an error on a routine groundball gave Seward a runner and as he has all year, Williams cashed in on the opportunity, drilling a double off the top of the wall in right center to score the run and put Seward on top 9-8. Not only was the hit a big one because of the importance in the game, but with his 35^th double of the year, Williams also tied an all-time NJCAA Division I Baseball record with 35 doubles in a single season. 

Pitching in unfamiliar territory, Macke looked oddly comfortable in the 10^th. The sophomore lefty worked to the heart of the Neosho order, getting three pop outs around a one out walk to close the game out, earning his first win of his Seward County career as the Saints held on to win 9-8. 

The two teams combined for 29 hits in the game, 15 for Neosho and 14 for Seward. Williams and Leinweber each had big games in the middle of the Saints order as Williams was 3 for 6 with a pair of doubles and 2 RBI's while Leinweber was 3 for 6, missing the cycle by just a home run in the win.  Fuller reached base three times for the Saints, going 2 for 3 with 3 RBI's including the game tying RBI with two outs in the 9^th.  Macke earned his first win of the season for Seward, pitching in relief and going 2 1/3 innings, allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk to close out the extra innings victory. 

SEWARD COUNTY/NEOSHO COUNTY GAME ONE BOX SCORE

The Saints made some early noise in game two of the doubleheader as well, scoring twice in the top half of the 1^st inning on a Connolly triple to the wall to take a 2-0 lead. 

As happened in game one though, the Saints lead wouldn't last long.  Neosho immediately struck back in the bottom half of the 1^st inning, getting a one out double to score a pair of runs to quickly tie the game up at 2. 

Both starting pitchers settled in in the next couple of innings, each tossing goose eggs through the 2^nd and 3^rd innings to keep the game knotted at 2 into the 4^th. 

In the Seward half of the 4^th it was a Leinweber single that got things going and after a fielder's choice and a stolen base from Connolly, he put himself in scoring position for Rix who singled him home to break the tie and put the Saints back in front 3-2. 

Saints starter JB Olson worked his way out of trouble in the bottom half of the inning and the Seward offense added another run in the 5^th on a double off the wall from Reed Thompson to make it a 4-2 game. 

Both teams 6^th innings ended on double plays and each left a runner in scoring position to end the 7^th as the game swiftly moved to the 8^th with the score still 4-2. 

Seward saw just seven pitches in their half of the 8^th, unable to add any padding to their lead and it would cost them.

Neosho's Connor Goedert greeted the Saints bullpen rudely in the bottom of the 8^th, launching his 20^th home run of the season over the center field wall for a solo shot to get the Panthers to within one at 4-3. 

Seward once again went down in order in the top of the 9^th and with all the momentum, the Panthers came to hit in their final at bats. 

A leadoff single and sacrifice bunt gave the Panthers two shots at tying the game with a hit in the 9^th.  A double off the right field wall knotted the score at 4 and after an intentional walk to Goedert, a ringing single up the middle brought the winning run home before the Saints knew what hit them and just like that Neosho County had a walkoff 5-4 win. 

For the second straight game in the series, the team with more hits, lost the game.  Seward finished with 11 knocks while Neosho had 9.  Four different Saints had 2 hits in the loss including Connolly who was 2 for 4 with a triple, 2 RBI's and a stolen base.  Olson took the tough luck no decision, throwing up 6 consecutive zero's after a two run first.  He left the game with a 4-2 lead after throwing 7 innings and allowing 5 hits and 2 runs while striking out 6.  After picking up the win in game one, Macke took the loss in game two, allowing 2 hits and 2 runs in 1 inning of work out of the Saints bullpen. 

SEWARD COUNTY/NEOSHO COUNTY GAME TWO BOX SCORE

Seward goes to 30-27 with the split while Neosho picks up their 40^th win compared to 18 losses. 

The split means that it will all be on the line on Sunday as the two teams meet in the rubber match of the series in Chanute at 1:00 with the winner moving on to the Region VI Championships and the loser calling it a year.