A Spine Tingling Split in Chanute

Two one run games kept fans on the edge of their sets in Chanute. Seward won 9-8 in 10 innings and Neosho won 5-4 as the Saints and Panthers split their Region 6 Tournament double header. The teams will meet Sunday at 1 at Hudson Field in Chanute with the winner advancing to Wichita Friday and the 8 team double elimination portion of the tournament. Te game will air on 1270 and kscbnews.net.

The Saints won game one. The Saints scored first when Brent Williams doubled home a run. The Panthers countered for two. The Saints tied it in the second with a run when Reed Thompson singled home a run. Seward took a 3-2 lead with a run in the third when Jordan Leinweber tripled and Kevin Connolly grounded out to drive home the run. Neosho countered for two in the third to lead 4-3. NCC added a run in the fourth to lead 5-3. Seward made it a 5-4 game with a run in the sixth when Connolly doubled, Brandon Rix singled, and Jake Fuller hit a sacrifice fly to right. Neosho hit back to back homers in the sixth to lead 7-4. The seventh inning was the inning when the momentum turned Seward’s way. The Saints scored three run on four hits to tie the game. Leinweber doubled home a run. Rix hit a sac fly. Fuller singled home the tying run. Neosho had runners at thE corners with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. SCCC catcher Mason Marshall threw out a runner trying to steal. The runner from third tried to score and Jake Fuller fired home as Marshall blocked the plate and tagged out the runner for the double play. Neosho scored in the bottom of the eighth to lead 8-7. Fuller rolled a single up the middle with two outs to score the tying run in the ninth. Thompson reached on an error in the tenth and scored the lead run as Williams rifled a double off the top of the wall in right center. It was his NJCAA record tying 35th double. Pete Macke pitched two and one third scoreless for the win. Williams was 3-6 with two doubles and two RBI’s. Leinweber was 3-6 with a triple and a double.

In game two the Saints turned to JB Olson. He pitched seven innings and allowed two runs in a no decision. Both teams scored two in the first. Connolly tripled home two runs. Rix singled home arun in the fourth to give Seward a 3-2 lead. Sewrard added a fifth inning run when Thompson doubled home a run. That lead stood until Neosho scored one in the eighth and one two in the ninth to win it against the Seard bullpen. Seward out-hit the Panters 10-8 but lost