Pitching Struggles on Friday in Odessa

It was a rough day for Seward County pitching Friday on the road at Odessa as Lady Saint hurlers allowed 44 runs in three games as Seward fell to Odessa, Temple, and Howard to continue a slow start to the 2016 season. 

Seward's day got off to a solid start as Jaidyn Mawhinney tripled to start their first game of the day against the host Odessa Wranglers and later scored in the inning on a single from Hannah Clark to give them a quick 1-0 lead.  Odessa answered in the bottom half though, erasing the Lady Saints lead and evening the game at 1.  Seward missed a golden opportunity to take the lead back in the 2^nd as they put runners on first and third with nobody out, but they failed to push a run across and they paid for it later.  In Odessa's next trip to the plate, they scored four, opening up a 5-1 lead.  The Lady Saints started the inning well again in the 3^rd, this time loading the bases without an out and this time they cashed in, getting a run as Venice Batts was hit by a pitch and another on a groundout to cut the Odessa lead to 5-3.  It stayed that way until the bottom of the 4^th when Odessa put the game away for good.  The Wranglers scored seven times in the inning and Seward was unable to get anything going in the 5^th which in turn kicked in the run rule as Odessa took the game 13-4. 

Seward had 8 hits in the loss, getting a 2 hit day from Clark while the other 6 hits were spread out between six players. Kelly Kearney went the distance in the circle for Seward but was hit hard, allowing 11 hits and 12 runs while walking 5 to fall to 3-2 on the year. 

SEWARD COUNTY/ODESSA BOX SCORE

The Lady Saints second game of the day was a shootout of epic proportions.  The scoring started in the 1^st as Seward picked up a run on a groundout to take an early 1-0 lead. The Lady Saints lead didn't last long though as Temple struck back for three in the bottom of the 1^st and after one the starting gun had been fired with the Jaguars out in front 3-1.  It was Seward's turn to answer in the top of the 2^nd and that they did, getting a two run double from Clark to even the score at 3 and then RBI singles from Hannah Lopez and Krystina Garcia to put them back on top 5-3.  Once again, Seward wasn't in front for long though as Temple plated four more runs in the bottom of the inning, jumping back in front 7-5.  Corrales drove home a run for Seward in the 3^rd, but Temple got two more in their half of the frame to extend their lead to three at 9-6.  Garcia slugged a leadoff homerun to start the Lady Saints 4^th to get them back to within two and as the script had been the whole afternoon, the Jags answered, this time with a six run inning to blow their lead open to 15-7.  The Lady Saints didn't roll over though.  Needing a run to stay alive in the 5^th, Seward got that and much much more.  Clark and Lopez smacked back to back RBI singles to make it a 15-9 game and then Temple's third error of the inning and an RBI single from Callie Silvers-Harnly got Seward to within four at 15-11 with the bases still loaded and two outs in the inning.  On a 1-0 pitch with the sacks packed, Madeline Cordova picked the perfect time for her first career collegiate home run, blasting a grand slam over the wall to bring Seward all the way back to tie the game at 15.  The Jaguars offense was unfazed though, taking advantage of two Seward errors in the bottom of the 5^th to score three times, taking the lead back at 18-15.  Almost unbelievably, the Lady Saints went down in order in the top of the 6^th and Temple 'only' scored one in the bottom of the inning to push their lead 19-15.  Facing a four run deficit with three outs remaining usually would seem impossible, but =ot in a game that had already featured 34 runs in just six innings.  The Lady Saints put two on in the 7^th, bringing the tying run to the on deck circle, but they could get no closer as the Jags spun a double play to bring the game to an abrupt halt, winning it 19-15 to send Seward to a frustrating defeat. 

Seward fell despite 16 hits in the game, hurt by 7 errors in the loss.  Garcia led Seward with a 3 hit, 3 RBI game while Mawhinney and Corrales each had 3 hits a piece also.  Alexis Cuellar was saddled with the loss on the rubber for Seward, allowing 18 hits and 19 runs in 5 innings to fall to 0-2 on the year. 

SEWARD COUNTY/TEMPLE BOX SCORE

In their final game of the day, the Lady Saints looked to get into the win column as they took on Howard.  Howard loaded the bases on three Seward County walks in the 1^st inning and cashed all three in with a grand slam, taking a 4-0 lead on the Lady Saints before Seward even had a chance to hit.  After a quick 1-2-3 inning for Seward in the 1^st , the Hawks put together another big frame, scoring four more times to blow the game open to 8-0.  The Lady Saints got on the board in their half of the 2^nd, scoring a pair when Silvers-Harnly singled to right field, cutting the Howard lead to 8-2.  Seward finally got a zero from their pitching staff in the top of the 3^rd and a pair of RBI singles from Lopez and Taylor Kathler in the bottom of the inning got the Lady Saints back to within four at 8-4.  Howard added a run to make it 9-4 in the 4^th and that is where the score remained into the 6^th inning of action.  For the third time in the game, the Hawks put up a four spot in the 6^th, opening their lead to 13-4 which is where the game would end in the mercy rule at innings end as Seward was unable to push anything across in their half of the 6^th to fall 13-4. 

Again, Seward's offense had double digit hits in the loss, finishing with 10 knocks, but Lady Saints pitching allowed 13 hits and the 13 runs to do that in.  Mawhinney had 3 hits in 4 trips while Lopez had 2 hits in the loss.  Mawhinney took the loss in the circle, allowing 13 hits and 13 runs while walking 8, falling to 1-5 on the year. 

SEWARD COUNTY/HOWARD BOX SCORE

The losses drop Seward to 4-10 on the year.  The Lady Saints will be back at it on Saturday, looking for their first win of the weekend against Ranger before wrapping up the trip with another battle with Odessa.