Saints Use Longballs For Pair of One Run Wins

The Seward County Saints used three home runs and solid pitching to claim a pair of Jayhawk West Conference wins over Cloud County on Friday, knocking off the T-Birds 3-2 in extra innings in game one before hanging on for a 4-3 win in game two to sweep the first two games of their four game set in Hays. 

In the series opener, it was Cloud that jumped in front early on as the T-Birds plated a pair of runs on three 1^st inning hits to go on top of the Saints 2-0.

Seward answered right back as Tim Fitzgerald doubled home two in the Saints next trip to the plate, evening up the score at two after two. 

Saints starter Jared Biddy locked in from there for Seward, not allowing a single runner past first base for the next four innings, but the Saints couldn't get anything going either as they were held off the scoreboard to keep the game tied at 2-2 after six. 

Seward had a chance to grab the lead in the 7^th after a Fitzgerald leadoff single, but couldn't manufacture a run to keep things even at two. 

Biddy might have had his strongest inning in the bottom of the 7^th, punching out two and breezing through a 1-2-3 frame to send the game to extra innings. 

A solo home run for Addison Kaasch in the 8^th put Seward in front for the first time in the game at 3-2 but the Saints stranded two runners on base later in the inning to just keep the one run margin. 

Cloud put together their best inning since the 1^st in the bottom of the 8^th, putting two on with one out before Biddy slammed the door, striking out his tenth man of the game to seal the 3-2 win for Seward in the opener. 

The Saints outhit the T-Birds 9-4 in the contest and did not commit an error in the field for just the third time all season.  Kaasch had three hits including the game winning home run in the 8^th for Seward while Fitzgerald had two knocks and the Saints other two RBI's in the win.  Biddy put together his best outing of the season, tossing a complete game while allowing just four Cloud hits and two runs while tying a career high with 10 strikeouts. 

SEWARD COUNTY/CLOUD COUNTY GAME ONE BOX SCORE

In game two it was the Saints that struck first as Brian Tims singled with one out and came home on Jacob Nielsen's first career home run to put Seward in front 2-0. 

Cloud took advantage of a Seward error to get a run back in the bottom of the inning to make it a 2-1 game and that is the way it stayed all the way to the 7^th as Saints starter Ethan Earhart quieted the T-Bird bats and Seward's sticks were equally as quiet.

In the 7^th, Seward catcher Law Greiner belted a two run home run to left to give the Saints some much needed breathing room as they took a 4-1 lead and it was very much needed as the T-Birds scored twice in the bottom of the inning before Dominic Duran came in for a one out save to give the Saints a 4-3 win to sweep the doubleheader.

Offense was again at a premium as Seward managed just six knocks to Cloud's two in the ballgame. Tims was the only Saint with multiple hits while Nielsen and Greiner had the big blows with two run home runs accounting for all four Seward tallies in the win.  Earhart had his second straight solid outing, going 6 2/3 innings, allowing just two hits and two earned runs while fanning seven to improve to 3-2 on the year while Duran came in to pick up his first save with the Saints by retiring the only man he faced in the 7^th. 

SEWARD COUNTY/CLOUD COUNTY GAME TWO BOX SCORE

Seward improves to 12-21 overall and 5-9 in Jayhawk West action with the wins while Cloud falls to 16-18 overall and 6-12 in league play. 

The Saints and T-Birds will get back after it Sunday in Hays in a 1:00 start at Larks Park to finish up the series.